''Veer-Zaara'' () is a 2004 Indian
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
-language
romantic drama film
Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typica ...
directed by
Yash Chopra
Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 21 October 2012) was an Indian people, Indian film director and film producer who worked in Bollywood, Hindi cinema. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chop ...
, who co-produced it with his son
Aditya Chopra
Aditya Chopra (; born 21 May 1971) is an Indian filmmaker, studio executive, producer and film distributor who mainly works in Indian cinema. Currently serving as the Chairman and Managing Director of Yash Raj Films, founded by his father Yash ...
. It stars
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...
and
Preity Zinta
Preity G Zinta (pronounced ; born 31 January 1975) is an Indian actress and entrepreneur primarily known for her work in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. After graduating with degrees in English literature, English honours and criminal psychology, Z ...
as the eponymous
star-crossed
"Star-crossed" or "star-crossed lovers" is a phrase describing a pair of lovers who, for some external reason, cannot be together. The term also has other meanings, but originally means that the pairing is being "thwarted by a malign star" or ...
lovers: Veer Pratap Singh (Khan) is an
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
officer, and Zaara Hayaat Khan (Zinta) is the daughter of a Pakistani politician. Veer is imprisoned on false charges, and a young Pakistani lawyer, named Saamiya Siddiqui (
Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji (pronounced ; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Rani Mukerji, multiple accolades, including seven Filmf ...
), fights his case.
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
,
Hema Malini
Hema Malini (born 16 October 1948) is an Indian actress, director, producer, and politician. She is primarily known for her work in Hindi films. Known for starring in both comic and dramatic roles, she is one of the most popular and successful ...
,
Divya Dutta
Divya Dutta (born 25 September 1977) is an Indian actress and model. She has appeared in Hindi and Punjabi cinema, in addition to Malayalam and English-language films. She has received many awards including a National Film Award, a Filmfare Aw ...
,
Manoj Bajpayee
Manoj Bajpayee (born 23 April 1969), also transliterated as Manoj Bajpai, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi cinema and has also done Telugu and Tamil language films. Regarded as one of the finest actors of Hindi cinema, he i ...
,
Boman Irani
Boman Irani (born 2 December 1959) is an Indian actor, photographer and voice artist who works predominantly in Hindi cinema he has also worked in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. He has acted in more than a 100 films in his career.
Ear ...
,
Anupam Kher and
Kirron Kher
Kirron Anupam Kher (also Kiran ''Indian Express'', 12 May 2002. or, Kiron born 14 June 1952) is an Indian people, Indian politician; theatre, film and television actress; television personality; singer; entertainment producer; and a member of t ...
play supporting roles.
Chopra wanted to make his return to cinema after 7 years; he was dissatisfied with the scripts he received. Aditya then narrated a few scenes of a story he had written, which interested Chopra and prompted him to direct it. Chopra intended the film to be a tribute to Punjab; it was to be titled ''Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum,'' based on an eponymous song from Yash Chopra's
''Silsila'' (1981). Set in India and Pakistan,
principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
took place in
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
and various locations in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
; parts of the film were also shot in Pakistan. The soundtrack album, based on old compositions by
Madan Mohan
Madan Mohan is a form of the Hindu god, Krishna.
Krishna is celebrated as ''Madan Mohan'', who mesmerizes everyone. His consort, Radha is glorified as Madan Mohan's ''Mohini'', who can even mesmerise Madan Mohan (her Kahn). Radha is known as th ...
with lyrics by
Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar (born 17 January 1945) is an Indian poet, lyricist, screenwriter and political activist. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 200 ...
, was the highest-selling album of the year in India.
''Veer-Zaara'' was released on 12 November 2004 during the
Diwali
Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is ...
festival. The film earned over 976.4 million worldwide, becoming the
highest-grossing Indian film of the year in both India and overseas territories. It received widespread critical acclaim, with high praise directed to the story, screenplay, dialogues, soundtrack, performances and sensitive portrayal of
India-Pakistan relations. It was described by analysts as having themes pertaining to a shared Punjabi culture,
secularism
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on Secularity, secular, Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic considerations.
Secularism is most commonly defined as the Separation of church and state, separation of relig ...
and
feminism
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
, among others. The film is considered as one of the greatest romantic films of Indian film history.
At the
52nd National Film Awards
The 52nd National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 2004.
The selection process of ...
, ''Veer-Zaara'' won the
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. At the
50th Filmfare Awards
The 50th Filmfare Awards, honoring Cinema of India, took place on 26 February 2005 in Mumbai. This was the awards' golden jubilee year and to commemorate the occasion, the Filmfare award trophy (The Black Lady statue) was made in gold. Moreover, ...
, the film received a leading 15 nominations, and won 4 awards, including
Best Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
and
Best Story (Aditya Chopra). At the
6th IIFA Awards
The 2005 IIFA Awards, officially known as the 6th International Indian Film Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the International Indian Film Academy honoured the best films of 2004 and took place between 9–11 June 2005.
The weekend began ...
, it won a leading 7 awards of its 11 nominations, including
Best Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
,
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:
Film awards
* AACTA Award for Best Direction
* Academy Award for Best Director
* BA ...
(Yash Chopra),
Best Actor (Khan),
Best Supporting Actress (Mukerji) and
Best Music Director (Mohan).
Plot
In 2004, the
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provin ...
decides to review unsolved cases pertaining to Indian prisoners as a goodwill gesture. Saamiya Siddiqui, a budding Pakistani lawyer, is given prisoner 786's defense as her first case. The prisoner has not spoken to anyone for 22 years. After addressing him by his name, Veer Pratap Singh, Veer opens up to Saamiya and narrates his story.
