It was actually my fifth Bollywood movie(Laawaris, Umrao Jaan starring Aishwayra Rai, Umrao Jaan starring Rekha, Devdas, then Veer Zaara, in that order). Considering my list, I assumed most Bollywood movies dragged a bit too long, were mostly serious and had a strong cultural influence(Yeah, I know I was wrong, but consider what I had seen so far).
Veer Zaara, while at times not too far from that mold, had something different that I found appealing.
It may have been the music. "Tere Liye" haunted me for days...Like I've said before, I grew up loving Disney movies, and there was something about Shahrukh Khan singing on top of a bus that reminded me of the tender innocence that made those films so lovable. "Main Yahaan Hoon", on the other hand, was certainly no Disney movie, but it did make me see good ol' Shahrukh in a different light...
Uzma had pointed out to me before watching Devdas that Shahrukh Khan was kind of a big deal in Bollywood. No, she had said he was a huge deal. And gosh, I just didn't see it. I definitely did not find him attractive. Yet while watching Veer-Zaara, and maybe even a bit during Devdas, I started to feel a touch of his charisma reeling me in. Maybe it was because in VZ he was held up against Zaara's fiance, who to me was just plain creepy. I started to root for Veer because he was just such a good guy when compared to that jerk. And he looked kind of hot in his pilot uniform.
It was the "surprise" towards the end(and if you haven't seen the movie you should stop reading because most of the film's enjoyment lies in this moment)that sent me head-on into Bollywood bliss. I suspected (actually, I hoped) something like this was going to happen, but that didn't stop chills from running down my back when I actually saw Zaara's face appear at Veer's old house. I must have had the same shocked look that Rani Mukerjee had in spite of myself. And I must have watched the part in the courtroom where Veer and Zaara are reunited(to the tune of "Tere Liye", no less) three times before I was satisfied with moving forward. It was just so romantic to me, one who had been disappointed by Hollywood time and again for ruining romantic movies with vulgarity and idiotic plots(with the exception of The Notebook and A Walk to Remember).
Several months later, after putting the film on the highest pedestal possible and watching many more Bollywood films that I loved, I have to say I re-watched Veer Zaara and was less impressed by it. This may have been because some of the shock value/suspense was gone. Also, I realized that some of the things that made Veer-Zaara so unique to me were actually Bollywood cliches used time and again in other films. Not that I don't still love them, but they weren't the creative touches I had once seen them to be.
Of course,I still recommend the movie. Its an extremely touching tale about unselfish love, and so romantic that the first time I watched it I was brought to tears more than once. But its just not at the very top of my list anymore like it used to be.
Text(c) 2008 Nida Nazir Bitten By Bollywood
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