VEER ZAARA
I saw more than half of Veer Zaara yesterday. My comments are below.
THE STORY
=========
The tale is of an Indian squadron leader, Veer (Shah Rukh Khan) who rescues a Pakistani girl, Zaara (Priety Zinta) and falls in love with her. When she returns home, Zaara has to marry a man selected by her parents, but Veer's declaration of love haunts and torments her. Her friend summons Veer and the two meet, but when her mother requests him to give back her daughter, the gallant Veer concurs. Zaara marries the man selected by her parents, who also arranges the arrest of Veer, supposed to be a spy named Rajesh.
Veer spends 22 years in a Lahore jail as prisoner 786, so that Zaara can be happy. As it turns out, Zaara's marriage ends in a couple of years and she and her friend go to India seeking Veer out - in vain, of course. Meanwhile, an idealistic lawyer Samia (Rani Mukherjee) vows to restore Veer his identity and his country and reunite him with Zaara. She goes to India, meets Zaara and brings her to Pakistan to prove to the court that the man incarcerated for 22 years as Rajesh is actually Veer. Samia defeats her mentor Zakir Ahmed (Anupam Kher) in the court battle thanks to Zaara's testimony and the lovers return home, together after 22 years of separation.
MY COMMENTS
===========
I like two things about the story. The first is that the ennobling attributes of love are brought out. Zaara marries the man selected by her parents, so that her ailing father would recover. Meanwhile, Zaara's husband tells Veer that it is only if he confesses to being Rajesh, the spy, that Zaara would be happy. The strength of love reveals itself at this point. Veer thinks long and hard but when push comes to shove, he signs the false confession thus condemning himself to a life sentence, but ensuring what he thinks is a happy life for Zaara. This sacrifice is not overdone in the movie, thankfully.
The second and not so subtle thing I like about the story is the character of Samia. Samia refuses to take one of her mentor Zakir Ahmed's cases though it would have been her first one, since it would mean defending a client who was clearly guilty. Zakir Ahmed says that in a court, the only thing that matters is victory in the court case and not the truth ; to the young and idealistic Samia the truth is all that is important and not winning a court case.
The character of Zakir Ahmed clearly represents the old nature of ties between India and Pakistan. In fact, he admits as much after Veer is acquitted. He says that the baggage of '47, '65 and '71 are too much upon him and that now it is time for him to retire. Samia, on the other hand, is part of the new generation. She is isolated from the tragedy of Partition of 1947 and the wars. In all probability she cannot recall a full scale war between Pakistan and India. When Zakir says it is time for him to retire, the symbolism is unmistakable : the old hatred between the two sub-continental nations must give way to a new rapprochement. In this manner, the director hints that this ought to be the way forward : forget the past and move on !
This leads me to recall lines from one of my favourite poems, by Lord Alfred Tennyson :
"Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws."
The picture is a beautiful message of love and reconciliation. Now, if only it comes true in reality for the sub-continent !
THE QUIBBLES
============
After 22 years of incarceration, I expected Shah Rukh Khan to look older - and Priety Zinta looks pretty much unchanged ! In fact, when Samia meets Zaara, I thought that Samia is meeting Zaara junior, considering how young Priety looks even after 22 years !
FINAL THOUGHTS ON WHAT I FEEL
=============================
I like the movie Veer Zaara ! The ennobling and positive qualities of love are highlighted in the story and I read a message for the countries of India and Pakistan to move on with building bridges.
The main highlight for me though, is the music in the movie. The late Madan Mohan deserves kudos for composing a score that his son Sanjeev Kohli has skillfully adapted for today. Whether it is the evocative "Lehrati hui raahen" or the poignant "Do pal" the music is a winner all the way. The lyrics by Javed Akhtar are priceless too : " .... Goonjtaa hoon jo dil mein to hairaan ho kyon/ main tumhare hi dil ki to awaaz hoon !". Translated : " .... if I echo in your heart, why should it surprise you / I am after all the voice of your heart".
The combination of Madan Mohan's music, Javed Akhtar's poetry and a story about the power of an enduring love makes for a good movie .... so, go watch it once !
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NOTE:
I had originally written this blog in another site. Since that site is no longer accessible, I am uploading it in this blog at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/ using the same date as the original blog dates.
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===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarrassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
ALL COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS ARE ACKNOWLEDGED
AS THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR OWNERS.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
kiran.suma@gmail.com.
