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Join UsKoimoi Recommends Veer-Zaara: This week’s movie recommendation to all the Koimoi readers is Yash Chopra’s Veer-Zaara. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji in the lead roles.
Star Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji, Amitabh Bachchan, Kirron Kher, Boman Irani
Director: Yash Chopra
Available On: Amazon Prime
Duration: 196 minutes
Veer-Zaara, a cross-border love story which released in 2004. Veer, an Indian Air Force Pilot from India meets Zaara, a Pakistani girl who visits India to scatter her grandmother’s ashes in Sutlej river as it was her final wish. During a rescue operation, when Shah Rukh Khan aka Veer sees Preity Zinta aka Zaara’s face for the first time, there’s a monologue in the background which have the lines ‘Hum Dono ne pehli baar ek dusre ko dekha’. These lines show us the essence of love we have always seen in Yash Chopra’s films.
The story-telling is non-linear from the present to the past and to the present again. The film starts with Rani Mukerji’s character Saamiya Siddiqui, a Pakistani lawyer meeting ‘Qaidi number 786’ in Pakistan’s prison to know the reason why he’s been kept there for 22 years. Veer hasn’t spoken to anyone for 22 years and no one knows of his real identity.
Yash Chopra has woven a beautiful and heartwarming love story which will make you happy and also leave your heart shattered. Along with the story, music is also the heart and soul of the film. The songs play a vital role in telling us Veer and Zaara’s love story. When they can’t express their feelings, thoughts and pain through dialogues, the songs fill up for them perfectly! Kudos to music composer Madan Mohan and the lyrics penned by the legendary lyricist, Gulzar.
Shah Rukh and Preity’s chemistry in the film is refreshing, mature and high on emotions. The duo looks so good on screen together that you can’t take their eyes off them just like they can’t from each other. As I said, the film tells us story from past to present, even in their old agar avatar, the spark and love between Veer and Zaara isn’t lost after 2 decades.
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The film also shows us the equation of another couple – Choudhary Sumer Singh (played by Amitabh Bachchan) and Maati (played by Hema Malini) who are Veer’s Tauji and Taiji. Singh and Maati share a playful relationship who are madly in love with each other and also never leave a chance to pull each other’s leg. With this, the ace director has shown us that age is just a number and the newness of true love never fades away.
Another relationship we get to see if between Zaara’s mother Mariam Hayaat Khan (played by Kirron Kher) and Jehangir Haayat Khan (played by Boman Irani). We get to see how Mariam is in complete control of her husband Jehangir and despite trying to inculcate the same beliefs in her daughter Zaara’s mind, she fails.
What makes Veer-Zaara an endearing watch is the human connect and touch in builds throughout. When it comes to India-Pakistan love story, one expects lots of drama, fights and violence because that’s what we have mostly seen in films. However, Chopra knows very well how to highlight the raw emotions, the similarities, the values and love people of both the nations thrive on for survival.
A powerful and emotional scene between Zaara’s mother Mariam and Veer aka SRK is a great example of it. In this scene, Mariam asks Veer, “Tere mulk ka har beta tere jaisa hai kya? (Is every son from your country like you?)” to which he responds, “Yeh toh nahi pata… Mere desh ki har maa aap jaisi zaroor hai (I don’t know… But every mother in my country is exactly like you)”. This scene transcends every human emotion and will surely leave you teary-eyed.
Watch Veer-Zaara because old school romance will never die. It’s a soul-stirring and enchanting love story with a mixed bag of emotions – happiness, love, pain and heartbreak. The film also focuses on the value of humanity, family, the border difference and shows us that no matter how much bitterness and hate is there around, true love always triumphs.
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