Veer Zara: film analysis and cultural significance

Veer-Zara

Veer Zaara is a story about the love that develops between an Indian man, Veer Pratap Singh, and a Pakistani woman, Zaara Hayaat Khan. The two destined-to-be lovers meet in India when Zaara comes there to submerge the ashes of her surrogate grandmother, a Sikh by birth and faith. Faced with religious and political barriers that have historically separated their two countries, both Veer and Zaara initially try and resist their mutual attraction. To complicate matters, Zaara's family has already pledged her in a matrimonial alliance, designed to achieve the union of two political parties in Pakistan. Ultimately, however, the power of love proves to be stronger than any commitment to family, religion, or nation. Zaara is unable to forget Veer's declaration of love even as she valiantly struggles to honor her parents' wishes. On seeing Zaara's misery, her close confidante, Shabbo, calls up Veer in India and tells him to come and fetch Zaara.

When Veer arrives in Pakistan, Zaara's feelings spill over, leading to her publicly expressing her love for Veer. Unable to bear the prospect of his daughter's broken engagement, and the subsequent loss of social and political prestige, Zaara's father falls seriously ill. Zaara's to-be father-in-law, however, offers to go ahead with the marriage arrangement since there is too much that is politically at stake. On hearing this, Zaara's mother approaches Veer and requests him to let go Zaara, and save her husband's life. Both Veer and Zaara agree to sacrifice their love, and Veer prepares to return to India.

But, Veer and Zaara's love story does not end there. For, Zaara's vengeful fiancee arranges to have Veer arrested on the false charge of being an Indian intelligence officer. He then threatens Veer that he will make Zaara's married life a living hell unless he agrees to confess to the crime that he has been accused of. In the interests of his love's welfare, Veer agrees and spends the next 22 years languishing in a Pakistan jail. Finally, the zealous efforts of a young Pakistani woman lawyer, Saamiya Siddiqui, succeeds in correcting the grave injustice done to Veer, and in uniting the two lovers.

Ostensibly, Veer Zaara may appear to be a love story on the lines of other legendary love classics such as Romeo and Juliet. However, a closer examination of the film will reveal that Yash Chopra, the director, has merely used Veer and Zaara's love story as a vehicle to communicate a much more meaningful and bigger message. And, that is, that there are more similarities than differences between Indians and Pakistanis.

There are certain values in life such as love, honor, compassion, and decency, which form the very basis of human civilization. Such values, in fact, can be said to define humanity even if that humanity is often sharply divided by issues of politics, religion, and culture. Yash Chopra's Veer Zaara uses this insight to highlight the common values shared by the people of India and Pakistan. The film achieves this through its depiction of how love, compassion, and human decency can effectively transcend all political, religious, and cultural barriers. Thus, although the film is a love story, its main purpose can be said to promote greater understanding between the people of India and Pakistan.

In fact, the purpose of Veer Zaara is made amply clear from the beginning of the film, which opens with a montage of beautiful shots of Nature along with a commentary on the universality of Nature and human emotions. It is also significant that a scene, which depicts Saamiya Siddiqui praying at her father's grave, soon follows this opening. For, through Saamiya's monologue, the viewer learns that her father had dedicated his life to fighting for women's rights in Pakistan. A young Saamiya, who is about to take on Veer's case, swears on her father's grave that she would fulfill his life's mission by doing everything in her power to prove a woman's capabilities in the male dominated world of law. Thus, the opening scenes make it apparent that the film's intention is to urge people to rise above religious and social dogmas, and adopt progressive values in life.

If Veer Zaara depicts the importance of human values and rights through the characters of Saamiya and her father in Pakistan, it carries the same message across the border through its portrayal of Veer's adoptive parents -- Chaudhary Sumer Singh and Saraswati (Mati). A Punjabi married to a Madrasi, the couple are shown as totally dedicated to making their small village progress. They achieve this through establishing educational and health care facilities. In addition, they work towards ensuring that religious and cultural taboos do not come in the way of young people's emotional aspirations. Therefore, they institute a unique ceremony during the traditional "loni" celebrations that allows young men and women to express their love for another. Thus, it is hardly surprising that Veer's adoptive parents encourage him to declare his love for Zaara, in spite of her being a Pakistani and a Muslim.

But perhaps the most significant moment in the film's emphasis on the importance of progressive values takes place in the scene where Chaudhary Sumer Singh asks Zaara to convey his admiration to her parents for the values they have taught her. For, this scene, more than any other in the film, succeeds in driving home the fact that all religions and cultures possess the ability to instill the right values among its members.