Review of Veer-Zaara (2004) by Donovan D — 19 Feb 2008

Yash Chopra has made a lot of overrated films in his career, but Veer-Zaara, written by his son Aditya Chopra, ranks with Deewaar as one of his best. Bollywood makes romantic films at a rate that would make Nora Ephron gush, but most of these films are trite entertainments that border on annoying.

Such criticisms cannot be levelled at Veer-Zaara however, a film so tragic and romantic its the contemporary equivalent of Romeo and Juliet. Veer Pratap Singh, played by Shahrukh Khan, is a hero of such romantic idealism that the film would be unbelievable if not for the romantic hero identity that has come to be associated with SRK, and Preity Zinta builds on her chemistry with Khan from their earlier work together.

Special mention must go to the score of the film, which used songs by Madan Mohan, a famed composer who had been dead for 29 years at the time the film was released. It gives the film a classic quality, and includes several compositions of haunting and exquisite beauty.

Featuring a great supporting cast including Rani Mukherjee and surprise appearances by Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini, Veer-Zaara is highly recommended.