January 23, 2005

The recent peace momentum and apparent thaw in relations between Pakistan and India cannot just be left to leaders and governments. It is making its way into the lives of ordinary people, too, with the medium of film is leading the way. The most recent of these efforts is Bollywood’s portrayal of a cross-border love affair in Veer-Zaara, a film that incorporates some of the most commercially successful actors and actresses in the Indian film industry from both the current and older generation.

Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta along with Rani Mukherjee are some of the top box-office performers of today while Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini represent the cream of the past. And assisted by the voice of the ageless Lata, how could Veer-Zaara lose?

But it is not just the cast or the topic that persuaded one to visit the Grand Surjit Cineplex theatre in Aligarh, India, recently. It was both the company and a sense of curiosity.

That entire families come towatch movies in Indian theatres is wonderful and one is reminded of our own past in Pakistan. Movies are big business in India and much attention is paid to make sure that viewers are comfortable and feel secure in theatres. The Waheed Murads, Mohammad Alis and Nadeems of our yesteryears are alive and well in today’s India (in a much larger form) as Shahrukh, Preity, Amitabh and Hema Malini along with numerous others. They have such a dedicated following that it even makes fans of Hollywood superstars in America seem tame in comparison.

 

Viewing ‘Veer-Zaara’ in Aligarh was a delight, not just because the city has a special place in the lives of South Asian Muslims who are very much present on both sides of the border but because bridges of understanding are finally being allowed to be established
 

Clad in chaddars and burqas (Aligarh has a huge Muslim presence), along with saris and Hindu women sporting bindis and sindhoor and some in jeans, the audience of Veer-Zaara in Aligarh was indeed an interfaith affair. Maybe Indians are getting used to the idea of “this friendship thing” as are many Pakistanis, but such ideals have a price associated with them and one is yet to discover who will have to pay what or how much.

In the meantime, a glance at the audience both before and after the movie reveals that Veer-Zaara seems to have been received quite well. Or was it that in India today the Shahrukh-Preity combo has such a strong fan base that any movie they star in automatically becomes palatable?

In a potentially powerful story, an Indian man, Veer Pratap Singh (Shahrukh) and a Pakistani woman Zaara Hayat Khan (Preity) try to defy the odds in the Romeo-and-Juliet-style cross-border relationship. But it is the sheer determination of a Pakistani female lawyer Saamiya Siddiqui (played by Rani Mukherjee who also brings the complicated lives of the lovebirds into focus) that captures the more serious viewer’s attention. Add to that the colourful appearances of Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini and the mother figure now patented by Kiron Kher, and one could easily expect a blockbuster.

Unfortunately this Yash Chopra film left a little to be desired in the editing department. It seems to have reached the cinemas in too much of a hurry in order to meet some kind of deadline. The cloth and the tailoring are all correct but the final stitching could have used some more work.

One does not have to be political to either appreciate or reject this movie. The same may even be true of the message that it is trying to send out to the people of India and Pakistan who could sure use some peace amongst their governments. Viewing Veer-Zaara in Aligarh was a delight, not just because the city has a special place in the lives of South Asian Muslims who are very much present on both sides of the border but because bridges of understanding are finally being allowed to be established.

The two high points of the movie are the courtroom defence scene and the sensual aspect added in the very beginning by the pretty Preity. She is seen at her best here aided by Lata Mangeshkar’s voice and the late Madan Mohan’s music. One hopes that the song Hum to jaisay hain, waisay hi rahain gay (I/we will never change), no matter how beautifully sung, does not remain a lasting commentary on the Pakistan-India issue.

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