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.

Veer-Zaara

Veer-Zaara

Sonja Chacon

Veer-Zaara is a love story directed by Yash Chopra and stars, of course, Shahrukh Khan as Veer, Preity Zinta as Zaara, Rani Mukerji as Saamiya; Amitabh Bachchan makes a cameo as well. This film was well received among Indian and global audiences it also won several film awards in India. This is a story about love and devotion not just for ones significant other but for ones “homeland” as well.

Set in modern times the story is told by Veer, who is an Indian prisoner in Pakistan. It is from his jail cell that he tells his lawyer, Saamiya Siddiqui, what it was that landed him in prison. The two lead characters Veer and Zaara meet by chance when Veer, a Squadron Leader in the Indian Air Force, has to rescue Zaara when her bus crashes on the side of the road. What lead to this crash? Well Zaara is a Pakistani Muslim girl who comes from a well known political family. Zaara finds herself crossing the border into India to carry out her “bebe's” dying wish. Her bebe had wanted her ashes to be scattered in India in the holy Sikh city of Kiritpur. Zaara on her way to Kiritpur winds up stranded when her bus crashes. After sharing an embarrassing moment with Veer, they find themselves at the same camp overnight. It is then decided that Veer will escort Zaara to Kiritpur. One can immediately see the sparks between the two. After they scatter the ashes Veer convinces Zaara to stay an extra day so that he can show her the town he grew up in and well, his India. They reach the village in time for the holiday Lodi. It is at this moment when Amitabh comes in as Veers adopted father. Zaara is shown this utopian village that Veers “parents” have created. Zaara is so comfortable in this environment that she even makes suggestions to improve the village. There is a wonderful song sequence and it is clear that Zaara fits right in with the rest of the village and that there is love for this “couple” to be from everyone. The next day as promised Veer escorts Zaara to the train station so that she can return to Pakistan, it is at this moment that we are introduced to Zaara's fiancé. He has come to India to take bring her back home. Unable to deny his feelings Veer confesses his love for Zaara, and watches her board the train with her groom to be. At this moment one is certain that Zaara feels the same about Veer, but what can she do?

Veer determined to win his bride quits the Air Force, so that he can cross the border, and makes haste to go to Zaara and bring her home to India. The site of him causes all of this drama with Zaara's family and her fiancés family. Her father pretends to be terminally ill unless she marries the man he chose, otherwise his political career will be over and the family will be deeply disgraced. Her mother begs Veer to forget about her daughter to save her family and her father. Veer, being the exemplar Indian son, agrees and promises to return to India. On his way out of the country he is arrested and accused of being a spy! Zaara's fiancé worked it out so that Veers identity was lost and gave him a new name to fit the accusation. The interesting thing here is that Veer had a choice; he chose his fate in prison rather than risk the chance that Zaaras name would be soiled and her happiness ruined. As fate would have the bus that Veer should have been on, on his way back to India, crashed and everyone died. Everyone he knew assumed he was on that us and so no one questioned why he never returned home.

So here we are 22 years later, Veer in a prison cell known only by his number 786 (which is an auspicious number in Islam). The time comes to go to trial and when nothing works, and poor Saamiya is not given much to argue since Veer refuses to talk about Zaara and her family, she decides to go India to find someone who could speak to Veers true identity. Something miraculous happens once Saamiya gets to the Veer's village, who does she find???? Zaara! Zaara never married Raza and she returned to Veers home and became a daughter of the village, remaining devoted to Veer. Saamiya brings Zaara to Pakistan and the two are reunited for the first time in 22 years. There is some fancy technology to show the aging of the two and a poignant poem/song recited by Veer which speaks to the political side of the film. He talks about how even though Zaara is Muslim and was born in Pakistan she is like him, he is like her; essentially there is no difference between Pakistanis and Indians. Veer is released and he and Zaara return to India to live happily ever after. This film speaks to those in the audience who are die hard romantics, and it also takes a stand in terms of Indian politics. Being a hopeless romantic I found this movie to be very enjoyable. This is the classic Shahrukh Khan role, and I have to admit the more one watches him in these roles the more attractive he gets. That being said I did have a problem with the fact that it was just assumed that Zaara's home was India and Pakistan didn’t seem to mean anything to her. The underlining in that being that Pakistan is India; or rather she is a daughter of India despite the border. All in all an enjoyable film, and worth checking out!

