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By Prema K. ©2004 Bollyvista.com |
Now for the story. Obviously it is a love story. Squadron leader Veer Pratap Singh Shah Rukh Khan) is a rescue pilot with the Indian Air Force. He risks his life to save the lives of others. One day, he rescues, Zaara (Preity Zinta), a girl from Pakistan who is here on a special mission. A carefree, bubbly girl, she has come here to fulfill her surrogate mother’s last wish. Veer saves her life but his life is not the same anymore. Does this sound very clichéd? There is no romance or heartbreak, in case you are expecting it. Veer is still mustering up enough courage to confess his love to Zaara, when her fiancé (Manoj Bajpai) suddenly pops up. This gives Veera all the courage to profess his love to Zara, and he does it in full view of her fiancé. A shocked Zaara returns to Pakistan and gradually realizes that she too loves him in return. When Veer hears of this, he rushes to Pakistan to claim his love, a day before her ‘nikaah’. Unfortunately destiny has willed otherwise. Circumstances force him to return to his country alone. But he ends up in a prison in Pakistan! He languishes there for 22 long years. Why?
Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukerji), a young lawyer from Pakistan, is given her first case, a tough one. It is that of Veer’s. Being a strong woman, she takes up the challenge and proves to be Veer’s messiah. All’s well that ends well. After all, what’s 22 years in one’s lifetime? Love never dies. All this bit is fine in theory but not when one has to witness it on the big screen.
This film is a big let down especially where the music is concerned. It has some sweet moments though. Veer taking Zaara to his house for a day to meet his people is one such. The way he professes his love to her is also cute and rather different. The re-emergence of an aged Zaara feels good. There are great emotional moments too. Veer and Zara’s separation, once in India and once again in Pakistan, is very sad. Also their meeting, after 22 long years of separation, in Pakistan is heart-wrenching. However, despite all this, the film fails to captivate the audience. It is definitely not a film for the metros. It may work in the interiors where people tend to get very emotional. The first week’s collections will give us a better picture. |
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