‘Understand yourself’: Ankur Warikoo agrees to Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt’s Dear Zindagi film dialogue

When Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt’s 2016 film Dear Zindagi was released in the theatres, it resonated with the masses for its sensitive portrayal of mental health. The film, directed by Gauri Shinde, centres around a young, budding cinematographer, Kaira (Alia), who feels lost in life after a series of failed relationships. Suffering from insomnia, she contacts psychologist Dr Jehangir Khan (SRK), whose unconventional therapy sessions help Kaira find joy, understand the meaning of life and aid her in forming a deeper bond with herself.

Shah Rukh Khan’s Dear Zindagi dialogue

Now, entrepreneur, author, and digital creator Ankur Warikoo has shared a particular dialogue from the movie on Instagram, agreeing with the scene as it teaches something important. In the clip, Shah Rukh Khan’s Dr Jehangir tells Kaira that when we understand ourselves completely, it does not matter what others think of us. The superstar adds, ‘If we do not take the steering wheel of life in our hands, someone else will be sitting in the driver's seat.’




The dialogue has a deeper meaning behind it. It reveals that when we are attuned to our emotions, strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes, we gain power over ourselves, our identity and who we really are. And when you truly understand yourself, the outside noise slowly starts to disappear. Other people’s opinions about us, their remarks, criticism, or even compliments, stop affecting us.

Ankur Warikoo shares deeper meaning

Reason? We realise that we are not defined by others. Everyone experiences life differently, which makes us unique. No one knows your story; only you know it, from the inside out, and when we acknowledge it, our decisions and perceptions begin to make sense to us, even if they do not make sense to others. This pivotal awareness helps us to take control of our lives without anyone else’s influence.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ankur Warikoo (@ankurwarikoo)

Pulling this thread, Ankur Warikoo explained that most of us tend to spend our entire lives thinking about what other people must be thinking about us. We question, ‘Will they laugh at me? What will they say about me?’, trying to make others understand us. But Warikoo reminds us that no one else knows about the silent battles you fought, the times you cried yourself to sleep and the real you. Only you know that. So, the 45-year-old highlighted that ‘there is one person who truly needs to understand who you are’, and that person is you yourself.