++++++ ENDS ++++++
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
I saw more than half of Veer Zaara yesterday. My comments are below.
THE STORY
=========
The tale is of an Indian squadron leader, Veer (Shah Rukh Khan) who rescues a Pakistani girl, Zaara (Priety Zinta) and falls in love with her. When she returns home, Zaara has to marry a man selected by her parents, but Veer's declaration of love haunts and torments her. Her friend summons Veer and the two meet, but when her mother requests him to give back her daughter, the gallant Veer concurs. Zaara marries the man selected by her parents, who also arranges the arrest of Veer, supposed to be a spy named Rajesh.
Veer spends 22 years in a Lahore jail as prisoner 786, so that Zaara can be happy. As it turns out, Zaara's marriage ends in a couple of years and she and her friend go to India seeking Veer out - in vain, of course. Meanwhile, an idealistic lawyer Samia (Rani Mukherjee) vows to restore Veer his identity and his country and reunite him with Zaara. She goes to India, meets Zaara and brings her to Pakistan to prove to the court that the man incarcerated for 22 years as Rajesh is actually Veer. Samia defeats her mentor Zakir Ahmed (Anupam Kher) in the court battle thanks to Zaara's testimony and the lovers return home, together after 22 years of separation.
MY COMMENTS
===========
I like two things about the story. The first is that the ennobling attributes of love are brought out. Zaara marries the man selected by her parents, so that her ailing father would recover. Meanwhile, Zaara's husband tells Veer that it is only if he confesses to being Rajesh, the spy, that Zaara would be happy. The strength of love reveals itself at this point. Veer thinks long and hard but when push comes to shove, he signs the false confession thus condemning himself to a life sentence, but ensuring what he thinks is a happy life for Zaara. This sacrifice is not overdone in the movie, thankfully.
The second and not so subtle thing I like about the story is the character of Samia. Samia refuses to take one of her mentor Zakir Ahmed's cases though it would have been her first one, since it would mean defending a client who was clearly guilty. Zakir Ahmed says that in a court, the only thing that matters is victory in the court case and not the truth ; to the young and idealistic Samia the truth is all that is important and not winning a court case.
The character of Zakir Ahmed clearly represents the old nature of ties between India and Pakistan. In fact, he admits as much after Veer is acquitted. He says that the baggage of '47, '65 and '71 are too much upon him and that now it is time for him to retire. Samia, on the other hand, is part of the new generation. She is isolated from the tragedy of Partition of 1947 and the wars. In all probability she cannot recall a full scale war between Pakistan and India. When Zakir says it is time for him to retire, the symbolism is unmistakable : the old hatred between the two sub-continental nations must give way to a new rapprochement. In this manner, the director hints that this ought to be the way forward : forget the past and move on !
This leads me to recall lines from one of my favourite poems, by Lord Alfred Tennyson :
"Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws."
The picture is a beautiful message of love and reconciliation. Now, if only it comes true in reality for the sub-continent !
THE QUIBBLES
============
After 22 years of incarceration, I expected Shah Rukh Khan to look older - and Priety Zinta looks pretty much unchanged ! In fact, when Samia meets Zaara, I thought that Samia is meeting Zaara junior, considering how young Priety looks even after 22 years !
FINAL THOUGHTS ON WHAT I FEEL
=============================
I like the movie Veer Zaara ! The ennobling and positive qualities of love are highlighted in the story and I read a message for the countries of India and Pakistan to move on with building bridges.
The main highlight for me though, is the music in the movie. The late Madan Mohan deserves kudos for composing a score that his son Sanjeev Kohli has skillfully adapted for today. Whether it is the evocative "Lehrati hui raahen" or the poignant "Do pal" the music is a winner all the way. The lyrics by Javed Akhtar are priceless too : " .... Goonjtaa hoon jo dil mein to hairaan ho kyon/ main tumhare hi dil ki to awaaz hoon !". Translated : " .... if I echo in your heart, why should it surprise you / I am after all the voice of your heart".
The combination of Madan Mohan's music, Javed Akhtar's poetry and a story about the power of an enduring love makes for a good movie .... so, go watch it once !
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
NOTE:
I had originally written this blog in another site. Since that site is no longer accessible, I am uploading it in this blog at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/ using the same date as the original blog dates.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarrassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
ALL COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS ARE ACKNOWLEDGED
AS THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR OWNERS.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
kiran.suma@gmail.com.
++++++ ENDS ++++++
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
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