1982 – Zaara Hayaat Khan is a lively Pakistani woman whose family is of the political background and high standing in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
. Zaara's Sikh governess (whom she addresses as her grandmother) Bebe asks Zaara to scatter her ashes in the
Sutlej
The Sutlej or Satluj River () is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroads region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. The Sutlej River is also known as ''Satadru''. It is the easternmost tributary of the Ind ...
river among her ancestors as her last wish. While traveling to India, Zaara's bus meets with an accident. Veer, an
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
pilot and a
Punjabi Hindu
Punjabi Hindus are adherents of Hinduism who identify linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis. While Punjabi Hindus are mostly found in the Indian state of Punjab today, many have ancestry from the greater Punjab region ...
, rescues her, and she completes Bebe's final rites. Veer convinces Zaara to return with him to his village to spend a day together on account of
Lohri
''Lohri'' is a popular winter Punjabi folk festival celebrated primarily in Northern India. The significance and legends about the Lohri festival are many and these link the festival to the Punjab region. It is believed by many that the festiva ...
. Zaara meets Veer's uncle Choudhary Sumer Singh and his aunt Saraswati Kaur. Veer realises that he is falling in love with Zaara.
The next day, Veer takes Zaara to the train station for her train back to Lahore, planning to confess. However, he ends up meeting Zaara's fiancé Raza Sharazi. Before she leaves, he confesses his love to her, accepting that they cannot be together. Zaara boards in silence and bids him goodbye; both believe they will never meet again.
Back home in Pakistan, Zaara realises she too is in love with Veer but that she must keep her family's honour and marry Raza, a wedding that will further the political career of her father Jehangir. Seeing Zaara breaking down, her maid and friend Shabbo calls Veer, asking him to take Zaara away before her wedding. Veer quits the Indian Air Force and travels to Pakistan. When he arrives, Zaara runs into his arms in tears, causing her father to fall sick in shock. Mariyam begs Veer to leave Zaara because Jehangir's high-profile reputation and health will be too bad if news gets out that Zaara is in love with an Indian. Veer respects this request and decides to leave but Raza, outraged by the shame Zaara has brought upon him, has him wrongly imprisoned under the name of Rajesh Rathore on charges of being an Indian spy. Meanwhile, the bus Veer was supposed to be on going back to India falls off a cliff, killing all the passengers. When Veer hears this in jail, he believes the amulet Zaara's mother gave him just protected his life.
Veer requests Saamiya not to mention either Zaara or her family whilst fighting the case, believing Zaara is happily married by now and he will only ruin her life. Due to this, Saamiya decides to cross the border and find someone in Veer's village who can prove his true identity. In Veer's village, she is shocked to meet Zaara and Shabbo instead. Zaara had thought that Veer died in the bus accident 22 years ago. After news of his death, she broke off the marriage with Raza, and her father agreed, getting them divorced himself. Afterward, Zaara and Shabbo left Pakistan and settled in Veer's village in India, so that Zaara could keep Veer's dream of running a girls' school alive. Saamiya takes Zaara back to Pakistan, and she shares an emotional reunion with Veer. Her statement and evidence prove Veer's innocence and his identity as Veer and not as Rajesh Rathore, and the judge frees him, apologising on behalf of Pakistan. Veer and Zaara, finally reunited, get married, say goodbye to Saamiya at the
Wagah
Wagah ( ur, ) or Wagha (Shahmukhi pnb, ) is a village and union council (UC 181) located in the Wahga Zone near Lahore City District, Pakistan. The town is famous for the Wagah border ceremony and also serves as a goods transit terminal and ...
border crossing, and return to their village, living happily ever after.
Cast
*
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...
as Veer Pratap Singh
*
Preity Zinta
Preity G Zinta (pronounced ; born 31 January 1975) is an Indian actress and entrepreneur primarily known for her work in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. After graduating with degrees in English literature, English honours and criminal psychology, Z ...
as Zaara Hayaat Khan
*
Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji (pronounced ; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Rani Mukerji, multiple accolades, including seven Filmf ...
as Saamiya Siddiqui, Veer's lawyer
*
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
as Choudhary Sumer Singh, Veer's uncle
*
Hema Malini
Hema Malini (born 16 October 1948) is an Indian actress, director, producer, and politician. She is primarily known for her work in Hindi films. Known for starring in both comic and dramatic roles, she is one of the most popular and successful ...
as Saraswati Kaur, Veer's aunt
*
Manoj Bajpai
Manoj Bajpayee (born 23 April 1969), also transliterated as Manoj Bajpai, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi cinema and has also done Telugu and Tamil language films. Regarded as one of the finest actors of Hindi cinema, he i ...
as Raza Sharazi, Zaara's ex-husband
*
Boman Irani
Boman Irani (born 2 December 1959) is an Indian actor, photographer and voice artist who works predominantly in Hindi cinema he has also worked in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. He has acted in more than a 100 films in his career.
Ear ...
as Jehangir Hayaat Khan, Zaara's father
*
Kirron Kher
Kirron Anupam Kher (also Kiran ''Indian Express'', 12 May 2002. or, Kiron born 14 June 1952) is an Indian people, Indian politician; theatre, film and television actress; television personality; singer; entertainment producer; and a member of t ...
as Mariyam Hayaat Khan, Zaara's mother
*
Divya Dutta
Divya Dutta (born 25 September 1977) is an Indian actress and model. She has appeared in Hindi and Punjabi cinema, in addition to Malayalam and English-language films. She has received many awards including a National Film Award, a Filmfare Aw ...
as Shabina "Shabbo" Ibrahim, Zaara's friend
*
Anupam Kher as Zakir Ahmed
*
S. M. Zaheer
S.M. Zaheer (एस एम ज़हीर) is an Indian character actor. He acted in the early Hindi TV dramas '' Hum Log'' and ''Buniyaad'' on Doordarshan.