Juxtaposition of a Neighboring Pariwar (Family)

Juxtaposition of a Neighboring Pariwar (Family)

Veer Zaara is film from 2004 set in the Punjab, Lahore, and Wagah boarder. Even though the location of the setting is very similar, the depiction of the two nations and their inhabitants are very different. What is especially interesting to me is the depiction of the most important element to life in South Asia, the familial unit. The depiction of Zaara’s family leaves the viewer with the feeling they are cold, unsympathetic, non-accepting and more concerned with the families name than Zara’s wish and well being. This family is juxtaposed with the warm Punjabi family, who is warm, accepting and duty loving people. This depiction clearly was produced during a time when Indo-Pakistani relations were tense. The film success is a sign of the times in an Indian culture who has learned to regard their new neighbors as less wholesome and even with hatred.

The film starts with Zaara fulfilling her grandmothers (Bebe) last request to have her ashes joined with her ancestors at the ghats of a river in the Indian Punjab. Bebe was the only one of Zaara’s family who was Sikh, coming from the Indian Punjab during partition. This point is interesting because Bebe seems to be the moral force of Zaara, passing down wisdom even on her death bed. So in Zaara’s family the wise come from India. In fear of her families reaction to Zaara fulfilling Bebe’s last wish, she flees for the Indian Punjab from Lahore only telling her best friend Shaamoo. On route Zaara is in a bus accident nearly losing her life after plunging many feet. At this point Shah Rukh Khan playing Squad Commander Veer Pratap Singh, saves Zaara and her ashes in a risky helicopter rescue. Before long the two have love in their eyes and because a bus delay, Zaara goes with Veer to his Punjabi village where they celebrate Lodi. What is interesting for this essay is how Veer’s family interacts with the videshi (foreigner). First, the family is very accepting. Veer was raised and accepted to be a son by his uncle and aunt. Many times during the visit to the village, they honor their Pakistani guest. Zaara bonds so much with Veer’s aunt that it is as if she is already an interregnal part of the family. Zaara is dressed in Punjabi garb and jeweled by Veer’s aunt and participates in the Lodi festivities. During Zaara stay she is riding on a bike with Veer’s uncle and he tells her about starting the village and school. And Zaara inspires the uncle to start a girls school that gives higher level education. During the Lodi festivities, Veer’s uncle dedicates the ground breaking ceremony to Zaara, the foreigner. Interesting enough Veer’s guardians by the end of their visit more than approved of the match between new found lovers. But then Veer finds out that Zaara is engaged to be married on the lines of political alliances. So Veer explains that he loves Zaara so much that what she need to do he will accept even if its means being without his love. Veer tells Zaara he would die for her and her happiness. The reception of Zaara and her fiancé (Raza) the viewer can instantly tell that Raza is not as accepting or loving as Veer.

On Zaara’s return to Lahore, she is hassled by her family. Her family is far from accepting a spouse being an Indian and non-Muslim. She tells her mother about her love, and Mairiam tells her that a women has to sacrifice everything for the family though her marital bond. Zaara’s father also tells her that she needs to marry to strengthen the bond between two political families. This is very confusing to Zaara because on one hand she is told to sacrifice for her husband and family, while on the other her Indian love is willing to sacrifice everything for her. The two ideals here are juxtaposed and the family of Zaara expects her to uphold family honor regardless of her own happiness and well being. Meanwhile, as the wedding approaches Shamoo calls Veer and he comes to Pakistan to save his love from the clutches of a loveless wedding. Veer interrupts a pre wedding celebration and embraces Zaara. This enrages Zaara’s family and her groom’s family. Miaram talks to Veer and he decides that he will honor Zaara’s families wishes and return to India. But Raza upset about the shame on the reputation of his family, wrongly accuses Veer as being a spy. He is then imprisoned for 22 years until Saamiya fights his human rights case in court. In the end, Veer is reunited with Zaara who had ran to the Punjab and was running the girls school opened by Veer’s uncle. The separated couple then goes back to India with a dramatic ending scene at Wagah crossing.

