Story is one thing; story telling is another. Script is one thing; movie-making is another. If both are strong, the result is a block-buster. If shortcoming in one can be made up through the other, one would still sit through it. Veer-Zaara belongs roughly to this category.
Rani, a lawyer, wants to fight to regain the identity and respect of Veer (SRK) who has been jailed for past 22 years. In the flashback we come to know that - Veer, a rescue operations Hindustani soldier, falls in the love with Zaara (Priety), a Pakistani, who has come to India on a personal mission. But she is already engaged and is to be wed. In the backdrop of political compulsions and other stuff that are not very easy to digest, the story continues. The actual drama takes place in the post-interval portions.
The goings-on continue to gather momentum, till the pre-climax. And with Zaara’s re-appearance in the film, the story again takes a new turn. However, the climax - a happy ending - could’ve been better thought of. There was scope for so much drama in the finale, but a somewhat predictable end does dilute the impact. Besides, incorporating a song in the courtroom itself looks weird.
For most part of the movie it looked like a DDLJ remake (intro song of heroine/one last tour of heroine/meeting hero in that tour/ heroine already engaged / ready to get married after returning from tour/ Punjabi songs and dialogues / heroine?s late realization of love/ hero entering the heroine?s marriage preparations). But later in a very compulsive need to create a different story, the movie wanders.
A conscious effort to woo audience is visible in ?deliberate linking & liberal usage of Hindustani-Pakistani?, glorifying love, hyperbole dialogues, punjabi touch.
SRK enacts the challenging role with amazing ease, putting his best foot forward and emerging trumps. It would indeed be difficult to imagine any other actor essaying the two diverse parts. Preity, Rani do justice. Supporting cast of Anupam Kher, Amitabh, Hema Malini, Manoj Bajpai, Boman Irani add weight with their screen presence.
Director Yash Chopra proves yet again that he’s a master storyteller. Yash Chopra movies used to create some unknown magic and everlasting dreamy feeling.