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Post by dancelover on Dec 20, 2013 0:20:45 GMT
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Post by emily on May 12, 2015 20:13:42 GMT
I found the soundtrack to this movie on iTunes a few months ago. Not just the songs with lyrics...it's one of the only Bolly films with all the backing tracks to the film for sale as well. So I took everything and compiled it all into one big playlist. For me, you don't even have to watch the movie to get the essence of it. When I play this soundtrack, I am instantly transported into the world of the film. So as I listen to the playlist this afternoon, I'm going to share my thoughts on my favorite movie.
WARNING: Lots of spoilers below, as it's a review and synopsis of the FULL movie.
First there's Kyon Hawa. This was the first Hindi film I ever watched. I remember being caught between the urge to laugh at SRK frolicking through the fields, singing (I thought it was actually him singing...sorry Sonu!) and the urge to cry at the beautiful music and scenery. And that jerk back into reality for him...OH! The heart breaks then. Not everything is smiles and happiness in this world.
Rani is looking her very best in this film, in my opinion. Her radiant face, her makeup done just right, her soft, husky voice. Her desire to free this Indian prisoner from this dank Pakistani prison is heartwarming and admirable. But why is he here?
Hum To Bhai Jaise Hain...WHY is this young girl singing with the voice of an elderly lady?! (I found out later it wasn't actually Preity's voice.) Sometimes I think someone like Alka Yagnik or Shreya Goshal would have been better for the role, but Lataji does such a wonderful job, I scarcely notice now when I listen to the soundtrack. Her and Madan Mohan are magical together.
I am so glad they released the background score to this movie, because it's one of the most beautiful. It's free from so many of those minimalistic, poppy references you hear in many movies today. It is a broad, sweeping score, with Western strings and Indian instruments. It sets the stage beautifully for a film that's larger than life. The motifs throughout the film will stay with you forever.
In today's world, where "true love at first sight" stories are rare and sometimes scoffed at, VZ doesn't shy away. Yash Chopra infuses all the cheesiness, all the almost naive lovey-doviness of a Romeo and Juliet story...and it's not off-putting. Veer and Zaara's first meeting, dangling from that helicopter in slow motion, is not cringeworthy, it is beautiful. You see every single emotion in their eyes. This is what SRK and Preity do well extremely well in this film...a lot of talking with their eyes. You truly buy into the motion that they are in deep love.
So Veer takes Zaara on a tour of his native Punjab, and Aisa Des Hai Mera ensues. It is a bright, energetic, majestic number aboard a bus traveling through the gorgeous North Indian countryside. In a word...it is breathtaking. It brings tears to my eyes. And the touching sentiment near the end sums up the entire film perfectly: "Your land is like my land." Only a border between India and Pakistan...
Then Zaara agrees to come with Veer to his family home. It's a colorful, loving place, with Amitabh and Hema playing argumentative yet wonderful substitute parents to Veer, who lost his real parents in an accident. (Someone on another board mentioned that Hema lovingly calls Veer "Veeru," which is a nice touch considering that Dharmendra's character name in Sholay. Little Easter Egg there.) They are hard-working, salt of the earth people, but the biggest point the film stresses here is how at home Zaara feels here. They are just like her people. This is a plot intertwined throughout the film, but not until the very end does it get anywhere close to heavy-handed.
The Lodi song and scenes that go with it are just plain AWESOME. You've gotta have the energetic song in traditional costmes, and this number is it. Hema is sassy as ever in this one. It's pretty great. And the scenes of Veer and Zaara dancing together are reminiscent of that slow-motion Raj and Simran dance around each other scene in DDLJ.
So things are pretty much perfect right now, right? Wrong.
Zaara's fiance Raza shows up at the train station where Veer has taken her to send her home. And unlike some movies, where we know she's already engaged...the viewers DON'T know that she is engaged. It's a punch in the gut, because you've been rooting so hard for Veer and Zaara to get together and at the farm, it looked like a certainty. Now, you suddenly have to say goodbye. Get the tissues, because you'll need them for the rest of the film.