Through Zaara’s predicament with her family and their responses, it is clear that her family is not accepting and warm as her Indian love’s family. During the political climate of the film’s release, this depiction further comments on popular representation of Indian’s, Pakistani’s characteristics imposed on a Nationalists agenda. It is clear which family is ethical and loving and which is family unsympathetic. This is a basic filmic commentary on nature of the Indian and Pakistani family relations, which chooses the moral side of the Indian family. The love of the Indian family was over pouring, and accepting, while the Pakistani family were depicted as almost loveless. The juxtaposed depiction of the two families are fiction; but still show insight into dichotomy and alienation of Pakistani and Indians, especially the family unit, the moral base of society in South Asia.

Veer Zaara

Sabrina Lee

Laura Brueck

Bollywood

April 19th, 2010

Shadow on the Border

To say that the memory of partition is alive between India and Pakistan is stating the obvious. This reflection in films from Bollywood, a much more dominant form of media than anything that has come out of Pakistan to date. The eastern center of cinema is bollywood, and it gives the opportunity for films like these to come out with a one-sided view of the country of Pakistan. The main characters are well played, but contribute to the representation of Pakistan in the film, much of which was discussed in class, but I agree with.

The opening scenes feature the playful, and somewhat western approach many of SK's characters begin as, but in this case he is again a representation of the government as a proud military pilot, which is shown to us with patriotic scenes whenever he steps foot on an airbase in his pristine blue uniform. This is contrasted constantly, later, by the uniforms from Pakistan which are always darker colors, and associated with corruption, villainy, and personal favors in a corrupt government run by a few families, such as Zaara's. In contrast, the life in village India is given a much more noble light than the shadow of wealth they display whenever we cut to Pakistan when it is not inside of a prison. Given the film revolves around the failing of the Pakistani legal system, the signs of bigotry and sexism during the preliminary hearings of the trial and before are another red flag- suggesting this would not be the case in India, where equality is supposed to be more important. I found that the film avoiding any mention of Zaara asking to find his body after the crash that sets up the later 22 year skip was going a bit far, even for bollywood. Also the skip leaves out the efforts of the government of India and other bodies, and highlights a supposedly corrupt and failing legal system that denies everyone, from Indian to Pakistani, the right to a speedy trial and to essentially be given a life sentence in prison because of that. Every official is set with a clear problem, and the woman with 'Indian' ideals eventually prevails and forces the symbol of the failed system, the prosecution lawyer, to resign from law.

Overall, the cinematography was impressive enough to note, many of the shots used common techniques of creating a frame out of objects in the shot when the characters were displayed, and there were less sweeping view shots given this was a politically themed film. There are moments that seem out of sort, such as the final border crossing. The guard on the Pakistani side seems to have little pride for the job, a dig at the nation itself, and the imagination of Pakistan as a bad place compared to India, that should never have existed in the first place, seems more affirmed by this movie showcasing all the failings of the Muslim country and how bad things have become, playing into what I must imagine should be a contemporary view that even after 60 years, it still should be a a part of India in the mind of Indians and not a free state that just happens to have a less dominant profile of entertainment media to portray lifestyles and international relations between the two states.

