Dear Zindagi Spin-off: The Beginning of Jug

Inspiration: The Plot (Version 2)

Kaira is an aspiring cinematographer working in Mumbai at a small firm which is just as wannabe (and going nowhere) as she is. She dreams of directing her own films. Blunt and cynical, she is most comfortable when with her three best friends, Fatima, Jackie and Ganju, all of whom dream big and make up for the banality of their day jobs by making sure that their evenings and nights are glamorous and modern, fast and loose. Kaira's life takes a downturn when she casually sleeps with Raghuvendra, a film producer, and then breaks up with her childhood sweetheart Sid, a rest-o-bar owner. Raghuvendra then gets engaged to his ex. Kiara's landlord evicts her because the building residents' association is sick of her bohemian lifestyle and asks him to rent apartments to decent married couples and families only. All of this compels Kaira to grudgingly go back to Goa to live with her parents, with whom she has some old issues. She ends up spending many sleepless nights in unhappiness and uncertainty.

While in Goa, Kaira seeks out Dr. Jehangir "Jug" Khan, a psychologist, for her insomnia after inadvertently having heard him speak at a Mental Health Awareness Conference. She warms to Jug's unconventional methods, trying to use them to understand herself. Meanwhile, she meets a musician, Rumi, and falls in love with him, but they break up before anything serious can happen after she realises they may not be the right fit for each other. During this time, Kaira reunites with her younger brother, Kiddo, who is the only person in her family that she relates to. Matters with her family come to a head when Kaira has an outburst at a family get-together, where she confronts her parents about them abandoning her for years at her grandparents' house.

Kaira finally narrates the story of her abandonment to Jug, who tells her that she fears abandonment so much that she does not allow herself to commit in relationships, leaving them before they can leave her. He convinces her that she does not need to forgive her parents for abandoning her in her childhood, but rather, she should have the maturity as an adult to see them as two regular people who are capable of making mistakes like everyone else. After this, Kaira makes an effort to reconcile with her parents and also works to finish her short film.

At their last session, Kaira admits to Jug that she has grown to love him. Jug responds that it is normal for a patient to feel this way about their therapist, and while he likes her platonically, a relationship would not be possible between them. The two share a hug before Kaira leaves.

Kaira finally completes her short film, which she had been working on for years. At the premiere, her friends, family, and exes are present to cheer her on. This is where Kaira meets a furniture designer and strikes a conversation with him.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dear_Zindagi#Plot