Veer-Zaara

Veer-Zaara (2004)

वीर-ज़ारा

A Love Legend

Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh, a pilot in the Indian Air Force, rescues the stranded Zaara, a woman from Pakistan, following a bus accident, and their lives are forever bound.

Date of release
2004-11-12
TMDB
7.5 / 10 (324)
Runtime
3h 12m
Genres
Drama, Romance
Director
Yash Chopra

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Filmed in: India
  • Awards: 25 · Nominations: 26. Including: National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment; Zee Cine Award for Best Film; Filmfare Award for Best Film; Zee Cine Award for Best Director

Veer-Zaara is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed and produced by Yash Chopra, and written and produced by his son Aditya 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, fights his case. Divya Dutta, Boman Irani, Anupam Kher and Kirron Kher play supporting roles with Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini and Manoj Bajpayee make special appearances.

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.

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.

While completing the film, Chopra and Aditya had a discussion about the film's title. Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum, the title of a song from Chopra's Silsila (1981), was one of the contenders, but Veer-Zaara was ultimately chosen. Chopra said, "The film's lovers are not bothered with the strife around them.

Shah Rukh Khan was cast in the lead role of Veer. Khan shortly played a 60-year-old man in the film, which he felt was a difficult role for him.

Kajol was the original first choice for the title role of Zaara, but she turned it down due to her pregnancy. The role then went to Preity Zinta.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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