Yash Chopra, the name is synonymous with some of the legendary movies ever created in Hindi Cinema – Waqt, Dhool Ka Phool, Trishul, Kabhie Kabhie, Silsila, Chandani, the best ever Lamhe and many more. Following Chandani, Yash Chopra failed consecutively to create commercial success with Parampara and Lamhe. Unfortunately, it seems like he opted for safer genres and compromised with quality to be commercially successful. His last two attempts – Darr and Dil To Pagal Hai were not typical Yash Chopra quality and below standards.
Chopra returns to the direction after hiatus of 7 years. Veer-Zaara, one of the most anticipated movies of the year, starring Shahrukh Khan (Veer Pratap Singh), Pritie Zinta (Zaara Hayaat Khan) and Rani Mukherjee (Saamiya Siddaqi)– is releasing in India on November 12, 2004. I was fortunate enough to be able to watch it a day earlier here in US. So, does it meet the gigantic expectations! Lets look the movie first.
STORY:
The movie starts with the song – Kyon Hawa Geet Yeh Ga Rahi Hai – shot in the beautiful northern India. The song ends with Veer, who is a prisoner in a Pakistani Jail, waking up from a dream. Saamiya, who is a human rights lawyer has taken up the case of Veer Pratap Singh who is languishing in Pakistani Jail for 22 years.
She contacts Veer in the jail and attempts to talk with him. Veer hasn’t spoken a single word in 22 years due to a compelling reason. Saamiya manages to convince Veer to narrate his life.
Veer is a Squadron Leader with Indian Air Force and his primary job is to undertake rescue mission in difficult terrains of north India. During one of such rescue mission he meets Zaara, who has come from Pakistan to complete her Bebe’s (Sort of Grandma, who brought her up) final wishes that her ashes be immersed in her hometown of Kiritpur in India.
Zaara, completely alone in a foreign country does not know how to reach her destination manages to get help from Veer. In the process, Veer convinces Zaara to spend a day with him in his village, where he was celebrating Lodi with his family. Veer and Zaara fall in love. But Zaara has to return to Pakistan, as her marriage has been arranged.
In a final attempt to secure his love, Veer visits Pakistan but does not succeed. Meanwhile, Zaara’s fiancé Raza (Manoj Bajpayee) gets Veer arrested on false accusation that he is an agent of RAW. Now 22 years later, Saamiya has taken up the case to get Veer released from Jail and pave way for his return to India.
Will Saamiya succeed? Why is Veer not speaking out to defend himself? Where did Zaara go? If you want answers, watch this masterpiece.
Analysis:
Direction is absolutely mind blowing. Yash Chopra has handled a rather weak story and screenplay quite aptly. Any other director would probably have failed to create magic. There are several interesting moments in the movie brilliantly filmed by Chopra. Notable among them are the Veer’s rescue of Zaara, Zaara and Veer’s sequences in Pakistan right before Zaara’s wedding, Veer’s scene with Zaara’s mother (played by Kiron Kher – Sorry I forgot name of the character), and the climax, which includes the song ‘Tere Liye’.
The best moment of the film is when Saamiya goes to Veer’s home in Punjab (India) in search of his foster parents (Hema and AB) and what she discovers there. It will surely catch you by surprise.
The story is rather lame and oft-repeated. It is again a story of a boy meets a girl, they are separated due to social and family compulsions. I think, Aditya Chopra (he has been credited with Story, Screenplay and Dialogues) has not come out of that DDLJ hangover. The only difference here is that Pritie is a Pakistani who falls in Love with an Indian and her father opposes it tooth and nail. Even the mother – daughter sequences resemble with that Farida Jalal and Kajol sequence in DDLJ. Similarly, remember that scene between Jalal and SRK in DDLJ, well there is similar here between Kiron and SRK.
There are some flaws in the story / screenplay – Why does Saamiya take up only Veer Pratap Singh’s case among thousands of similar other cases? How is Saamiya able to know Veer’s actual name when Pakistani officials have done everything they could to hide his real identity? Zaara’s Bebe says that she was 16 years old when he came to Pakistan during partition in 1947, then how did she become so old (appears in her 80s) in just 25 years (she dies in 1972 in the movie)!
Obviously other purpose of the movie is to add to the current bonhomie between India and Pakistan. Or astute businessman like Chopra might want to cash on it. Whatever, it does help clear some misunderstanding that Indians have with Pakistanis and vise versa.
Songs:
Song picturization is simply marvelous. All songs are situational and none, strictly none, is out of sync with the storyline. Those who thought that the songs are dated and do not auger well with modern day storyline, well even Chopra might have thought so. More than 50% of the movie and all but one song are shot in the sequences which related to the early 70s. So, they fit perfectly.
First song of the movie, as stated in the beginning is Kyon Hawa Geet Yeh Ga Rahi Hai. Second in line is Hum to Bhai Jaise Hain Waise Rahenge – predictably shot on Pritie, quite similar to Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aye of DDLJ. Next in line is Aisa Des Hai Mera – arguably the best picturized song of the movie. Well, I take it back, there would be competition between this song and Tere Liye. The song shows traditional ‘desi’ culture and honestly took me back to my Indian days. Boy, India is INDIA, period. The buck stops right there.
Lodi comes next. Since the surprise package of the movie, has been revealed here before, the song has been filmed on AB and Hema with SRK interjecting for a few lines. Those who thought that Lata does not sound like a Punjabi singer, well she is not supposed to. Hema is shown a south Indian who fell in love with a Punjabi and hence not a perfect Punjabi there.
Main Yahan Hoon is shot at Zaara’s engagement. The song is there to depict Zaara’s feelings for Veer and to show that despite of everything, she has not been able to forget Veer and she always finds him somewhere close to her.
Do Pal is next when Pritie leaves India and Veer for Pakistan – shot at railway station. The second part of the song appears in the second half at a similar moment. Again the song is very much like Ho Gaya Hai Tujhko To Pyar of DDLJ. The quawali is next, shot in a breathtaking set of a mosque and is quite situational. The song is one of the main turning points of the movie.
Last is Tere Liye. Shot entirely in the courtroom, it shows what Yash Chopra is. I don’t think any other filmmaker today has capability to film a song in such emotional and effective manner. In one word, the song is the highlight of the movie.
Yeh Hun Aa Gaye Hain Kahan was not included in the movie… cannot comment on that.
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