Zero Movie Review: A Larger Than Life Celebration Of Imperfections And Flaws With The Unmatched Magic Of Shah Rukh Khan!

On the way to watch the film, mine and everybody's hearts were soaring with expectations from this film. Will this film prove to be a game changer for Shah Rukh Khan after his failing debacle of five years? Will this film makeup for Happy New Year, Fan, Raees, Dilwale and Jab Harry Met Sejal? But with a heavy heart, I have to say even with the insurmountable efforts by SRK, it resulted in a disappointment. 

Well, the main execution begins with the direction. Aanand L Rai showcases some of his inevitable marks on the film. The raw humor and the massy appeal is given to all the characters, be it Bauua Singh (Shah Rukh Khan), his friend played by the very talented Zeeshan Ayyub and Bauua's parents played by Tigmanshu Dhulia and Sheebha Chaddha effortlessly. 

The first half is a class entertainer and is truly endearing to watch. The rustic aura of Meerut is captured effortlessly by Aanand L Rai. The larger than life characterization and the well written humor is truly lovable to watch. But the agony is all this effort goes downhill on the second half.

There is hardly any plot line which makes a rational sense in the second half. The storyline becomes painstakingly monotonous to endure with Shah Rukh as Bauua Singh suddenly striving to achieve the unimaginable and in the process becoming this super tough person competent enough to go to space. The whole shift from the realistic rooted storyline to this complex space travel saga made the story go downhill.

This over indulgence to the scientific scenario rather than the main motto of celebrating imperfections in the film was the main con. The storyline became not relatable and illogical. Every inch of realism disappeared from the film post interval. 

The saving grace was the performances. Shah Rukh Khan as usual spun magic in his act as a vertically challenged man. The superstar has put in every ounce of effort in his act. Anushka as the cerebral palsy suffering scientist Aafia Yusufzai is flawless and realistic. Katrina Kaif as the troubled alcoholic star Babita Kumari has put in a lot of efforts in this one. But again, her screen time is restricted after some intense portions in the second half. Zeeshan Ayyub was commendable but the actor has had better works. Some portions has him trying too hard.

The music and background score is well articulated. But most of the tracks except for Mere Naam Tu fail to create that impact. The other tracks did not act as a perfect catalyst to the storyline. The biggest disappointment is the climax and the conclusion of the film. The cameos of Abhay Deol, R Madhavan, Kajol, Salman Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Juhi Chawla, Karisma Kapoor too look ill fitted. But the late Sridevi's cameo literally will get you numb considering this is her last on screen appearance. 

Zero due to a lousy writing failed immensely post interval. The screenplay too was highly restrictive. The only distress is that after such an entertaining first half, the film takes a major downfall. This affected the monotonous length of the film too. But just for the hard work of SRK and for your love for him, do check it out.