Do pal ruka khwaabon ka caravan...aur phir chaldiye tum kahaan hum kahaan. And if this song doesn't give you goosebumps, then I don't know what will. What to do? They had those brief moments together, and now it seems as if their story has concluded. But these lovers transcend the rest. This isn't over yet.
So let's talk about Zaara's parents. Obviously her mother, though a little neurotic, has her best interests at heart, but she's under the thumb of the father, who is freaking terrifying. (Kudos to Boman Irani.) Daddy has fixed this match with Raza and Zaara must accept; his political career depends on it. She's trapped.
Marriage is imminent, but she can't get Veer out of her mind. Despite his being miles away, he appears in her mind, singing "Main Yahaan Hoon." He is here...and here...and here...and here. He makes love to her inside her mind, all while her family is bustling about her, preparing for this wedding. This is Bollywood at its best. Songs sometimes aren't meant to be "realistic" or "fitting to the setting at hand." Just like chiffons in Switzerland or see-through shirts at the pyramids, these kind of songs are meant to explore the facets of the mind. This isn't really happening - this is all inside Zaara's head. And instead of Zaara *explaining* these thoughts through dialogue, it is portrayed to us through beautiful song and picturization. This was my first exposure to that sort of storytelling, and I fell in love instantly.
Here's where Shabbo comes in to pull the strings. Divya Dutta won an award for this role, and why not? She was the glue that held this part of the story together. Without Shabbo's intervention, Veer and Zaara would have separated for good. Veer leaves the Indian Army and goes to Pakistan to win Zaara's hand in dramatic fashion, in the rain at a temple to the tune of Aaya Tere Dar Par. They reunite with an embrace, with Zaara's family in the background with "WTF is going on here" looks on their faces. (I realized upon writing that last line that I REALLY want Imaan Sheikh on Buzzfeed to do a review of this movie. Really badly.)
All joking aside, it's a really breathtaking scene in the film. While the lovers are reunited, it's not over yet. There's still so much to iron out.
Veer refuses to take Zaara away. It would kill her father and ruin her family's reputation. Swearing to her mother that he will leave them be, Veer and Zaara separate again. Seriously, get out the Kleenexes! And get ready to shake your fists in rage. Raza, enraged by Veer's audacity to swoop in and attempt to take Zaara, lands Veer in jail for a crime he did not commit. When the bus meant to be carrying Veer gets into an accident and all passengers perish, Veer's family, Zaara's family, and Zaara herself believe him dead.
But he is not dead. He's aged, trapped in this dark cell talking to Rani's Saamiya. At this point, Saamiya will stop at nothing to win this man's freedom. Both she and the audience have now been sucked into this epic, larger-than-life tale of love found and love lost, and are rooting for nothing less than a full, happy resolution to the story. In Saamiya's way is her old boss, a sharp, vicious lawyer, and the fact that only Zaara's testimony can liberate Veer from jail. She must find Zaara.
And she finds her. She finds Zaara at Veer's family home, taking care of the place with Shabbo since Veer's aunt and uncle have since passed away. And Saamiya thinks..."Are these humans pretending to be gods or gods pretending to be humans?" Veer has spent 20 years in prison for the sake of Zaara's happiness; Zaara has fulfilled Veer's legacy of caring for this Punjabi village. They have each sacrificed their own livelihoods for the sake of each other...something that quite transcends a Romeo and Juliet-type story, in my opinion.
In a dramatic climax to this epic story, Veer and Zaara come face-to-face for the first time in 20 years at the courtroom where Saamiya is desperately trying to win his freedom. No words can describe the beauty of the sound and picturization of Tere Liye. After so much anticipation, the lovers are together for good. Nothing stands in their way now. Zaara's testimony frees Veer.