Sydney Blach
Bollywood; TR 3:30-4:45
Film Review; Veer-Zaara

Just another Shah Ruhk Love-Story

Veer-Zaara is yet another tragic love story starring the classic silver-screen couple Shah Ruhk Khan, and Preity Zinta, as well as the Shahruhk- Amitabh Bachchan duo- a guaranteed award-winning line up. Yash Chopra, known as the eternal romantic, directed the film, which was written by his daughter Aditya Chopra, adding to his list yet another successful romantic film. This he claims however, will be the last film he will have directed. Veer-Zaara was released on November 12, 2004 and gained immediate success in box-offices world wide, earning it an estimated 357 million dollars; 2 million in the United States alone.
The love story between Veer Singh (Shah Ruhk Khan) and Zaara Khan (Preity Zinta) begins when the beautiful Pakistani heiress travels to a discrete city in India in order to fulfill the dying wish her Bebe, which was to spread her ashes in the river in the holy Sikh city alongside her ancestors. Amongst arrival, the bus she traveled on gets into a wreck but the distressed damsel is rescued by none other than the brave hero, Veer who happens to be a pilot in the Indian Air Force. After lives are saved and final wishes are fulfilled, romantic feelings between the two are undeniable. Veer proceeds to convince Zaara to take a trip to his hometown where Zaara, as well as the audience are introduced to Veer’s very accepting parents. Despite there apparent religious and culturally differences, the couple falls madly in love with one another. Matters are complicated, of course, when Veer finds out Zaara is already another man’s bride-to-be.
Heartbroken and hopeless, Veer sends Zaara on a train back to Pakistan with the belief that they will never see one another again. His optimism is restored after he receives a phone call informing him the Zaara is equally as miserable without him and has refused to proceed with her marriage to her fiancée, probably because he turns out to be a real jerk. Motivated by love, Veer quits the Indian Air Force and flees to Pakistan to retrieve his lover.
Things don’t go quite as smoothly as he naively assumed, and being that he is a Hindu, and Zaara is a Muslim, Zaara’s refuse the union. Being the respectful man that he is, Veer plans to return; defeated and bride-less; back to India- but this of course will not be gravy either. Being the pissed off and strong headed man that he is, Raza (Zaara’s fiancée) refuses to let Veer walk away without getting revenge for trying to steal his bride. He manipulatively frames Veer as an Indian spy which earns him 22 years in jail.
22 years later, Veer is introduced to Saamiya Siddiqui, the ruthlessly determined lawyer assigned to his thought-to-be-hopeless case. After failing to prove his innocence repeatedly Saamiya goes to the source of his true identity- his hometown, where she coincidentally runs into Zaara who has been in search for Veer and his family for a long time. As Veer had mentioned, the only way to prove he really is not the Indian spy they have mistaken him for, Zaara and her family will have to speak on his behalf, which is precisely what happens, finally releasing Veer and reuniting the lovers, Veer and Zaara. Who of course, return to India and live happily ever after. But don’t get me wrong- it’s a great film!