Early life and career
He belongs to Asandra village in Barabanki district of Uttar Pr ...
as Pakistani Judge
*
Akhilendra Mishra
Akhilendra Mishra is an Indian film and television character actor best known for his role as ''Kroor Singh'' in the 1990s Doordarshan fantasy television series '' Chandrakanta''. His other notable works include the character of ''Mirchi'' Se ...
as Majid Khan
*
Zohra Sehgal
Zohra Mumtaz Sehgal (born Sahibzadi Zohra Mumtazullah Khan Begum; 27 April 1912 – 10 July 2014) was an Indian actress, dancer, and choreographer. Having begun her career as a member of a contemporary dance troupe, she transitioned into acting ...
as Zahida "Bebe" Hayaat Khan, Zaara's Grandmother
*
Tom Alter
Thomas Beach Alter (22 June 1950 – 29 September 2017) was an Indian actor. He was best known for his works in Hindi cinema, and Indian theatre. In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Early life
Born in Mussoorie i ...
as Raltaaf Sheikh
* Mart Kenneth Rebamonte as Beggar
Production
Development
Yash Chopra
Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 21 October 2012) was an Indian people, Indian film director and film producer who worked in Bollywood, Hindi cinema. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chop ...
was due to return to directing after 7 years since ''
Dil To Pagal Hai
''Dil To Pagal Hai'' (; ), is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language musical romance film directed by Yash Chopra. The film follows the love lives of the members of a musical troupe, in which two dancers played by Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor get ent ...
'' (1997). After his son
Aditya
Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a ...
completed filming for ''
Mohabbatein
''Mohabbatein'' () is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film that was written and directed by Aditya Chopra and produced by Yash Chopra of Yash Raj Films. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Aishwarya Rai, and newcom ...
'' (2000), they started to look for a new script for Chopra's return as a director. None of the new scripts excited Chopra; he expressed his disdain at the new trend of the films of the time, stating, "I was tired of television promos. All the semi-clad girls look the same." Chopra stated he was as nervous of his return as he was while directing his debut ''
Dhool Ka Phool
''Dhool Ka Phool'' () is a 1959 Indian Hindi-language film produced by B. R. Chopra and directed by B. R.'s brother Yash Chopra, being his first movie as a director, having been an assistant director in B. R.'s earlier film '' Naya Daur''. The ...
'' (1959). He then finalized another script and began casting for roles.
Aditya then provided a narration of a few scenes of a new script, but conveyed that he would be unable to direct it. Chopra was interested and began to work on the new project.
According to Aditya, the story of ''Veer-Zaara'' was written as a medium for his father to return to his Punjabi roots. Chopra was born in Lahore, Punjab (present-day Pakistan) and later moved with his family to Jalandhar when he was young. He travelled to Bombay (present-day Mumbai) in 1951, when he was introduced to the film industry.
Speaking about the film's theme, Chopra said, "''Veer-Zaara'' is a humble tribute to my home in Punjab. It is my tribute to the oneness of people on both sides of the border."
In preparation, Chopra watched videos of Pakistani marriages and consulted Nasreen Rehman, a professor of the Cambridge University for the film's portrayal of Pakistani culture, their courts and dialects.
While completing the film, Chopra and Aditya had a discussion about the film's title. ''Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum'' was one of the contenders for the title, but ''Veer-Zaara'' was ultimately chosen. Chopra said, "The film's lovers are not bothered with the strife around them. For them, love is the only religion."
The title ''Veer-Zaara'' was initially hinted to mislead audiences.
The film's titled was officially confirmed by Sanjeev Kohli, CEO of Yash Raj Films, who stated that the title was chosen after "much deliberation".
Chopra stated that he used to have constant arguments with Aditya while filming ''Veer-Zaara''.
Cast and crew
Shah Rukh Khan was cast in the lead role of Veer. Khan shortly played a 60-year-old man in the film, which he felt was a difficult role for him.
Zaara's role was first offered to
Kajol
Kajol Devgan (née Mukherjee; born 5 August 1974), known mononymously as Kajol, is an Indian actress. Described in the media as one of the most successful actresses of Hindi cinema, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six F ...
, upon her rejection, the role went to Zinta. According to Chopra, Zinta was a person whose "looks and personality could be transformed." He wanted to break the Western stereotype characters played by Zinta.
Zinta was interested in being a part of the film due to Chopra's finesse as a director. She also felt that it was time to move on from war-oriented films with Pakistan, saying, "I thought that was a great message to have in a film and I think what our governments can't do... what our government cannot do, our cinema can do and this film is truly doing that."
Zinta had to attend various lessons for improving her diction for speaking
Urdu
Urdu (;["Urdu"](_blank)
'' Though excited at first, she later "got knots in her stomach" worrying about her performance, but Chopra assured her.
Based on the Pakistani human rights activist
Asma Jehangir
Asma Jilani Jahangir ( ur, , ''ʿĀṣimah Jahāṉgīr''; 27 January 1952 – 11 February 2018) was a Pakistani human rights lawyer and social activist who co-founded and chaired the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Jahangir was known ...
, the role of Saamiya Siddiqui was initially offered to
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ( Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. The winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant, she has established herself as one of the most popular celebriti ...
and Pakistani actress
Nadia Jamil
Nadia Jamil ( ur, نادیہ جمیل) (Born: October 19, 1975) (also known as Nadia Fazal Jamil) is a Pakistani actress and host who is known for ''Balu Mahi'', ''Behadd'' and ''Damsa'', a story about child trafficking.
