Why Veer-Zaara are still etched in our hearts: A Yash Chopra Film Review

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This deserves a part 2 (even though it had a happy ending). It was most wonderful and so adorable. In my opinion, the purpose of the movie wasn’t to depict how love begins or concludes, or the incessant struggle to keep it. That's what sets it apart.

The ultimate objective seemed to be that no matter the circumstances if the love is from the heart, it’s likely destiny, fate, or whatever word you would like to use for it. Why else would the universe seed it deep in your heart?

It’s not simply that Veer and Zaara had let go, but they had loved each other with such faithfulness, they had trusted in each other with such purity that they were willing to look around for them for the coming forever. Perhaps it was Zaara’s father’s unaware insecure perspective that he was so bound to his circumstances. But it was her own father after all. He was human, after all. 

Ultimately the question arises, did he deserve to pass away and risk several other lives surrounding his own? I suppose not. This bittersweet scene reminds me of this one quote from the bible, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Even still, I highly appreciate the quality of normalizing these rather self-serving ways of her father, the character's journey ultimately leads to a revelation of self-awareness In the scene where Zaara watches him wake up from his coma to tell him about her agreement to the wedding, her father responds, “मुझे नहीं पता ये मेरी मजबूरी है, या कमज़ोरी…” 

 

In a surprising move, he apologizes for his actions. The scene struck a raw nerve. It mirrored my own experiences so closely that I felt a surge of anger. I wanted to despise it, to find it injustice and blame both the father and, to a lesser extent, the others involved. However, the apology washed away that invisible pain. The scene was the need of the moment and nothing could be done about it.

On the day of the wedding, the faces that mattered were devoid of smiles. These glimpses spoke much about how no one in their hearts wanted any of this. It portrayed painfully the clash between societal name and true joy.

Minutes before the wedding when Veer and Zaara met, I was convinced Veer and Zaara were meant to be. But the universe had different plans.

 One of the things that make this movie remarkable is the subtle details in expressions and the minute significance of the small actions of the characters. Helplessness breeds desperation, as evidenced by their actions. 

I felt I could stand in the shoes of the catastrophic Romeo and Juliet.

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The faded shakiness of the lips, the kind of hug where you know this is what is going to keep you alive for the rest of your life, this monumental embrace of their flesh that will last eternally; the way their eyes were busy contemplating how they are going to function without each other past this, the gentle movements of the hands and the delicate touches just depicted how they wanted to caress each other, forever.

The primary focus of Zaara in the foreground walking away, with a blurry Veer in the background fading out, I couldn't help but believe she would turn, for one last hug. And when she did, it was breathtaking, a sigh of relief! How can any of us resist feeling their emotions with such minute yet nuanced performances? 

For roughly the first hour, I was confused. But the ending? Masterful! This movie is a true masterpiece. No wonder it was directed by Yash Chopra!

The strength of their love, along with their patience, was a sight so heavenly, that it surely brought tears to my eyes.

Also, can we just put Shabbo and Saamiya Siddiqui under the spotlight for once? They were fantastic! Shabbo's loyalty and unwavering support were a testament to her character despite her position as a helper in the household. Defining the boundaries of friendship, she understood the silence of Zaara, and what she needed to push her. Even though Zaara may not be able to articulate her emotions yet, Shabbo knew. She didn’t for once think of demotivating or distinguishing that part of her. What she did was find out Veer’s contact somehow, call him up, allow him to stay at her small place and try her best to do everything for Zaara. ज़िंदगी में एक वीर होने का क्या फ़ायदा जब शब्बो जैसा कोई दोस्त ही ना हो?

Shabbo risked her job even though she already had barely enough for her going on, for loyalty. In retrospect, she wasn’t losing anything by allowing Zaara to marry a guy she knew she didn’t love. But she took the extra step that Zaara couldn’t and left no stone unturned in her efforts. Isn't that just the most selfless thing ever? True love right there!

Saamiya fighting for righteousness was a refreshing thing to see, especially in an environment that doesn’t very much stand for the right as much as for profit. I appreciate her going to find Veer’s family and respecting his name. Initially, I had the thought that she must be Zaara’s daughter, particularly when Veer said “Zaara must have a 21-year-old daughter by now”, but no.

Shabbo and Saamiya's lives were intriguing too. Shabbo’s little brother and Saamiya’s ambition lit up their characters but kept the audience in the darkness of their situations. I think they deserved their spin-offs if not movies! What do you think?

We also got to see the dark side of the character Razaa Shirazi (Zaara’s fiance) In a momentary lapse. Whether the bus crash was planned or not is unknown, but perhaps Razaa too, only had a positive impact in bringing the two close. His appearance for such a short duration of time and his disappearance soon after reduced his character’s significance to a minimum.

Razaa’s situation was undeniably cruel to him, with his soon-to-be wife being ‘pre-devoted’ to someone else. Razaa suffered himself, caught in a love triangle he wanted no part in. Still, he accepted her wife, in her full form. No mistreatment or abuse seemed to have been inflicted on her since Veer’s “death”. He seemed to have given her everything he could.

Poor guy, but he made his choices and crumbled through situations where he didn’t have any.

 

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Specific scenes were purely artistic, quintessential of the director.

The clip where Veer is dropping off Zaara at the train and he holds her anklet/payal is so poetic. I believe it’s a metaphor for how a possession of Zaara is now with Veer. No surprise, just a warm smile and a goodbye wave- Zaara acknowledges the missing anklet with quiet understanding. Personally, this scene is a clear representation of how Zaara was rather happy with letting him have a piece of her. She wanted him to have it. Perhaps she knew of it all along but didn’t want to have it back. Veer had won it since the beginning. 

This slow burn had us on our toes for an entirety of 3 hours and 12 minutes without any feeling of annoyance or boredom. There weren’t a great number of dialogues in this movie, but a lot of silence and eye contact. Subtlety speaks volumes: This film's quiet love story is why it resonates so deeply. You make the audience endure the pain of a love being taken away that they all so desire, and then in the last 10 minutes of the movie, you bring them back together, leaving the rest for everyone’s imagination, to create a daydream of a life suited to themselves, further making the movie even more personal and sweet.

Despite its 3-hour runtime, the film was captivating. It delivered perfect characters, pacing, and scenes that stole my heart. There was no particular antagonist in the entire film. Another reason it is one of the most unique movies out there. It is a beautiful story about the magnificence of the many performances of ‘fate’, woven with the harsh realities of separation and testing times.

But yes, वीर-जारा का नाम अब हमेशा साथ ले लिया जाएगा।

"वो कहते हैं कि वो कोई नहीं थी,
फिर क्यों मेरे लिए दुनिया से वो लड़ती है..

वो कहते हैं मैं उस जैसा नहीं,
फिर क्यों मुझ जैसी वो लगती है।"

"They say that she was no one to me, then why does she fight with the world for me..
They say that I am not like her, then why does she look like me."