Saamiya leads them to the Indo-Pakistan border, and Veer-Zaara begin to walk home...hand-in-hand...together.
Veer-Zaara is larger than life. It combines the universal theme of star-crossed lovers with the much more specific plot of relations between Indians and Pakistanis. In so many scenes, Chopra stresses that the two peoples are so similar. And they are. For it once was a composite land, only separated now by modern politics and religious sensibilities. And as Veer and Zaara walk back to India hand-in-hand, the larger metaphor is that Indians and Pakistanis must stop the fighting, and face the future hand-in-hand.
The broad sweeping orchestration and catchy motifs of the soundtrack, the beautiful scenes of Northern India and Pakistan, and the performances by a talented group of actors all help to make this movie one you'll never forget. I know I'll never forget it.
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odadune
Star of the item number
not around much due to stuff in my personal life.
Posts: 1,494
Favorite actor: Currently a certain Kumar, but I like most of them
Favorite actress: whoever's in films I'm interested in this week
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Post by odadune on Jan 4, 2016 1:48:48 GMT
I just watched this and enjoyed it much more than Lamhe or Silsila, the two other films directed by Yash Chopra that I had seen. I found it to be sweet and well-made and something about the scope of what's going on seems to justify Yash Chopra's lavish visuals, elaborate camera work, and languid pacing in a way that the stories of those other films didn't. After all, it involves two countries, 22 years, the fate of a political dynasty in Pakistan and a small Indian town in the process of modernizing, a (very beautiful) soundtrack composed by a man who had been dead for 29 years at the time of VZ's release, a cast that includes SRK, Priety, Rani, Kiran and Anupam Kher, Manoj Bajpai, Divya Dutta, Boman Irani, Tom Alter, Amitabh Bachchan, and Hema Malini.
When it came to the lovers, I felt like they were just well-developed enough to make you want them to be together, but I felt like Priety didn't do that well in the dramatic scenes (she's great in the more light-hearted stuff), and that SRK didn't have as much chemistry with her as with some of his other heroines. (There was a particular scene when he was supposed to be sort of squinting at her with indulgence and love, the way some of his characters do, but instead he came off as actively annoyed with her). SRK's scenes as the downtrodden prisoner were done in a kind of a theatrical style, but I felt like it worked well in the context of this larger than life role. Except for his final scene with Priety, I didn't buy into Boman Irani's character at all; just have seen him in too many comedies to take him seriously in this. Kiran and most of the other supporting characters were good. Rani was also good.
In terms of the politics, I think the film did a good job of not pointing the finger at either country as being the villain or particularly "backward." I'm a little impatient with the Chopras' nostalgia for Lahore (where their family was from, pre-Independence), because here it kind of comes off as putting down on their adoptive city of Mumbai. But that is not a political component of the film, and it's interesting in general how VZ manages to comment on the similarities and differences between both countries while being basically apolitical, and while largely avoiding the "famous sights". The scenes in Pakistan are almost all interiors, and the scenes set in the Indian Punjab are mostly deliberately generic country and small town locations. It actually works really well for the kind of abstract, larger-than-life story being told here, for some reason.
ETA: Just to clarify what I mean by "nostalgia for Lahore", there's a very fetishistic quality to the portrayal of the houses there, and the rituals, and the one mosque/shrine the family visits, in comparison to a romanticized but relatively mundane treatment of the "quaint Punjabi backwater" scenes with Veer and Zaara. To me it just kind of carries a subtext of "they do things up right in Lahore; we wish we were there instead of stuck down here with the riffraff."
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Post by emily on Jan 4, 2016 2:05:18 GMT
Except for his final scene with Priety, I didn't buy into Boman Irani's character at all; just have seen him in too many comedies to take him seriously in this. It's funny that you say this--I'm pretty much the opposite, but all due to timing of seeing films. I really liked Boman's role in VZ, but it was the very first Bollywood movie I ever saw, so his slapstick over the top roles in subsequent movies I've seen just annoy me, for the most part.