Early life and educat ...
, but upon their refusal, it went to Rani Mukherji.
Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini were cast as Veer's foster parents. Manoj Bajpayee was cast as Zaara's fiancé, a role which was originally offered to
Ajay Devgn
Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works in Hindi cinema. Devgn has appeared in over a hundred films and has won numerous accolades, including four ...
.
In 2017, while promoting ''
Aiyaary
''Aiyaary'' ( or trickery) is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film written and directed by Neeraj Pandey. Produced by Shital Bhatia, Dhaval Gada & Motion Picture Capital and distributed by Reliance Entertainment, Plan C Studios, F ...
'', Bajpayee revealed that Chopra used to often worry about the film's possible failure.
Boman Irani was cast in the supporting role of Zaara's father.
Real-life couple
Anupam Kher and
Kirron Kher
Kirron Anupam Kher (also Kiran ''Indian Express'', 12 May 2002. or, Kiron born 14 June 1952) is an Indian people, Indian politician; theatre, film and television actress; television personality; singer; entertainment producer; and a member of t ...
appear in the film as Saamiya's mentor and Zaara's mother respectively, though they do not share the same frame.
Other cast members included
Divya Dutta
Divya Dutta (born 25 September 1977) is an Indian actress and model. She has appeared in Hindi and Punjabi cinema, in addition to Malayalam and English-language films. She has received many awards including a National Film Award, a Filmfare Aw ...
,
Zohra Sehgal
Zohra Mumtaz Sehgal (born Sahibzadi Zohra Mumtazullah Khan Begum; 27 April 1912 – 10 July 2014) was an Indian actress, dancer, and choreographer. Having begun her career as a member of a contemporary dance troupe, she transitioned into acting ...
,
Akhilendra Mishra
Akhilendra Mishra is an Indian film and television character actor best known for his role as ''Kroor Singh'' in the 1990s Doordarshan fantasy television series '' Chandrakanta''. His other notable works include the character of ''Mirchi'' Se ...
, and
Tom Alter
Thomas Beach Alter (22 June 1950 – 29 September 2017) was an Indian actor. He was best known for his works in Hindi cinema, and Indian theatre. In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Early life
Born in Mussoorie i ...
.
Chopra denied the existence of a rivalry between the co-actors in the film, when asked about it in an interview with ''
The Quint
''The Quint'' is an English and Hindi language Indian general news and opinion website founded by Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapur after their exit from Network18. The publication's journalists have won three Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Aw ...
''.
In addition to writing the story and screenplay, Aditya co-produced the film along with his father under the banner Yash Raj Films.
The film's costumes were handled by
Manish Malhotra
Manish Malhotra (born December 5 1966) is an Indian fashion designer, couturier, costume stylist, entrepreneur, filmmaker, revivalist based in Mumbai, India.
The founder of the eponymous label, Manish Malhotra, he has been deeply entrenched in ...
.
Khan's costumes were specifically designed by
Karan Johar
Karan Johar (born Rahul Kumar Johar; 25 May 1972), often informally referred to as KJo in the Hindi Film Industry, is an Indian filmmaker and television personality, who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He has launched the careers of several s ...
.
Mandira Shukla was the film's costume designer.
Anil Mehta
Anil Mehta is a cinematographer, writer, actor, and director of Bollywood movies. He has studied cinematography at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. He is the founding member of Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC).
He has ...
, the cinematographer, was requested by Chopra to give the scenes a feel of olden times, in contrast with other films of the time like ''
Kal Ho Naa Ho
''Kal Ho Naa Ho'' (, ), also abbreviated as ''KHNH'', is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy drama film directed by Nikhil Advani, written by Karan Johar with dialogue by Niranjan Iyengar, and produced by Yash Johar. The film stars Ja ...
'' (2003).
Sharmishta Roy
Sharmishta Roy is an Indian film art director and production designer who works predominantly in Hindi cinema.
Personal life
Born to Sudhendu Roy, noted production designer of Bimal Roy's films, like '' Sujata'' (1959), ''Madhumati'' (195 ...
, daughter of art director
Sudhendu Roy
Sudhendu Roy (1921–1999) was a noted Indian film director, art director and production designer in Hindi cinema, most known for his realistic art direction in auteur Bimal Roy's films, like '' Sujata'' (1959), ''Madhumati'' (1959) and '' Ba ...
, was chosen as the art director.
Saroj Khan
Saroj Khan (born Nirmala Nagpal; 22 November 1948 – 3 July 2020) was an Indian dance choreographer in Hindi cinema. She was born in Bombay State (present day Maharashtra), India. She was best known for the dance form mujra and the fir ...
and
Vaibhavi Merchant
Vaibhavi Merchant (born 17 December 1975) is an Indian dance choreographer working in Bollywood films. She won National Film Award for Best Choreography for the song ''Dholi Taaro Dhol Baaje'' from ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'' in 1999.
Career
...
were the choreographers.
Allan Amin was the action director.
Principal photography
In October 2004, ''
Rediff.com
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
'' published an exclusive "On The Sets" report for ''Veer-Zaara''. The website reported that the cast members wore expensive costumes, one being Zinta, who wore a flurocent green lungi outfit; Khan was late for the shot.
[ Parts of the film were shot in various locations in Mumbai.] In 2004, the National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
reported that a folk festival sequence was being shot in Film City Film City may refer to
* Film City, Mumbai
* Noida Film City
* Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad
* Prayag Film City
The Prayag Film City, also known as the Midnapore Film City or Chandrakona Film City or Bengal film city is an i ...
, Mumbai. An set that represented Punjab was created and Sikh dancers were brought in, whom, according to the report, look like peacocks due to their colorful turbans.[ All scenes which featured Khan in a prison were shot in a single day,] at a jail in Pakistan. The court scenes were shot in a Pakistani law court.
