Veer-Zaara Movie Review

Advertisements for Veer-Zaara promise an inspirational story of star-crossed lovers who come together despite obstacles. They hint at a politically progressive new film, advocating unity between India and Pakistan. In addition, the movie boasts an A-list cast including Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, and Rani Mukherji. Sounds like a combination for success, right? Veer-Zaara did become a quick hit, where it won plenty of sales and hearts at the cinema hall. However, though it excelled in superficial emotional appeal, it also lacked grossly in deeper meaning. For this viewer, Veer-Zaara can be summarized in one word: cliché.

Let’s start with the most obvious theme of the film: the love story. There is definitely a cuteness aspect to Veer and Zaara’s narrative. They share an eternal bond with a rebellious, forbidden side to it making it the kind of love almost every woman dreams about. However, the attempt to immortalize their love makes it cheesy and unoriginal instead. Hindi movies are always a touch idealistic but the good ones ground themselves on real life issues. An effective movie will respect the limits between inventing an adventurous plot and designing believable conditions. Veer-Zaara errs too far toward the unrealistic side. First time Veer meets Zaara, he immediately falls for her then proceeds to spend a day with her wherein he realizes she is probably his soul mate and he should spend more time with her. Then after the two days they spend together, they decide to part. Probably the most preposterous event is when Veer sacrifices 22 years of his life in order to save the honor of a woman he barely knows. He does this without contacting her to see what her situation is and if she even needs saving at all. We find out that she did not need saving since she never did marry her fiancé and actually ended up sacrificing 22 years of her life to fulfill his dream. Their actions are highly unreasonable especially within Indian culture where children have ingrained that the slightest impulsive move is wrong. Throughout the movie I felt myself analyzing the improbability of the events unfolding instead of looking at the greater story.

Veer-Zaara failed to make any definitive statements that impact audiences in a powerful way. Past films that feature a conflict between Pakistan and India may have been one-sided, but they at least made clear, strong arguments about the issue. This film tries to be so politically correct that by the end of it there is nothing memorable to take away. We see various instances of tolerance that are constructed in an uninspiring manner. They are quite predictable to the point where most issues regarding the partition highlighted in this film has already been outlined by previous movies leaving Veer-Zaara without any uniqueness. We know that the partition exists, we know that unity between the two nations is important, we know that people must be tolerant of each other for that to happen, now what we need to see is a different angle on the issue. Unfortunately, Veer-Zaara does not help in that regard. By the end of the film, I couldn’t remember one powerful scene that left me thinking about the message of the movie.

Veer-Zaara seems to be one long Hindi movie cliché. Many of the stereotypes that people frequently use to describe Hindi movies are present. In terms of plot, Veer-Zaara features the classic love story. The lovers meet under the most improbable conditions and fall in love despite incredible obstacles. All of this is classic in Hindi cinema. There is a standard villain, played by Zaara’s fiancé, who causes trouble for the lovers. Furthermore, the addition of Zaara’s fiancé makes a love triangle, a common theme in Hindi films. The film is stereotypical in terms of filmic technique as well. The average person would describe a cheesy Hindi movie as having at least one scene in which an actor’s face is showed over and over in a dramatic fashion. The scene at the end of Veer-Zaara that fits this description to a tee is when the couple reunites and the camera spins around them alternating between their youth and present day. The film also has predictable gender roles. Zaara is first introduced as a carefree, perky young girl. She is giggly and naïve regarding everything except her promise to Bebe. Veer, on the other hand must take control of the situation and be serious. Their personalities are set from the start based on their gender. Furthermore, Veer, the man, must pursue the woman which reinforces the narrow set of rules Bollywood movies use for a man and woman’s courtship.