Veer-Zaara

Rachel Young
Yash Chopra’s 2004 film Veer-Zaara provides an interesting look at the relationship between India and Pakistan, as well as making some interesting social commentaries on the roles of women within each society. The film focuses on a young Pakistani Muslim woman named Zaara and an Indian Sikh man named Veer. After Zaara’s nanny dies, she undertakes a dangerous journey by herself to India to have the old woman’s ashes spread at Kiritpur. On the way, Zaara’s bus crashes and she is rescued by Veer, an Indian Air Force pilot. At first Veer is disgusted with Zaara when he thinks that she selfishly endangered both of their lives in an attempt to reclaim her fallen bag, but he later discovers that the ashes of the old woman had been in the bag and he begins to respect Zaara. After scattering the ashes at Kiritpur, Veer asks Zaara to spend one day in his home village, where she meets his aunt and uncle (who raised him) and fits comfortably into the lifestyle. Zaara also manages to make a great impression on Veer’s family, who convince him that he should marry her. As Veer takes Zaara to the train station, he discovers that she has a fiancé and, heartbroken, he tells her that he loves her and would die for her.
After Zaara returns home, she slowly realizes that she too loves Veer. Her best friend secretly contacts Veer and requests that he come and take Zaara away. When Veer reaches Pakistan, the shock of Zaara’s love causes her father to become ill, so Zaara’s mother comes to Veer and begs him to leave Pakistan so that the family can be happy. Veer acquiesces, but as he boards the bus to India, he is arrested for being a spy. As he is being questioned about being an Indian spy, Veer learns that Zaara’s fiancé had him framed, but Veer decides not to expose his relationship with Zaara so that she can live a happy life. He is put in jail and for 22 doesn’t speak to anyone until, one day, a female lawyer named Saamiya is given his case. Saamiya is trying to pave the way for female lawyers in Pakistan, and as this is her first case, she must win. After listening to Veer’s story, Saamiya goes to India to discover that Zaara has been living in Veer’s home village for years. Zaara returns to Pakistan to testify on Veer’s behalf, the court case is won, Veer is released, and the two lovers are finally reunited.
Veer-Zaara at first glance appears to show both India and Pakistan in an equal light, but on closer inspection, we begin to see a slight discrepancy. For example, Indians are represented as being very modern, with Veer’s parents not caring where Zaara is from and what her religion is, as long as she makes Veer happy. Zaara’s parents, on the other hand, absolutely won’t stand for her marrying an Indian Sikh, since it will hurt the family’s reputation. Also, Zaara’s nanny was a Sikh, and raised her with Indian ideals, which marks Zaara as different from all of her Pakistani family, since they are shown as selfish and only thinking about their own happiness. Zaara thinks about others and sacrifices her own happiness for that of her family.
Beyond these slight digs at Pakistan, the movie makes an effort to represent India and Pakistan as equal. Veer sings a song to Zaara as he shows her India, after which she comments that his country is the same as hers. There is also an ease of transition for Zaara when she visits India; she never has trouble fitting into the ways of a country that is not her own, showing that India and Pakistan are very similar.
Veer-Zaara also makes an effort to bring women’s rights to light. We see Saamiya as a woman struggling to pave the way for future female lawyers in Pakistan, and a lot of time is spent in the film with her discussing how important her work is to other women. On top of that, Zaara has a discussion with her mother during which she is told that men cannot love the same way that women do, that they are not strong enough to do so, and that women must always be the ones to sacrifice in a relationship. There is also the scene in which Zaara convinces Veer’s father that instead of building an arena in the village, he should build a school for girls, since the wealth of the nation is in the education of its children.
This movie had many good messages in it, and tries fairly hard to keep nationalist grudges out of the story, which was very much appreciated on my part. It was rather depressing for me to see how Veer and Zaara aged alone, both wanting the other and not knowing that they were both waiting for each other. Plus, there is no real sense of justice at the end of the film when Veer is released from prison, but perhaps I have imposed my Western ideas of story formation on the film and shouldn’t expect justice. All in all, however, I really liked this film and think that it has some good points to make and a fun story.

