Veer-Zaara
Veer-Zaara (Hindi pronunciation: [ʋiːr zaːɾa]) is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language period romantic drama film directed by Yash Chopra, who co-produced it with his son Aditya Chopra. It stars Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta as the eponymous star-crossed lovers: Veer Pratap Singh (Khan) is an Indian Air Force officer, and Zaara Haayat Khan (Zinta) is the daughter of a Pakistani politician. Veer is imprisoned on false charges, and a young Pakistani lawyer, named Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukerji), fights his case. Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Divya Dutta, Manoj Bajpayee, Boman Irani, Anupam Kher and Kirron Kher play supporting roles.
Chopra wanted to make his return to cinema after seven years; he was dissatisfied with the scripts he received. Aditya then narrated a few scenes of a story he had written, which interested Chopra and prompted him to direct it. Chopra intended the film to be a tribute to Punjab; it was to be titled Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum. Set in India and Pakistan, principal photography took place in Punjab and various locations in Mumbai; parts of the film were also shot in Pakistan. The soundtrack album, based on old compositions by Madan Mohan with lyrics by Javed Akhtar, was the highest-selling album of the year in India.
The film was released on 12 November 2004 during the Diwali festival. Veer-Zaara earned over ₹976.4 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of the year in both India and overseas territories. It received highly positive reviews from critics, with praise directed to the story, screenplay, dialogues, music, performances and sensitive portrayal of India-Pakistan relations. It was described by analysts as having themes pertaining to a shared Punjabi culture, secularism and feminism, among others. The film received several awards, including four at the 50th Filmfare Awards, including Best Film and Best Story. At the 6th IIFA Awards, the film won seven awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Music Director, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress. It also won the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at the National Film Awards.