While filming for an action sequence with Khan, Zinta had a near-fatal experience when she was hanging from a harness for nearly six hours. Zinta labeled it "one of the most humbling experiences of erlife" and stated that it made her realize the difficulties male actors have to go through. For a sequence involving Khan's character calling Mukherji's character 'daughter', over 10 retakes were taken, and a pack-up was also announced by an "infuriated" Chopra, according to Khan. According to Mukherji, Chopra usually used to refrain from taking retakes as these would make the actors "mechanical".
''Veer-Zaara'' was filmed entirely in sync sound. Khan stated that although he did not have to dub lines for the film separately, he did dub a few dialogues for the film. Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Part of the Pataudi family, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
Khan ma ...
's palace in Pataudi served as Zaara's mansion. A shoot was carried out in Punjab during a particular season, after which the indoor shooting was completed. Most of the filming was done in secrecy and no official announcements were made. Initially planned to be filmed over a period of 102 days, the film's filming was completed in 72 days. The film's reel
A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the en ...
length was 17757.61 ft (5412.52 m).
Analysis
In her book ''Violent Belongings: Partition, Gender and National Culture in Postcolonial India'', Kavita Daiya, associate professor of English at the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (known as Columbian College or CCAS) is the college of liberal arts and sciences of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. The Columbian College is especially known for its programs in fo ...
feels that Zaara represents secularism in Pakistan
The concept of the Two-Nation Theory on which Pakistan was founded, was largely based on Muslim nationalism. The supporters of Islamisation assert that Pakistan was founded as a Muslim state and that in its status as an Islamic republic, it mus ...
. She refers to the encounter between Zaara and Choudhary Sumer Singh, where Zaara persuades Singh to promote women's education as an instance of the theme. Daiya notes that no person faces animosity by being either Indian or Pakistani in the film. Meenakshi Bharat and Nirmal Kumar, authors of the book ''Filming the Line of Control: The Indo–Pak Relationship through the Cinematic Lens'', concur with Daiya and feels this shows maturity on Chopra's part, who ignores the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and was able to "overcome the phobia of Pakistan" usually present in Indian films. They compare it to Chopra's earlier films, where "hate-filled encounters" are generally avoided. Philip Lutgendorf
Philip Lutgendorf is an American Indologist. He is Professor of Hindu and Modern Indian Studies at the University of Iowa. His areas of work and interest include the epic poem ''Ramcharitmanas'', the life and works of Hindu poet Tulsidas, the wors ...
agrees and also notes the influence of Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
tradition, where Veer's ultimate reward is union with Allah
Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...
, much like a Sufi pir. Kush Varia, author of the book ''Bollywood: Gods, Glamour, and Gossip'', whilst agreeing with Bharat and Kumar about Chopra, notes that the lovers are reunited as compared to Chopra's earlier romances, where they remain separated.
Daiya establishes that Veer's "Indian masculinity" is shown through his sacrifice of spending 22 years in jail. Nandini Bhattacharya, author of the book ''Hindi Cinema: Repeating the Subject'', differs and instead feels that Veer's character is "partially feminized""men are meant to be captors, not captives." Sangita Gopal, associate professor of English at the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
and author of the book ''Conjugations: Marriage and Form in New Bollywood Cinema'', notes that Veer's identity dies after 22 years and even after reuniting with Zaara, they are too old to reproduce. She perceives this as the transition from "living death to fruitless life". Daiya feels that the Punjabi village in ''Veer-Zaara'' acts as a model for India, and Zaara's positive to a song describing India, feeling similarities with Pakistan, exposes an incomplete "utopian" affiliation between the two lovers. Daiya further feels that Veer's poem challenges the differences between the nations of India and Pakistan and establishes resemblance between the nations and citizens. Varia too agrees that the shared heritage of the Punjabis
The Punjabis ( Punjabi: ; ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ; romanised as Panjābīs), are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group associated with the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of eastern Pakistan and northwestern India. The ...
is one of the film's themes, explored in the song "Aisa Des Hai Mera".
Bharat and Kumar feel that ''Veer-Zaara'' and ''Main Hoon Na
''Main Hoon Na'' () is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language masala film written and directed by Farah Khan in her directorial debut. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Sushmita Sen, Sunil Shetty, Amrita Rao and Zayed Khan, and follows Major Ram Sharma, ...
'' (2004), also starring Khan, accepts Pakistan's status as a separate entity from India. Rajinder Dudrah, senior lecturer at the University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
, contrasts ''Veer-Zaara'' with ''Main Hoon Na'', writing that while the former "explores the pleasures and trials of border crossing", the latter "extols the virtues of overcoming the border through diplomacy and personal actions." He notes that they show different depictions of borders that the protagonists need to overcome. He feels that the central aestic pleasures of the films, especially ''Veer-Zaara'', is the emphasis on border crossing as a "potentially radical act". Bharat and Kumar also compare ''Henna
Henna is a dye prepared from the plant ''Lawsonia inermis'', also known as the henna tree, the mignonette tree, and the Egyptian privet, the sole species of the genus ''Lawsonia''.
''Henna'' can also refer to the temporary body art resulting fr ...
'' (1991) with ''Veer-Zaara''; they say that the "urbane, educated, professional characters" of ''Veer-Zaara'' replace ''Henna'''s village people referring to "religion straight from the heart" and "responding to akistanin an unencumbered manner." Henna's brother died in helping Chander across the border; this is contrasted with Saamiya helping Veer in court. Dudrah notes that the ease with which the protagonists move across borders without going through legal procedurings could be a source of criticism.
