The movie suffers from the same fate as movies like Hum Saath Saath Hain. Directors seem to think that if something works, more of it will work even better! This movie is a saturation point of Yash Chopra's clichés and Shah Rukh Khan's emotional lover role.
The negatives: Movie seems to be made from bits and pieces of other Yash Chopra movies, esp. DDLJ (note falling in love while traveling, girl hallucinating about the boy after reaching home, boy showing up in her town, winning over mother, strict father who is soft at heart). Shah Rukh probably goes through these roles like a zombie now- he's done so many! If you want to even more of what you've seen him do over and over and over and over, this is the movie for you. Rani Mukherjee is neither powerful nor convincing in her role of a lawyer and has trouble voicing chaste Urdu. Preity Zinta looks lovely, and acts fairly well but nothing special. Lata Mangeshkar is ruining a legacy by continuing to sing in a tired and at times, off-chord and off-tune voice.
Kiron Kher is getting typecast. Shah Rukh was typecast years back and seems to be doing just fine in terms of success. The Punjabi flavor, songs, clothing, dialogues are like every other movie from this production house.
SRK and Preity's make up as older people is pathetic. The maker seems to think the world of it, though. He shows it off with special effects again and again. Shah Rukh seems to equate old with paralytic and insane and performs as such.
One wonders if there were ever any problems between the two countries, esp. the way all the characters seem to weave in and out of India and Pakistan with no apparent restrictions. Visas, permissions and the like are not issues to be bothered with when making an oozing-with-emotion movie.
The positives: **spoiler** Amitabh Bachchan's cameo is like a whiff of fresh air. The movie starts to bore you until he really gives it a boost of energy. He gives a much needed boost to an otherwise slow first half. Divya Dutta's performance as the Khan household's maid is commendable and lovable. The soundtrack by the late Madan Mohan, composed many years ago, is fantastic, even though the songs come too often and Lata's voice puts a spanner in the works.
If you've watched other Yash Chopra or Karan Johar (or anyone of that breed) movies and haven't been satisfied with the melodrama and want more of it, watch Veer Zaara. Otherwise, it is avoidable fare.
The negatives: Movie seems to be made from bits and pieces of other Yash Chopra movies, esp. DDLJ (note falling in love while traveling, girl hallucinating about the boy after reaching home, boy showing up in her town, winning over mother, strict father who is soft at heart). Shah Rukh probably goes through these roles like a zombie now- he's done so many! If you want to even more of what you've seen him do over and over and over and over, this is the movie for you. Rani Mukherjee is neither powerful nor convincing in her role of a lawyer and has trouble voicing chaste Urdu. Preity Zinta looks lovely, and acts fairly well but nothing special. Lata Mangeshkar is ruining a legacy by continuing to sing in a tired and at times, off-chord and off-tune voice.
Kiron Kher is getting typecast. Shah Rukh was typecast years back and seems to be doing just fine in terms of success. The Punjabi flavor, songs, clothing, dialogues are like every other movie from this production house.
SRK and Preity's make up as older people is pathetic. The maker seems to think the world of it, though. He shows it off with special effects again and again. Shah Rukh seems to equate old with paralytic and insane and performs as such.
One wonders if there were ever any problems between the two countries, esp. the way all the characters seem to weave in and out of India and Pakistan with no apparent restrictions. Visas, permissions and the like are not issues to be bothered with when making an oozing-with-emotion movie.
The positives: **spoiler** Amitabh Bachchan's cameo is like a whiff of fresh air. The movie starts to bore you until he really gives it a boost of energy. He gives a much needed boost to an otherwise slow first half. Divya Dutta's performance as the Khan household's maid is commendable and lovable. The soundtrack by the late Madan Mohan, composed many years ago, is fantastic, even though the songs come too often and Lata's voice puts a spanner in the works.
If you've watched other Yash Chopra or Karan Johar (or anyone of that breed) movies and haven't been satisfied with the melodrama and want more of it, watch Veer Zaara. Otherwise, it is avoidable fare.