Veer-Zaara

Veer Zaara is my FAVORITE Bollywood movie! Its a touching film about the true meaning of love, and its sacrifices -- whether one is willing to only look out for themselves & their own needs, or be willing to give up what matters most for the best interests of the one they love.Even though my parents are from India, my brother and I didn't watch many Hindi/Bollywood movies growing up. At home, my family either spoke English or Konkani (an Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-European family of languages spoken on the western coast of India as well as the official language of the state of Goa, and a minority language in the state of Karnataka and northern Kerala) so with the exception of the sporadic Hindi classes we took as children, we did not have much experience with Hindi.Because we understand very little (just a few random words, phrases, etc.) of Hindi, and subtitles were not available on the VHS tapes, we had to rely on our mom for translation of the dialogue. Though I'm sure she tried her best, what would inevitably happen is that while she was translating one segment of conversation, she would miss the next one, so there would be huge gaps in the translation, and often essential dialogue would deliberately (if she didn't want to translate something, thinking we weren't old enough to hear it) or accidently left out. So we had to figure out the story from the pictures and inconsistent & incomplete translations.As a result, we didn't watch many Bollywood movies growing up (the only Hindi movies I saw in childhood & adolescence were Gopal Krishna, Masoom, Ramayana, Mahabharat, and a couple/few others)I can count on one hand (with a couple of extra fingers!) or maybe two hands at the most, the number of Hindi movies I saw as a child.But since the advent of DVDs, and Youtube, and online movie streaming, I've started watching a lot more Bollywood (and other genre) movies with English subtitles and I've been REALLY enjoying it! I LOVE BOLLYWOOD movies!Out of all the Bollywood movies that I've now seen (at least a few dozen) "Veer Zaara" is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE movie!Veer-Zaara is a poignant film about the sacrifices of true love, and stars Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherjee, with supporting roles by Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Kirron Kher, Manoj Bajpai, and Boman Irani.SPOILERS AHEAD!!!Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh (Shahrukh Khan) is a rescue pilot with the Indian Air Force, an orphan who was raised by his aunt & uncle (with Hema Malini, and Amitabh Bachchan in guest-starring roles) and as a child dreamed of flying, and following the legacy of his father (who died in service to the country).Capt Veer Pratap Singh is living his dream as a rescue pilot when he is called to assist at the scene of a bus accident, and he meets Zaara Hayaat Khan (Preity Zinta), a naive young Pakistani girl who is traveling alone from Lahore, Pakistan to the holy Sikh city of Kiritpur in India, to scatter the ashes of "Bebe", her beloved Sikh nanny, and fulfill her dying wish.Veer saves Zaara's life, and after a whirlwind friendship & romance, neither of their lives is ever the same again.Twenty-two years later (set in the present-day -- 2004 at the time) an idealistic young lawyer Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukherjee) who is working for the Human Rights Commission, trying to fill the large footprints of her late father (also a defender of human rights) gets her first case, and comes face-to-face with an aging Veer Pratap Singh. He has been rotting away in a prison cell in Lahore, Pakistan for the past 22 years, labeled as an Indian spy, Rajesh Rathod. But because Veer Singh "remained silent" since his arrest over two decades earlier, never speaking to anyone (even during his years of incarceration) no one (like other lawyers) was able to defend him.But now, the case of Veer Pratap Singh has been re-opened by the Pakistani Government, and as Saamiya is assigned to be his defense attorney, she needs to unearth the TRUE reason why Veer Pratap Singh is behind bars.Though reluctant to speak, at first, eventually Veer opens up to Saamiya, and his story tumbles out (in flashback scenes) of how he met Zaara, their whirlwind friendship & romance, and their falling in love and all that happened afterward -- a story of love, duty, courage and the sacrifices of true love.Veer Zara is not an ordinary story -- it is a LOVE LEGEND! Veer and Zaara's love legend!This is a saga of love, separation, courage and sacrifice. A love that is divine, a love that is whole-hearted, a love that is completely consuming, a love that grows with separation & deepens with sacrifice. A love that is an inspiration.....and will remain a legend forever!A BEAUTIFUL movie in every way!!!☆★☆★☆ 5 STARS!!!!!!!!!!!

This movie is an instant Bollywood classic. This is like the "Titanic" of the Bollywood genre. Greater than "Slumdog Millionaire" for family entertainment. This film stars at least four very popular stars in Bollywood. Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherjee (to me, the most beautiful woman in the world), and Anapam Kher. This movie is the ultimate example of what true love is, and I mean the ultimate sacrifice to give of oneself for the happiness of another. Only stories like this can be written in India. American writers couldn't even imagine fabricating a story like this. If you see this movie, you will be hungry for more.Bollywood in Blu-Ray, and to see our favorite Hindi stars in absolute High-Definition will give us the ultimate India culture experience right on our screen. Some of the things that are important about enjoying Bollywood films are the good looking actresses and actors and their colorful fashion, and the beautiful backgrounds of India. Even, to see a section of the slums in High Definition is what getting immersed into the scene is all about.Yash Raj has many Bollywood classics, made even in just the past 15 years. I know that I would buy these classics on Blu-Ray right away: "Mohabbatein", "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai". "Saathiya", "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham", and "Kal Ho Naa Ho". Plus there are other Bollywood classics that I hope to see released onto Blu-Ray, like: "Lagaan", "Bride and Prejudice", "Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai", "Bichhoo", "Badal", and "Ghulam" and maybe a few more.But, I generally watch a Bollywood film because I love to watch good looking people on film. A good story is only secondary as my intention to be entertained.If you an English speaking American, and are new to Bollywood films, let me give you a breakdown of how I interpret and ingest the Bollywood experience:First of all, you will most always be reading English subtitles.The average Bollywood film is about 3 hours long.Bollywood films are very colorful. All their beautiful fashion, and colorful dance floors. In High Definition, just the sceneries alone make you appreciate what High Definition is all about.About 30 percent of the film will be music videos (with Yash Raj films, it's more like about 45 percent). I personally wish there were less music videos if the movie is already over three hours long.About 30 percent of most Bollywood films have some rather silly, really unfunny, and downright annoying comedy scenes (which is usually in the first half of the film), then the film will start to become more serious, as it moves along.One of the main reasons why you will watch a Bollywood film, is because you already chose to fall in love with one of their many beautiful actresses, or handsome actors. (I personally try to see all Rani Mukherji films, and Shah Rukh Khan is the one actor known to be one of the biggest box office sellers of Bollywood.)So, I guess I can honestly say that I have about 10 Blu-Ray Bollywood films which about 7 of them are Yash Raj releases. Though I have about 100 Bollywood films on DVD, all I really care to get on Blu-Ray now is "Lagaan" which was the first Bollywood film that I saw about 10 years ago. And perhaps "Mann" with Aamir Khan, and "Rangeela" which stars the enchanting Urmila Matondkar. Oh, and I guess it would be truly appreciated if "Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai" starring Amisha Patel and Hrithik Roshan would ever be released in High Definition Blu-Ray. The scenes in India and New Zealand were all just so beautiful on the screen.Another good movie that I would like to recommend, that is not a Yash Raj film, but is available on Blu-Ray is "Ghulam" starring Rani Mukherji and Aamir Khan. Even all the song videos in this film are all truly appreciated, and the added humor isn't so annoying. Check it out!Realistically, I would only replace about 20 of my Bollywood DVD's with Blu-Ray discs. And when these few films that I mentioned finally get released in High Definition Blu-Ray, then I'll celebrate the entire Blu-Ray experience that much more.