Veer-Zaara

India sits in south Asia between China and Pakistan and this is where the movie Veer-Zaara takes place. Veer-Zaara is a Bollywood production. Bollywood is the name of the Mumbai-based Hindi language film industry in India. Veer-Zaara is story of forbidden love by a man from India and a woman of Pakistan. During the movie you get the feeling that there is something of a barrier between cultures of the two countries. Not much on the Indian side though. Indians seem to treat their guest very well. Pakistani’s seem to keep a barrier up. We find this out a little more to this toward the end of the movie. In a court scene near the end of the movie, one of the attorneys mentions to the other of bitter war memories of 1947-1965 and 1999. This somewhat pieced my suspicions which grew throughout the movie. Additionally I spent some time with readings on the internet to find that Pakistan and India have been in rivalries for over five decades.

In Veer-Zaara we get to learn not only about border relations, but also what the landscape has to provide and customs of the two countries. I would say that the movie focuses on the Indian culture more, but I find the two countries had many similarities. In the musical scene where Veer shows Zaara his land, we really get a great vision as to what India’s landscape looks like. In one scene I notice a few girls harvesting these orange flowers. I had seen these flowers in other Indian movies in the past and was curious of their significance. The flower is called a Marigold and is used in Hindu religious ceremonies. Another landscape attraction I noticed was the abundance of wheat fields. India is actually the second largest producer of wheat in the world. Approximately 12 percent of the world’s wheat productions come from India. Northern areas of India are covered with wheat fields. Many fields in the movie were also growing sunflowers. India has a national priority in vegetable oil production and their sunflower fields are a main reflection of this market. Not only do we get a grasp of landscape, but also we get an idea of cultural activities of this region.

I had no idea that carnivals and fairs were such a big part of Indian culture. In Veer-Zaara we see Veer and Zaara attending these fairs. India is actually known for its carnivals and festivals. Everyday festivals are celebrated all around the country to celebrate religious passion and respect for life. Fesitals are used to celebrate many different things. They are not only a big draw for locals but are also a big attraction for tourist. Sports were also shown in the film. Veer’s Dad (uncle) is portrayed as a sports fanatic. He is seen playing two different sports. One sport was Cricket and the other sport I was a little unsure of the name. After doing some looking around on the internet I discovered that it was field hockey. It is known as the national sport of India. Field hockey is not the most popular sport. It plays second fiddle to Cricket. Cricket is by far the most popular sport in India. You can go anywhere in the country and Cricket will be played there. India’s are obsessed with the sport. India is usually one of the best teams in the world and actually won the World Cup of Cricket in 1983. The ’83 team is still talked about and much pride is still there for that Championship team. The picture above is the '83 team photo.

I wanted to touch on the hospitality of the Indians in the film. As Veer introduces Zaara to his parents we hear very hospitable quotes that suggest India is a warm place for visitors. One quote was, “In my country a guest is revered as a God”. This really speaks volumes to the hospitality of Indians. Another quote says, “And no matter what land he comes from, he becomes part of the land”. This lets the viewer get an idea that there are no enemies in this land.

Lastly I just wanted to comment on the snack that Veer’s lawyer brings to him in Jail. In the movie the snack was referred to as Ladoos. I discovered a minor significance in the director's choice of snack. A ladoo is an Indian, Pakistani or Bengali sweet. This shows that they though they live in different countries, yet they have much in common. A ladoo is made to celebrate festivals or weddings and are made of flour and various other ingredients, depending on which type you are making and to cap it off it is dipped in sugar syrup.

Veer-Zaara was a wonderful movie that really let the viewer soak in much from this region. There was so much that I could of have written about from the film. It helped that in the film one character was showing another all about their homeland which gave the viewer a chance to learn many different aspects of the region. I would recommend this film to anyone wanting to learn about this region.