Gopal feels that the film's dual time and use of old music was the reason for its appeal to masses and its commercial success. She compares the last segment of the title song in which Zaara is shot to the climax of Mani Ratnam
Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six Nat ...
's '' Dil Se..'' (1998); both films suggest that the lovers cannot be united. She also feels that the extended ending with the song "Tere Liye" was for a realistic approach. In her book ''Dreaming in Canadian: South Asian Youth, Bollywood, and Belonging'', Faiza Hirji feels that cultural and religious differences were not acknowledged in the film, while noting Pakistani and Muslim traditions were highlighted. She felt that the universality of the maternal habit was highlighted in a sequence between Zaara's mother and Veer. She contrasts the love to ''Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
'' (1995), where religion is an obstacle to love, which is not the case in ''Veer-Zaara''. Comparing the film with '' Gadar: Ek Prem Katha'' (2001), Rini Bhattacharya Mehta and Rajeshwari V. Pandharipande (authors of the book ''Bollywood and Globalization: Indian Popular Cinema, Nation, and Diaspora'') state that while ''Veer-Zaara'' manipulates the state's critique to make it appear "progressive" at first glance, ''Gadar'' does not. Both ''Gadar'' and ''Veer-Zaara'' feature a double recovery; only that the latter adopts "similarly duplicitous modes of writing political structures as individual destined whose triumph over nation-state politics drives aground more completely any redemptive plot of neighborly understanding". Bhattacharya agrees and also equates it with ''Gadar'' and others like ''Mother India
''Mother India'' is a 1957 Indian epic drama film, directed by Mehboob Khan and starring Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar and Raaj Kumar. A remake of Khan's earlier film '' Aurat'' (1940), it is the story of a poverty-stricken village woma ...
'' (1957), where the "identity of the normative citizen" is established.
Soundtrack
''Veer-Zaara''s soundtrack features 11 songs with music based on old and untouched compositions by the late Madan Mohan
Madan Mohan is a form of the Hindu god, Krishna.
Krishna is celebrated as ''Madan Mohan'', who mesmerizes everyone. His consort, Radha is glorified as Madan Mohan's ''Mohini'', who can even mesmerise Madan Mohan (her Kahn). Radha is known as th ...
, as revised by his son Sanjeev Kohli. The vocals are provided by Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her cont ...
, Jagjit Singh
Jagjit Singh (born Jagmohan Singh Dhiman; 8 February 1941 – 10 October 2011) was an Indian composer, singer and musician. He composed and sang in numerous languages and is credited for the revival and popularity of ghazal, an Indian c ...
, Udit Narayan Udit is an Indian masculine given name that may refer to:
*Udit Narayan, Bollywood playback singer
*Udit Narayan (politician) (born 1960), Fijian politician of Indian descent
*Udit Narayan Singh (1770–1835), Indian monarch
*Udit Patel (born 1984 ...
, Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam (born 30 July 1973) is an Indian singer, music director and actor. He has been described in the media as one of the most popular and successful playback singers of Hindi Cinema and Kannada Cinema. He has been honoured by the Govern ...
, Gurdas Mann
Gurdas Maan is an Indian playback singer, songwriter and actor mainly associated with Punjabi and Hindi language music and films. He gained national attention in 1980 with the song "Dil Da Mamla Hai". Since then, he had gone on to record over ...
, Roop Kumar Rathod
Roop Kumar Rathod is an Indian music director and playback singer. He has performed a number of songs in Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi,
Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Oriya, Assamese, Nepali, Bhojpuri and Kannada films.
Personal life
Rathod is the sec ...
, Ahmed and Mohammed Hussain and Pritha Mazumder. The lyrics were written by Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar (born 17 January 1945) is an Indian poet, lyricist, screenwriter and political activist. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 200 ...
. Kohli found Mohan's unused recordings in his cupboard shortly after his death, which was then used for ''Veer-Zaara'' upon Chopra's insistence. Mangeshkar used to sing with Madan Mohan
Madan Mohan is a form of the Hindu god, Krishna.
Krishna is celebrated as ''Madan Mohan'', who mesmerizes everyone. His consort, Radha is glorified as Madan Mohan's ''Mohini'', who can even mesmerise Madan Mohan (her Kahn). Radha is known as th ...
; according to Chopra, upon coming for the recording, with tears in her eyes, Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her cont ...
told him, "Madan Mohan was like my brother. You hopraare like my brother. I feel I have gone back in the past". The soundtrack of ''Veer-Zaara'' was released on CD, LP record
The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...
and on Audio DVD
DVD-Audio (commonly abbreviated as DVD-A) is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio uses most of the storage on the disc for high-quality audio and is not intended to be a video delivery format.
The sta ...
. Yash Raj Music also released complete background music of ''Veer-Zaara'' titled "The Love Legend Themes – Instrumental". After the soundtrack release, Chopra did not allow radio-stations to air its songs to generate curiosity.
In a soundtrack review, Syed Firdaus Ashraf of ''Rediff.com'' states, "It will disappoint you at first, but if you listen to it repeatedly, the music will grow on you." Ashraf felt that "Kyon Hawa", sung by Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam (born 30 July 1973) is an Indian singer, music director and actor. He has been described in the media as one of the most popular and successful playback singers of Hindi Cinema and Kannada Cinema. He has been honoured by the Govern ...
, was the best song in the album. Derek Elley
Derek Elley (born c. 1955) is an American film and music critic and author, best known as the resident film critic for ''Variety'' until his departure in March 2010. With over 1200 reviews to his credit as of December 2014 on ''Rotten Tomatoes'', h ...
of ''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' agrees with Ashraf on the first point, writing, "While not instantly hummable, they do the job effectively." In a review of "Tere Liye", a ''Sify
Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology company providing end-to-end ICT solutions including telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation in ...
