A FILM ABOUT PUNJAB - THEIRS AND OURS. Review on Veer-Zara

The main problem is Veer Zaara is that despite it being very good, almost the best this year, it is not excellent. The film is being publicized as a love story which is far from truth, its almost like saying Hum Aapke Hain Kaun was a love story.

It is a movie about Punjabi culture and India ? Pakistani relations along with Human Rights groups/ internal democracy in Pakistan and also development of villages. Love Story just happens almost as a side track. And if you see the movie from that perspective, it does not really falter. But it does if you start looking for love story in between.

Amitbah Bachan and Hema Malini pitch in with the best performance of the movie followed by Preity Zinta, D Dutta and SRK. Rani has the best line to deliver but neither is there even a remote Urdu accent in her delivery, nor does she come up with the Punjabi accent, wonder how did a Mumbaiya accent went to Lahore? Further, her mannerisms are way too abrupt and she is always on the look out of delivering a taal- maar dialogue which gets irritating after a while.

With the kind of lines she had, she almost needed to pull off a major embarrassing show to come bad, but despite her acting skills, her character is ill developed and almost becomes obtrusive to the main story itself. Among all the actors it is Amitabh and Preity who look the most comfortable speaking Punjabi and getting their body language completely Punjabi.

Amitabh is a veteran and was expected of him to do so but it is Preity who surprised me. A girl who has always played city girls, becomes a rustic village girl so easily. And the balance she achieves between modern and traditional is tremendous. As much as I am her fan, I think it is largely because of Yash Chopra taking extra care or the simple fact that she has lived at least 18 years of her life in Shimla. But she really does not look so old 22 years hence forth, although does looks suitably rustic.

Without doubt this is her best act since Dil Chahta Hai and boy does she look gorgeous or what? Hema Malini although ill at ease with Punjabi more than makes up for that with her performance and looks which reminds you of Basanti of Sholay. She looks beautiful in the Lohri song, something which Esha wont be able to do in a million years. SRK has pitched in with a good performance, suitably restrained but in some scenes he has repetitive tendency esp Kirron Kher ? SRK scene so reminiscent of Farida Jalal ? SRK scene in DDLJ. Anyways, it is an overall very very good performance, deserves an award for sure.

The background score is not as haunting as has been Yash Chopra?s forte in Chandni, Lamhe and DTPH. But the main score is superb and looks stupendous on screen in radiant colors and hues. But my favorite song in the film, ?Yeh hum aa gaye hain kahan? is missing :angry: The best picturized song is Lohri followed by Jaanam Dekh Lo and Aisa Des Hai Mera. Tere Liye could be edited to just one paragraph.

A word for choreography too, this time Farah Khan has not done it and almost immediately the rustic touch of Saroj Khan is noted. She has made sure to move beyond the regular Chopra-Johar formula of doing songs which is refreshing. Although the sets needed bit more detailing and the Lahore sets are particularly plain and bland. No Lahori bazaar is shown, only a dargah. Editing is crisp but I feel bit too abrupt in second half.

The story starting off well enough meanders on to establishing side characters and does not remain a love story, which dissappoints if you are hell bent on seeing a love story. Further Pakistani angle is not well developed despite 90 percent star cast being shown as Pakis. Rani does not look a Pakistani even remotely and ditto for Anupam Kher. Kirron Kher steals each and every scene she appears in and thats not what you want in a love story. Maybe a fresh cast for Pakistani roles was needed. Other than Preity no one even bothered to dye their hair or beards in Henna. Pakistani side of story needed bit more refining.

Although the film is well over 3 hours long (unedited version we saw), I think there was scope of at least 15 minutes more so that love story was etched out more. Preity?s role at the end almost is zero, SRK becomes Indo-Pak messenger rather than love messenger and Rani throws in her twist to women liberation. That needed a lot of smoothening. Maybe something like Shabbo finding out about Veer and asking her brother Munir who has since grown up to fight for the case. That would have been more Bollywoodish. And the court scenes are almost caricatures of Yash Chopra?s 1966 directorial ?Waqt?.

Pakistan is all about indoor sets and some bazaar or something was needed to build up Pakistan more, here it looks like Ludhiana (or was that the intention?) Further, love story had nothing like India ? Pakistani divide doing something against it (I mean Preity's parents did not object to SRK because he was an Indian it was just that she was already engaged to Bajpai), it was just the fate, and could well have been all done in India. These facts just make love story effect dilute.

Overall, the movie is like a case where you go to buy a gold ring but end up buying gold ear pieces. You would not have mind buying that in first place and are not particularly concerned about not having bought gold ring. Go for it, Punjab has never been captured in this true sense ever before and the movie overall is nicely packaged, so you can enjoy as well.

P.S. A Buddhist monk (he wore the dress like that alright) sitting next to me in theater remarked the movie will not run since youngsters of today wont appreciate 22 years of selfless love for you beloved staying in each others countries. Lets see how true is he.