A winner all the way. Review on Veer-Zara

I usually see Shahrukh/Bachchan movies more than once. Speaks a lot for my loyalty towards these superstars.

It was Diwali and my wife was going to her maika; I had promised to take her to the first-day, first-show of Veer-Zara. So the tickets were booked well in advance and everything was planned meticulously so that we could enjoy the movie and she could board her train on time.

The movie starts with Yash Chopra attempting a Gulzarish commentary on the nature of love followed by Kyon Hawa Aaj ? lilting and mellifluous. Cut to ? an ageing Veer (Shahrukh Khan) getting into the flashback mode with lawyer-activist Samiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukherjee) ? Flashback ?. Veer is a rescue pilot who saves the life of Zara Hayat Khan (Preity Zinta) and then falls in love with her over a few delightful sequences. Enter foster father (Amitabh Bachchan) and Matey (Hema Malini) to give us (and Zara) a glimpse into Veer?s domestic life. Cut to ? Enter Zara?s fiancé (Manoj Vajpayee) and you have a feeling of déjà vu (DDLJ anyone?).

Interval

One cigarette and a bag of popcorn for wifey. Not able to decide. Hmm ...

Zara discovers she is in love with Veer; he comes to Pakistan to fetch her and there is a sinking feeling in my tummy. Zara?s mother (Kirron Kher)asks him to return back minus her beti and the movie picks up steam big time. Veer is arrested on charges of being Rathod, a RAW agent. He does not defend himself for Zara?s sake.

One word in self-defense might put Zara?s honor in peril. He decides to spend the rest of his life in prison for the sake of his beloved. Samiya prepares to represent him in court. Pitted against her is a veteran lawyer (Anupam Kher) whose favorite words are ?dilchasp, bahut dichasp (Interesting, very interesting)?. One by one the veteran demolishes all arguments put forth by Samiya. Samiya panicks and breaks down before Veer, pleading him to allow her to take Zara?s name in the court.

Veer is firm in his resolve. ?Zara?s name must not be mentioned,? he admonishes Samiya. But where is Zara? ?I?m sure she?s Samiya?s mother,? my wife whispered. However, what enfolded was definitely not expected. It was exhilarating. Romanticism (please do not confuse this with romance) at its best.

Hats off Mr. Yash Chopra!

The story moves at a snail?s pace, the screenplay though elaborate is stretched beyond limits and everything to the clothes Veer wears in the flashback to the politics of the two nations is all wrong. Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge is revisited time and again. Yet Veer-Zara works big time ?

Simply because ?.

? The vision of Yash Chopra is grand. His romance is in his vision.

Shahrukh Khan simply rocks as Veer ? be it the energetic rescue pilot or the middle-aged prisoner yearning for his love and land - he is awesome. Body-language is Shahrukh?s forte and he uses it to his advantage once again.

Preity Zinta as the virginal Zara is charming while Rani Mukherjee as Samiya Siddiqui is full of conviction and resolve ? the only area she needs to work on is her Urdu diction.

Amitabh Bachchan simply set the house on fire with a cameo written especially for him. Hema Malini provided him great support once again after Baghban. Anupam Kher as the public prosecutor was impressive and so were Manoj Bajpai, Kirron Kher and Boman Irani.

? The music by Madan Mohan is simply superb and extremely well-picturized. The climactic Tere Liye (sung by Roop Kumar Rathod and the inimitable Lata Mangeshkar) is the soul of the movie.

? The dialogues by Aditya Chopra are evocative to say the least.

Veer-Zara looks all set to set the box office ablaze. It is good old sentimentality packed in a vintage bottle. Cheers!

My wife got into her compartment well on time and I waved out to her much like a distraught Veer. Her entire journey was spent in imagining me sing Main Yahan Hoon, Bas Yahan Hoon Yahan.