Veer-Zaara

Allie Padnos
Film Review- Veer-Zaara
4/18/10

Veer-Zaara is a Bollywood love centered film between Veer Pratap Singh, an officer in the Indian Air Force, and a Zaara Hayaat Khan who is an engaged Pakistani Muslim. In the beginning of the film we quickly learn the close relationship between Zaara and her Hindi servant Bebe. Bebe is deathly ill and her last wish is for her ashes to be spread in India. Zaara takes this death wish to heart and has the initiative to cross the boarder into India, even though she is aware of her father’s disapproval. Bebe’s wish represents national identity and pride since it clearly is important for her resting spot to be in her home nation. The film demonstrates typical Bollywood themes of national identity, gender, religion, and the overlapping of western and traditional values.
Throughout the film India is depicted as accepting and generous to outside visitors. On Zaara’s journey she is saved and airlifted by Veer, after a misfortunate bus accident in the mountains. There is a deep connection between the two immediately, and since Zaara is unfamiliar with India, Veer becomes her traveling companion. In return Zaara accepted Veer’s invitation to take her back to his village for a day so she could see how Veer lives and also to meet his family. Zaara is quickly welcomed in to Veer’s family and spends the day learning and participating in the Hindi culture. During her visit she shares her insight and knowledge about women to Veer’s uncle who created the village they were in. Veer’s uncle is deeply touched by Zaara’s confusion on why the Hindi women are unable to further their education at a university level, and in response is compelled to create a female school in the village. The feministic theme of gender is also seen in the opening song that introduces Zaara when she displays her personality as independent and being able to make her own choices for herself. Veer is intrigued by Zaara and falls in love with her, despite their different heritages. Zaara fails to mention her engagement to a Pakistani through an arranged marriage, which is indirectly uncovered when her fiancé is waiting for her at the train station to go back to Pakistan. Veer is heartbroken and makes Zaara’s future husband promise to always make her smile for the rest of her life.
Zaara is faced with a difficult predicament because she has also fallen for Veer, and the love in her heart remains present, which causes complications with her family. Shabbo, a worker for the Pakistani family and Zaara’s best friend, understands the situation and takes the intuitive to arrange Veer to come to Pakistan to reunite with his love. Zaara goes against her father’s wishes and overtly expresses her love with him, which ends in disaster. Veer fully understands there is no way he can be with Zaara and decides to go back to India, but hits a life changing detour before his departure. Zaara’s fiancé sets him up with the police and he is faced with a horrible bribe. The result of the encounter puts him in the Pakistan jail in order to make Zaara’s life loving and happy. Veer’s name is forever erased and replaced with the identity of prisoner number 786.
The film represents India through a modern forward way of thinking, since love is viewed as a free choice and the happiness of one is greatly important. Zaara’s family shares contradicting views that is surrounded by business and high reputations, which discards the idea of free love.
Twenty two years of sitting in jail, Veer is confronted by Saamiya who is a young lawyer interested with Veer and the abusing of Human Rights in Pakistan. Her main goal is to learn Veer’s mistreated unfortunate story and freeing him to go back to his home nation. She travels back to Veer’s village and learns that Zaara thought Veer had died and fled to India to live in his village and fulfill his life intentions. Zaara’s court appearance provided clear evidence and support which enabled Veer to be not guilty. After years of misery and lost information, Veer and Zaara were reunited and moved back to India together. The film produces an overall theme of national identity since Zaara assimilates into Hindi culture and they both finally end up together back in India. When Veer first crosses the boarder he touches the Hindi soil and kisses his hand which represent the pride and love he has for his homeland.
Religion was also a dominant reoccurring theme in Veer-Zaara. In the first half of the movie when Zaara disperses Bebe’s ashes, she makes it clear she wants it done completely traditional and Hindustani. A nearby Seek is compelled with the amount of honor Zaara has for her Bebe and agrees to bless Bebe even though Zaara is Muslim. Another religion orientated instance was when we find out Veer’s prison number is 786, because that is ironically Allah’s number. The number symbolizes hope and faith of freedom, which is finally granted. Lastly there are numerous scenes where Hindi and Muslim religion is depicted through traditional rituals.
The music throughout the movie neither represented Hindi or Pakistan individually, but blended them together to evoke the significance of the film’s plot. They represented the idea of accepting Pakistani’s and incorporating them into Hindustani values and culture. I believe the music was parallel to the film’s main idea of accepting Pakistan, but did not significantly contribute to specific Hindustani themes besides national identity.
Overall I thought the film was interesting and plotted well. Since Zaara’s life was left as a mystery while Veer was in jail, it kept me very intrigued and anxious to find out where she was. The film explored a new perspective of Pakistani acceptance and the idea of how similar the two nation states really were. Veer-Zaara took on a modern perspective but held on to the typical Bollywood themes of national identity, religion, gender, and tradition. Overall I enjoyed this classical love story film.