'' editor writes, "Madan Mohan's mastery with tunes is quite apparent in this number, parts of which are used often in the movie." Joginder Tuteja of ''Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000.
The website provides ...
'' rated it 4 stars out of 5, writing, "''Veer-Zaara'' is a mixed bag varying from a rich collection of love songs to emotional tracks to a patriotic number, a qawwali
Qawwali ( Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontinent ...
, a folk song and a ghazal. While the first half of the album is instantly appealing the second half will slowly grow on you." A reviewer for the ''BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'' applauded the album, calling it "unique and special".
Mohan was nominated for the Best Music Director at the 50th Filmfare Awards
The 50th Filmfare Awards, honoring Cinema of India, took place on 26 February 2005 in Mumbai. This was the awards' golden jubilee year and to commemorate the occasion, the Filmfare award trophy (The Black Lady statue) was made in gold. Moreover, ...
, and won the Best Music Director at the 6th IIFA Awards
The 2005 IIFA Awards, officially known as the 6th International Indian Film Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the International Indian Film Academy honoured the best films of 2004 and took place between 9–11 June 2005.
The weekend began ...
. Akhtar got nominated for the Best Lyricist at the 50th Filmfare Awards for "Aisa Des Hai Mera", "Main Yahaan Hoon" and "Tere Liye", winning for "Tere Liye"; he also received a nomination for the IIFA Award for Best Lyricist
The IIFA Award for Best Lyricist is chosen by the viewers and the winner is announced at the actual ceremony. The award is given in the current year but the winner is awarded for the previous year.
Superlatives
Javed Akhtar has the most wins w ...
for "Tere Liye". It was the highest-selling music album of the year in India, with sales of around 3 million units.
Release
''Veer-Zaara'' was released on 12 November 2004 and promoted with the tagline
In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...
, "''A Love Legend''". A special screening was conducted in Punjab, Pakistan
Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest province by population. It shares land borders with the ...
for Pakistani audiences. Apart from that, it was screened at the Berlin Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
, where it was received well. On 26 April 2006, ''Veer-Zaara'' had its French premiere at The Grand Rex
Le Grand Rex is a Parisian cinema and concert venue.
Location and access
It is located at , boulevard Poissonnière in the 2nd arrondissement, on the grands boulevards.
Its facades and roofs, as well as its hall and its decor have been lis ...
, the biggest theatre in Paris. It is the first Hindi film to premiere in such a large and luxe venue. It was released in 60 prints in the United Kingdom. It was released in the United States in 88 prints. In 2017, ''Veer-Zaara'' was restrained at the Best of Bollywood series in the United States.
On 6 June 2005, Yash Raj Films
Yash Raj Films (YRF) is an Indian film production and distribution company founded by veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra in 1970. It mainly produces and distributes Hindi and Punjabi films. The company has grown to be one of the largest film studios ...
released the DVD of ''Veer-Zaara''. The film was released on Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
in December 2009. In September 2007, a book based on the making of the film, titled ''They Said It... The Memoirs of a Love Legend Yash Chopra's Veer-Zaara'', was released. The book contains testimonials from members of the film's cast and crew and follows the production stages of the film.
Critical response
India
''Veer-Zaara'' was highly acclaimed by critics, who praised the film's story, screenplay, dialogues, music, performances and sensitive portrayal of India-Pakistan relations.
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media.
Career
Taran Adarsh started his journalism career at the age of 15 with ''Trade Gui ...
of ''Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000.
The website provides ...
'' gave it 4.5 stars out of five and comments, "There's romance, there's a strong dose of emotions, there're songs aplenty, there's drama... But, most important, it has soul, which has been lacking in most movies of late". Writing for ''India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new onl ...
'', Kaveree Bamzai gave a positive review and compliments Khan's performance, writing, "Khan strides across Aditya Chopra's screenplay with assured ease." Subhash K. Jha gave ''Veer-Zaara'' a positive review for Indo-Asian News Service
Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. It was founded in 1986 by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the "India Abroad News Service" and later renamed. Their main offices are located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The se ...
, praising the performances of the leads as "old yet passionate, frail yet sublime" and writes, "The surge of love between two people belonging to entirely different cultures and lands is collected into a quaint and quivering collage of memory and melody."
Jitesh Pillai
Jitesh Pillaai is an Indian journalist editor of ''Filmfare'' magazine. He is also the host of the famously Filmfare tv show.
References
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Indian newspaper journalists
Indian magazine e ...
of ''The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' rates it 3.5 stars out of five, crediting Aditya's writing and its execution. He writes, "Yash Chopra's ''Veer-Zaara'' may be woefully long and meandering. But... this one works and grabs us where it matters. ''VZ'' is one from the heart." Also writing for ''Times of India'', Nishtha Bhatnagar called it a "must-watch". Deepu Madhavan of ''NDTV
New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. The company is considered to be a legacy brand that pioneered independent news broadcasting in India, and is credited for launching t ...
'' praised the execution of the plot and writes, "the love story of Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh and Zaara Hayaat Khan is an ode to ageless romance and timeless love." Avijit Ghosh gave the film 7/10 in ''The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'' and writes, "The film works because the stars shine. Preity's Zaara is both restrained and dignified. This is her most nuanced performance to date." He criticized the film's length and excessive use of Punjabi, but finally writes, "We have an honest-to-the-heart film that remarkably bypasses the bitterness of Indo-Pak relations in a cross-border love story... ''Veer-Zaara'' is for all seasons and every reason." Namrata Joshi
Namrata Joshi is an Indian film critic based in New Delhi. Originally working for ''Outlook'', she remained there from 1999 till 2015, when she joined ''The Hindu''. She won the National Film Award for Best Film Critic in 2004
Career
Joshi is ...
of ''Outlook
Outlook or The Outlook may refer to:
Computing
* Microsoft Outlook, an e-mail and personal information management software product from Microsoft
* Outlook.com, a web mail service from Microsoft
* Outlook on the web, a suite of web applications ...
