Veer Zaara : Transcending Perimeter, Transcending Time
The famous Bengali actor Prasenjit Chatterjee once
said – whenever a filmmaker like Yash Chopra stands behind the camera and directs
a project he ends up making a beautiful film! A film that bears his signature
and style.
From breaking away from his brother's
production house, producing films on his own, working with superstars, working
with legends, working with the megastar, creating a new superstar – he has done
it all. The millennium had just set in, the audience was getting matured, the
deep emotional quotient of the boundary was still relevant, and a bunch of
talents was coming up to showcase their brilliance.
The filmmaker arrived once again; this time,
with his son penning an illustrious love story. For Aditya Chopra, it was a
coming-of-age drama to write, a modern-day fairy-tale with a deep emotional
conflict. The story was beautifully constructed. A simple narration, a long
flashback, some innocent moments, some spontaneous dialogues and
counter-dialogues – that is how the epic Veer-Zaara is mounted.
If casting was the key, then acting was the glue. Shahrukh Khan as Veer was at his brilliant best. Preity Zinta as Zaara was oozing in charm. Rani Mukherjee as Samiya was the learned, sharp and reserved character. So was Anupam Kher. Kirron Kher was the loving and dutiful mother. Divya Dutta had a great side role. Zohra Sehgal was lovely as usual. The jailor, played by Akhilendra Misra, was impeccable. Boman Irani had a powerful presence and Manoj Vajpai played the role of a deceitful person to perfection. Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini were never appended to the story-line, they were as inseparable as the rest of the crew.
Over the years, Anil Mehta has not been a mere cinematographer – he has been an artist with his camera. The mornings of the villages, the rainy night of the kawwali, the darkness of the jail-room where Veer lives, or the courtroom where Zaara arrives are perfectly captured. Then there is the magnificent art direction by Sharmishtha Roy which weaves magic on the screen through elegant sets designed to recreate Zaara's ancestral palace or Veer's house in his home village. Costumes befitted the narration to take the viewers back in time – Manish Malhotra too did a great work.
Rich music was much needed in the movie. The famous composer Madan Mohan had left quite a few unfinished songs before his demise. By getting Sanjeev Kohli, son of the late maestro, on board, Veer-Zaara brought supreme melody back to Indian movies. Javed Akhtar, the seminal poet and lyricist wrote from his heart and Lata Mangeshkar, the legendary singer, led from the front. "Tere Liye" became a raging hit and won many awards. The famous male singer Roop Kumar Rathod sung this duet and it is arguably his best song till date.
A few aspects that one can never forget:
If casting was the key, then acting was the glue. Shahrukh Khan as Veer was at his brilliant best. Preity Zinta as Zaara was oozing in charm. Rani Mukherjee as Samiya was the learned, sharp and reserved character. So was Anupam Kher. Kirron Kher was the loving and dutiful mother. Divya Dutta had a great side role. Zohra Sehgal was lovely as usual. The jailor, played by Akhilendra Misra, was impeccable. Boman Irani had a powerful presence and Manoj Vajpai played the role of a deceitful person to perfection. Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini were never appended to the story-line, they were as inseparable as the rest of the crew.
Over the years, Anil Mehta has not been a mere cinematographer – he has been an artist with his camera. The mornings of the villages, the rainy night of the kawwali, the darkness of the jail-room where Veer lives, or the courtroom where Zaara arrives are perfectly captured. Then there is the magnificent art direction by Sharmishtha Roy which weaves magic on the screen through elegant sets designed to recreate Zaara's ancestral palace or Veer's house in his home village. Costumes befitted the narration to take the viewers back in time – Manish Malhotra too did a great work.
Rich music was much needed in the movie. The famous composer Madan Mohan had left quite a few unfinished songs before his demise. By getting Sanjeev Kohli, son of the late maestro, on board, Veer-Zaara brought supreme melody back to Indian movies. Javed Akhtar, the seminal poet and lyricist wrote from his heart and Lata Mangeshkar, the legendary singer, led from the front. "Tere Liye" became a raging hit and won many awards. The famous male singer Roop Kumar Rathod sung this duet and it is arguably his best song till date.
A few aspects that one can never forget:
·
Chaudhury Sumer Singh
(the role played by Amitabh Bachchan) tells Zaara that despite not knowing well
her parents, he salutes them for the values that they have passed on to the
girl – it was a rare emotion, portrayed on screen by the legend Amitabh
Bachchan with words coming from Aditya Chopra.
·
Saamiya visits Veer's
village to find out Zaara is still there. She is continuing to pursue Veer's
dream of running a school for girls – a masterful twist to the story, one that
shocks the audience beautifully.
·
Javed Akhtar’s
perennial lines "Yahan bhi wohi
shyam hai wohi savera....aisa hi des hai mera, jaisa des hai tera",
roughly meaning "The days and nights
are the same....like your country, like my country" – a poetic take on
the issue of border in the subcontinent.
·
The poetry of a lonely
old Veer, at the end of the movie, and especially the part where Veer offers
his gratitude to Saamiya – the entire scene turns heavenly and manhood bows
down to the strength of womanhood in a poignant manner.
On the tenth anniversary of the movie, a small salutation to the entire cast and crew of the epic. A creative synthesis made from the heart, with honesty, knows no barriers and thrives over time.
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