Veer-Zaara

About the film

Veer-Zaara is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed and produced by Yash Chopra. It stars Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta as the titular star-crossed lovers, namely, Veer Pratap Singh, an Indian Air Force officer, and Zaara Hayaat Khan, who is the daughter of a Pakistani politician. Veer is imprisoned on false charges, and 22 years later, a young Pakistani lawyer, named Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukerji), fights his case. Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Divya Dutta, Manoj Bajpayee, Boman Irani, Anupam Kher and Kirron Kher play supporting roles.

Chopra wanted to make his return to cinema after seven years, dissatisfied with the scripts he received. Aditya then narrated a few scenes of a story he had written, which interested Chopra and prompted him to direct it. Chopra intended the film to be a tribute to Punjab; it was to be titled Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum, based on an eponymous song from the soundtrack of Yash Chopra's Silsila (1981). Set in India and Pakistan, principal photography took place in Indian Punjab and in Mumbai; parts of the film were also shot in Pakistan. The soundtrack album, based on old compositions by Madan Mohan with lyrics by Javed Akhtar, was the highest-selling album of the year in India.

Plot

The government of Pakistan decides to review unsolved cases pertaining to their Indian prisoners as a gesture of goodwill. Saamiya Siddiqui, a budding Pakistani lawyer, is given the defense of prisoner 786 as her first case. The prisoner, documented under the name Rajesh Rathore, has not spoken for twenty-two years. However, when Saamiya addresses him by his real name, Veer Pratap Singh, he breaks his silence and opens up to her about his story.

Twenty-two years earlier, Zaara Hayaat Khan was a lively young Pakistani woman whose family has a political background and is of high standing in Lahore. Her engagement is arranged with Raza Shirazi, a wealthy and influential politician. Zaara travels to India to fulfill the last wish of her Sikh nanny: to have her ashes scattered in the Sutlej River. Her bus met with an accident. Veer, then an Indian Air Force pilot and a Punjabi Sikh, rescues Zaara and helps her complete her nanny's final wish. She accompanies him to his village to celebrate the festival of Lohri, where she meets his loving aunt, Saraswati Kaur and uncle, Chaudhary Sumer Singh, who raised him. Zaara learns that Veer had lost his parents at a young age and that the couple took him in and had given him so much love and care since they couldn't have children of their own.

The next day, Veer takes Zaara to the train station for her return to Pakistan and is shocked to see her fiancé Raza there to accompany her. Veer confesses that he has fallen in love with her, accepting that they cannot be together. Both depart, believing they will never meet again. Amidst her wedding preparations back home, Zaara realises that she too is in love with Veer. Her mother, however, is against this, as marrying Raza will further her father's political career. Zaara's friend Shabbo secretly calls Veer, begging him to take Zaara away. He promptly quits the Indian Air Force and arrives in Pakistan. Zaara tearfully runs into his arms, causing her father to fall ill with shock and anger.

Production

Yash Chopra was due to return to directing after 7 years since Dil To Pagal Hai (1997). After his son Aditya completed filming for Mohabbatein (2000), they started to look for a new script for Chopra's return as a director. None of the new scripts excited Chopra; he expressed his disdain at the new trend of the films of the time, stating, "I was tired of television promos. All the semi-clad girls look the same." Chopra stated he was as nervous of his return as he was while directing his debut Dhool Ka Phool (1959). He then finalised another script and began casting for roles. Aditya then provided a narration of a few scenes of a new script, but conveyed that he would be unable to direct it. Chopra was interested and began to work on the new project.

According to Aditya, the story of Veer-Zaara was written as a medium for his father to return to his Punjabi roots. Chopra was born in Lahore, Punjab (present-day Pakistan) and later moved with his family to Jalandhar when he was young. He travelled to Bombay (present-day Mumbai) in 1951, when he was introduced to the film industry. Speaking about the film's theme, Chopra said, "Veer-Zaara is a humble tribute to my home in Punjab. It is my tribute to the oneness of people on both sides of the border." In preparation, Chopra watched videos of Pakistani marriages and consulted Nasreen Rehman, a professor of the Cambridge University for the film's portrayal of Pakistani culture, their courts and dialects.

While completing the film, Chopra and Aditya had a discussion about the film's title. Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum was one of the contenders for the title, but Veer-Zaara was ultimately chosen. Chopra said, "The film's lovers are not bothered with the strife around them. For them, love is the only religion." The title Veer-Zaara was initially hinted to mislead audiences. The film's titled was officially confirmed by Sanjeev Kohli, CEO of Yash Raj Films, who stated that the title was chosen after "much deliberation". Chopra stated that he used to have constant arguments with Aditya while filming Veer-Zaara.

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