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lydia
Junior artiste
Posts: 58
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Post by lydia on Jan 4, 2016 2:09:23 GMT
I'm a little impatient with the Chopras' nostalgia for Lahore (where their family was from, pre-Independence), because here it kind of comes off as putting down on their adoptive city of Mumbai. I don't quite know what you mean by nostalgia for Lahore. For me the nostalgia was for the past as remembered in prison - youth, love, the Punjab, lodi, mother and father. I am very fond of this film - I love the way the songs work and have re-watched them many times. Chopra's last film was a let-down for me after Veer-Zaara. I didn't buy the switch in Anupam Kher's character. (but a small gripe)
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mala
Dancing in the chorus
Posts: 13
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Post by mala on Jan 5, 2016 20:35:28 GMT
I found the soundtrack to this movie on iTunes a few months ago. Not just the songs with lyrics...it's one of the only Bolly films with all the backing tracks to the film for sale as well. So I took everything and compiled it all into one big playlist. For me, you don't even have to watch the movie to get the essence of it. When I play this soundtrack, I am instantly transported into the world of the film. So as I listen to the playlist this afternoon, I'm going to share my thoughts on my favorite movie. WARNING: Lots of spoilers below, as it's a review and synopsis of the FULL movie.First there's Kyon Hawa. This was the first Hindi film I ever watched. I remember being caught between the urge to laugh at SRK frolicking through the fields, singing (I thought it was actually him singing...sorry Sonu!) and the urge to cry at the beautiful music and scenery. And that jerk back into reality for him...OH! The heart breaks then. Not everything is smiles and happiness in this world. ... The broad sweeping orchestration and catchy motifs of the soundtrack, the beautiful scenes of Northern India and Pakistan, and the performances by a talented group of actors all help to make this movie one you'll never forget. I know I'll never forget it. Emily, thank you for this write-up. It took me back to the movie so vividly. A pleasure to read!
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Post by emily on Jan 8, 2016 4:26:24 GMT
I found the soundtrack to this movie on iTunes a few months ago. Not just the songs with lyrics...it's one of the only Bolly films with all the backing tracks to the film for sale as well. So I took everything and compiled it all into one big playlist. For me, you don't even have to watch the movie to get the essence of it. When I play this soundtrack, I am instantly transported into the world of the film. So as I listen to the playlist this afternoon, I'm going to share my thoughts on my favorite movie. WARNING: Lots of spoilers below, as it's a review and synopsis of the FULL movie.First there's Kyon Hawa. This was the first Hindi film I ever watched. I remember being caught between the urge to laugh at SRK frolicking through the fields, singing (I thought it was actually him singing...sorry Sonu!) and the urge to cry at the beautiful music and scenery. And that jerk back into reality for him...OH! The heart breaks then. Not everything is smiles and happiness in this world. ... The broad sweeping orchestration and catchy motifs of the soundtrack, the beautiful scenes of Northern India and Pakistan, and the performances by a talented group of actors all help to make this movie one you'll never forget. I know I'll never forget it. Emily, thank you for this write-up. It took me back to the movie so vividly. A pleasure to read! Thanks for the kind words--it was a thing written on a whim, and I'm glad you enjoyed!
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lydia
Junior artiste
Posts: 58
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Post by lydia on Jan 15, 2016 2:39:08 GMT
First there's Kyon Hawa. This was the first Hindi film I ever watched. I remember being caught between the urge to laugh at SRK frolicking through the fields, singing (I thought it was actually him singing...sorry Sonu!) and the urge to cry at the beautiful music and scenery. And that jerk back into reality for him...OH! The heart breaks then. Not everything is smiles and happiness in this world. I know what you mean about the opening Emily. That first image of SRK bounding out of nowhere was a lot like Julie Andrews - arms outstretched powering up the slope in the opening of The Sound of Music. I had a LOL moment and then it got serious.
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