'' described it as "a good-hearted film wherein the underlying theme is the all-embracing goodness of 'people'."
Chitra Mahesh of ''The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' writes, "''Veer-Zaara'' is inordinately long and sentimental. Certain things like fabulous camera work, art direction, and sensuousness of the moods, are a given. And you would overlook the cliches simply because there are such good performances, especially from Zinta and Mukherji," while also appreciating that Khan "looks good and performs most creditably." Sukanya Varma of ''Rediff.com'' criticizes Chopra for repeating content from his previous films, while appreciating the performances and finally writes, "if you are a fan of the Chopra factory of filmmaking and looking for plenty of eye-candy, ''Veer-Zaara'' promises to make your Diwali a happy one." In another review for ''The Times of India'', Teena Malik heavily criticized it in agreement with Verma for repetition of content, and labelled the film "horrifying".
Overseas
On ''Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
'', which assigns a weighted average to films, it has a score of 67 based on five critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The film featured in the British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
's list of 10 Great Bollywood Romances, with commentary by Rachel Dwyer
Rachel Dwyer is a professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at SOAS, University of London.
Life
Dwyer took her BA in Sanskrit at SOAS, followed by an MPhil in General Linguistics and Comparative Philology at the University of Oxford. Her PhD resear ...
. Dwyer feels that the film represents the "much-shared culture and history" of the Punjab. She writes, "Their dramatization in the film shows Chopra’s skill with film and music."
Anita Gates of ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' writes that ''Veer-Zaara'' "would be embraced as fabulously trashy" had it been an American film but credits the cultural impact, writing, "the cultural assumptions of Veer and Zaara add a welcome element of freshness for American audiences. When Zaara's mother reminds her daughter that women always love fully, with heart and soul, she casually adds, "Men don't have the strength to love like that." Derek Elley
Derek Elley (born c. 1955) is an American film and music critic and author, best known as the resident film critic for ''Variety'' until his departure in March 2010. With over 1200 reviews to his credit as of December 2014 on ''Rotten Tomatoes'', h ...
of ''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' observes that while it does not have "technique and production sheen" as recent Hindi films, ''Veer-Zaara''s "in-depth star casting and thorough entertainment values" make it a "must-see" for Indian filmgoers. Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh () is an American film critic and the author of several books about cinema.
She is the author of ''Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento'' (1991) and works of erotic fiction and erotic cinema, as well a ...
of ''TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' wrote, "Though Chopra's film is emotionally extravagant even by the standards of India's epically unrestrained cinema, the star-crossed lovers bear the weighty metaphorical significance of their travails surprisingly lightly, particularly Zinta's radiantly lovely Zaara." Jonathan Curiel of ''San Francisco Chronicle'' was particularly fond of the film, finding the movie experience "so arresting, its scenes so full of beauty and colors, that the three hours go by almost too fast". He further noted that unlike other Hindi films, it deserves a wider audience for portraying "the humanity in characters who represent 'the other'", done "in a way that's dramatic, funny, fun, silly, musical, stylish, romantic and redemptive".
Carrie R. Wheadon of ''Common Sense Media'' gives it four stars out of five and rates it as 11+, writing, "Those who watch can't miss the pleas for understanding and peace between India and Pakistan or the film's strong support of equality for women." She compliments the picturization of the songs, opening, "Even the slower love songs will hold viewers, especially as Zaara dreams about seeing Veer everywhere while she prepares for her wedding." Manish Gajjar of ''BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'' commented, "''Veer-Zaara'' has a great storyline with some unpredictable twists and emotions, keeping you engrossed throughout."
Box office
''Veer-Zaara'' was commercially successful at the box office.
Prior to the film's release, Adarsh predicted that the film would be a commercial success.
It was released in 625 screens in India and grossed 24.6 million nett on its opening day, the year's second highest-opening for a film in India. ''Veer-Zaara'' topped the week's highest-grossing films in India in the first week, grossing an average of 6,85,948 per print. It earned 175.7 million nett in its first week, the highest first week collection of an Indian film. Since its release, it topped the weekly charts 39 times in India. It also had the highest weekend collection of the year, earning 97.8 million over the weekend. The film remained at the first position in its second week of release, grossing an average of 1,89,502 per print. At the end of its theatrical run, it collected 580 million in India, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year.
The film earned 357 million in the overseas markets 152.5 million from the United Kingdom, 140 million from the United States and 65 million from other territoriesmaking it 2004's highest-grossing Indian production overseas. In its first week in the United Kingdom, the film collected $900,000, for the fourth position on the local box office chart. The film collected the same amount in North America, 15th on the local box office chart.
The film was a Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbuster, with regard to its overseas collection.
''Veer-Zaara'' grossed a total of worldwide, becoming the highest grossing Indian film of the year.
See also
* List of accolades received by Veer-Zaara, List of accolades received by ''Veer-Zaara''
References
External links
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Veer-Zaara's Official Site
{{Yash Chopra
2004 films
2000s Hindi-language films
Indian interfaith romance films
Films set in Punjab, India
Films set in Lahore
Films directed by Yash Chopra
2004 romantic drama films
Indian romantic musical films
India–Pakistan relations in popular culture
Yash Raj Films films
Indian Air Force in films
Indian courtroom films
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment National Film Award winners