Veer-Zaara (2004)

Director:

Yash Chopra

Writers:

Aditya Chopra (dialogue)
Aditya Chopra (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 November 2004 (India)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A Love Legend

Plot:

The story of the love between Veer Pratap Singh, an Indian, and Zaara Hayaat Khan, a Pakistani...a love so great it knows no boundaries...

Plot Keywords:

Marriage Ceremony | Prison Cell | Sugar Cane | Forbidden Love | Romance

Awards:

15 wins & 25 nominations

Cast

Shahrukh Khan	...	Veer Pratap Singh
Preity Zinta	...	Zaara Hayaat Khan
Rani Mukherjee	...	Saamiya Siddiqui (as Rani Mukerji)
Kiron Kher	...	Mariam Hayaat Khan (as Kirron Kher)
Divya Dutta	...	Shabbo
Boman Irani	...	Jahangir Hayaat Khan
Anupam Kher	...	Zakir Ahmed
Amitabh Bachchan	...	Chaudhary Sumer Singh (Special Appearance)
Hema Malini	...	Maati (Special Appearance)
Manoj Bajpai	...	Razaa Shirazi (Special Appearance)
Zohra Sehgal	...	Bebe
S.M. Zaheer
Tom Alter
Akhilendra Mishra	...	Jailor
Arun Bali

Also Known As:

Veer Zaara (India: Hindi title) (alternative spelling)
Yash Chopra's Untitled Film (India: English title) (working title)
Yash Chopra's Veer-Zaara (India: English title) (complete title)

Runtime:

192 min

Country:

India

Language:

Urdu | Hindi | Punjabi

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Australia:PG | India:U | UK:U | Singapore:PG

Company:

Yash Raj Films

Trivia:

Director of photography Anil Mehta slipped a sepia tint into the film to give it a "golden oldies" mood, and to convey the feeling of nostalgia and memories in the film. This kind of cinematography was later copied by other filmmakers.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: One early morning / Lifting the dark blanket of the night / From its pillow of mountain peak / The sun lifted its head / And saw... / The valley's heart is filled with the season of love / And the branches of memories have sprouted / Innumerable blossoms of moments past / That begin to scent the air...

Soundtrack:

Aisa Des Hai Mera

Progressive Film

Reviewed by: Vijay Venkataramanan Reviewer's Rating: 9 out of 10

It's Diwali - the time for sweets, new clothes, fireworks, and as is customary every year in India, a star-studded, feel-good blockbuster. Yash Chopra's reclamation of the director's throne after seven long years is a simple return to the classical traditions of mainstream Indian film-making. The flair and sensitivity for romance is intact along with the passion for deep-rooted cultural and traditional mis-en-scene. However, neither is "Veer Zaara" a classic, nor is it even remotely comparable to Chopra's earlier masterpieces such as "Silsila", "Kaala Pathar", "Kabhie Kabhie", and "Lamhe". Yet, it is an ideal Diwali gift, exquisitely packaged, filled to the brim with sentiments and emotions, presented with only the best of intentions.

Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh (Shahrukh Khan) has been decaying in a Pakistani prison for twenty-two years. Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukherjee), a local lawyer representing the Human Rights Commission undertakes the challenge of fighting for Veer so he can return to India. As Saamiya tries to unearth the hidden truth behind why and how Veer ended up in this situation, we are taken through a trip down memory lane as Veer recollects the days when he found and lost the love of his life, a Pakistani girl called Zaara (Priety Zinta).

What "Veer Zaara" lacks in terms of an innovative plot structure, it more than makes up for with Aditya Chopra's sometimes flawed, but sensitive writing. The supporting characters are extremely well fleshed out, and his dialogs witty and subtle. The storytelling is further enhanced with Javed Akhtar's lyrical wizardry, and Yash Chopra's tact for stretching defining moments of the story into musical interludes continues to fascinate. "Do pal ruka, khwaabon ka kaarvaan", a fine example of Mr. Akhtar's and Mr. Chopra's brilliance remains etched in your memory.

The film's grand-scale packaging is embellished by Sharmishta Roy's artistic, and exquisitely detailed production design, with each set being highly reflective of the characters that it holds in. Cinematographer Anil Sharma (Lagaan, Kal Ho Na Ho) sets up a rustic, yet opulent scheme to the film's largely rural setting that brings back memories of the evergreen "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge".

Actors including the great Amitabh Bachchan (who makes a stunning special appearance in this film with Hema Malini) have always elevated their performances to higher levels under Yash Chopra's baton. Rani Mukherjee follows in the same footsteps, playing the rookie lawyer with an admirable juxtaposition of nervousness and ferocity. While Preity Zinta and Shahrukh Khan too perform well in their respective roles, at no point does one feel that these two talented actors are ever challenged with roles such as these. Having played the loverboy so many times in the past, Veer Pratap Singh is a cakewalk for the Khan. The lead pair's chemistry from their younger days all the way to the days of their fifties is highly appreciable however. The supporting cast comprising of Divya Dutta, Kirron Kher, Boman Irani, and Manoj Bajpai make full use of their well-defined characters to enact high-caliber performances.

Other than the story of two fanatically devoted lovers, "Veer Zaara" is a progressive film for the Indian Film Industry because it makes an effort to break stereotypes with respect to Indo-Pak relations. It is a welcome change from the mindless Pak-bashing fare that we are routinely subjected to. Sensitive approaches like this first of all would help improve cultural ties, considering Hindi movies do comprise of a large portion of India's unofficial exports to Pakistan. Equally important is the economic factor because a culturally sensitive film like "Veer Zaara" is bound to officially open up a potentially huge, untapped, cinema-going audience across the border