Dec 03, 2005 09:30 PM
4675 Views
(Updated Feb 12, 2006 09:05 PM)
Veer-Zaraa is joyride for the whole family, with a fantastc first half and touching second half especially court room scene !It was the biggest hit of last year with superior cast of Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee. Apart from the multi starcast, which also includes Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini and Manoj Bajpai in guest appearances, the major USP of the film was Yash Chopra, who returned to the direction front after a hiatus of more than six long years since his last film Dil To Pagal Hai (1997).
Yashji has chosen the India - Pakistan theme as the base of his movie. However the film does not go jingoistic but is a genuine effort to cement the Indo-Pak relations further, which have been on an upswing in the recent times. The movie talks about the trauma of partition. In true Yash Raj tradition, it's an emotional love story.
The story is revealed in flash backs. A Pakistani lawyer Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukerji) takes up the case of an aging Veer in a Pakistani jail. Convicted as a spy, he had been suffering quietly in jail for 22 long years. Saamiya meets Veer and tries to get to know the man.
Veer an Indian Airforce rescue pilot meets Zaara the daughter of a Pakistani politician quite accidentally. Zaara comes to India to immerse her surrogate Hindu mother's ashes in the holy river. While travelling, her bus meets with an accident and then she meets Veer. After the initial hiccups both of them fall in love. Veer takes her around Punjab, his native place. Veer an orphan was brought up by an uncle (Amitabh Bachchan) and aunt (Hema Malini). Zaara meets his uncle and aunt and they take an instant liking for Zaara.
Meanwhile Zaara's fiancée Raza (Manoj Bajpai) comes to India in search of her. The lovers are forced to part before they could express their love for each other. Zaara leaves for Pakistan but could not forget Veer. Her maid contacts him and explains the situation. Veer who reciprocates the feelings, rushes to Pakistan leaving everything behind. There he meets Zaara, and expresses his feelings in front of everyone concerned including her parents and prospective in laws. But the lovers are separated, Zaara and Raza get married and Veera is put in jail framed as a spy....will the lovers meet again??
Some of the sequences haunt you much after the film is over: SRK's miserable condition in jail and his confrontation scenes with Manoj. Preity’s first encounter with SRK and SRK’s anguish as he helplessly watches his love slip by are excellent.
The scene in the court room is worth a mention. Full marks to Adi Chopra and Yash Chopra for a deft screenplay.
Yash Raj Films have always come up with rich and soulful music in their films and the music of Veer-Zaara is no exception, being nothing short of a classic. It brings together three of Indian Cinema’s biggest legends - the late Madan Mohan, Lata Mangeshkar and Yash Chopra together for the first time. The music of Veer-Zaara comprises of unused tunes composed by Madan Mohan around 30 years back, which were recreated by his son Sanjeev Kohli and recorded in voice of contemporary singers. And the result is magic!
But Veer Zaraa really belongs to Rani . She showcases a plethora of emotions, all in right doses — compassion, callousness, insecurity, resentment and joy. Whether it’s her scene in the Pakistani jail with Shahrukh or her meeting with Preity in India, She is an absolute delight.She is just is in super form.
King Khan demonstrates his range of histrionics yet again . Kudos to Shah Rukh Khan for striking an excellent balance in roles that had the potential to go overboard on both, the old man part as well as the younger side! It’s hard to imagine any other actor playing the role.
Finally, Preity plays Zaraa's´s character with warmth and compassion. Zinta plays Zaraa as a simple girl who compliments Rani- shahrukh wonderfully and is a scene stealer, especially in her introductory scene when she first meets Veer .Unfortunately 2005 has been disastrous for Preity with SALAAM YUCK NAMASTE.Amitabh and Hema are magnificient in their cameos!
Among the others, D*ivya and Boman add enormously to the film despite their miniscule parts.Anupam is good in a role that he has essayed many times.
A perfect 5 star from my side!
