Zaara meets Veer's uncle Choudhary Sumer (Amitabh Bachchan) and his aunt Saraswati (Hema Malini). Veer convinces Zaara to return with him to his village to spend a day together on account of Lohri. In 2004, the Government of Pakistan decides to review unsolved cases pertaining to Indian prisoners as a goodwill gesture. She is a complex character whose trauma is expressed on her own face with her picking at pimples. [8] The film's titled was officially confirmed by Sanjeev Kohli, CEO of Yash Raj Films, who stated that the title was chosen after "much deliberation. I liked the way the author starts off with the story of a broken Lebanese adolescent, then follows with chapters retelling parts of that girl's story with the mens' perspectives. To see what your friends thought of this book, I thought the novel 'The Story of Zahra', published in 1980, similar to America's famous novel of a woman who loses her sense of self in the book. The book contains testimonials from members of the film’s cast and crew and follows the production stages of the film. Despite announcing the awards, the ceremony was not held that year. I liked it enough to finish it, but wow not an uplifting, feel-good book at all. He further noted that unlike other Hindi films, it deserves a wider audience for portraying "the humanity in characters who represent 'the other'", done "in a way that's dramatic, funny, fun, silly, musical, stylish, romantic and redemptive". Purportedly, the book is influenced by the author's own life. Fleeing from Beirut in search of solace, Zahra stays with her uncle in West Africa—and then uses marriage as another kind of escape. [14], Veer-Zaara was well-received by critics, who praised the film's story, screenplay, dialogues, music, performances and sensitive portrayal of India-Pakistan relations. [36] She also feels that the extended ending with the song "Tere Liye" was for a realistic approach. [16] The film's costumes were handled by Manish Malhotra. [46] Derek Elley of Variety agrees with Ashraf on the first point, writing, "While not instantly hummable, they do the job effectively. "[81] Jonathan Curiel of San Francisco Chronicle was particularly fond of the film, finding the movie experience "so arresting, its scenes so full of beauty and colors, that the three hours go by almost too fast". This novel comes from the pen of one of the Arab world's most acclaimed female writers, Hanan Al-Shaykh (1945- ). Khan stated that although he did not have to dub lines for the film separately, he did dub a few dialogues for the film. [14] Sharmishta Roy, daughter of art director Sudhendu Roy, was chosen as the art director. [11][12] Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini were cast as an elderly couple. While it's not difficult to admire and appreciate how radical this work's frank discussion of female infidelity, marital discontent and general sexuality must have been in the context of the Middle East in the mid-1980s, context alone does it make it any easier to connect to such a nonlinear and abstract work populated exclusively by flat, unrelatable characters. 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 just couldn't hold me; I couldn't finish it. Zahra is a really sad character to read about; she is incredibly troubled and hopeless. Zaara had thought that Veer died in the bus accident 22 years ago. [4] After his son Aditya completed filming for Mohabbatein (2000), they started to look for a new script for Chopra's return as a director. I wish Lebanese writers would move on from the war. A story of parental infidentilyand brutality; or frigidity and abortion. [88] Since its release, it topped the weekly charts 39 times in India. [4], Zahara started her career busking on the streets of East London. He travelled to Bombay in 1951, when he was introduced to the film industry. How can I get a copy of this book in Arabic? It traces the decline and tragic death of a Lebanese woman, Zahra, who is a victim, successively, of her mother's rather open infidelity (loosely based upon the novelist's own experience as recounted in her recent "The Locust and the Bird"), of men, of the horrific Lebanese War (1975-90), and of her own immaturity and distorted sense of sexuality. "The Story of Zahra" makes an important statement about the way women in places like Lebanon are so easily caught between two worlds and are encouraged or even compelled into relationships they don't want and don't even entirely understand. Mariyam begs Veer to leave Zaara because Jehangir's high-profile reputation and health will be ruined if news gets out that Zaara is in love with an Indian. [36] In her book Dreaming in Canadian: South Asian Youth, Bollywood, and Belonging, Faiza Hirji feels that cultural and religious differences were not acknowledged in the film, while noting Pakistani and Muslim traditions were highlighted. She never finds her footing, and I don't have sympathy for any of the characters in this novel. [34], Daiya establishes that Veer's "Indian masculinity" is shown through his sacrifice of spending 22 years in jail. [32] Philip Lutgendorf agrees and also notes the influence of Sufi tradition, where Veer's ultimate reward is union with Allah, much like a Sufi pir. "[54] In another review for The Times of India, Teena Malik heavily criticized it in agreement with Verma for repetition of content, and labelled the film "horrifying". I liked the way the author starts off with the story of a broken Lebanese adolescent, then follows with chapters retelling parts of that girl's story with the mens' perspectives. [32] They compare it to Chopra's earlier films, where "hate-filled encounters" are generally avoided. Phendula won three South African Music Awards for Best Selling Album, Best R&B, Soul and Reggae Album and Best Female Artist of the Year. I think Zahra’s narrative is hard to swallow because she can’t be romanticized; she is hit over and over again by traumatic life experiences, and she has just a single moment of happiness in the entire novel. [51] It was the highest-selling music album of the year in India, with sales of around 3 million units. [70] Deepu Madhavan of NDTV praised the execution of the plot and writes, "the love story of Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh and Zaara Hayaat Khan is an ode to ageless romance and timeless love. In 2013, Zahara released her second studio album, Phendula. [78] The film featured in the British Film Institute's list of 10 great Bollywood romances, with commentary by Rachel Dwyer. [36] She compares the last segment of the title song in which Zaara is shot to the climax of Mani Ratnam's Dil Se.. (1998); both films suggest that the lovers cannot be united. [26] The court scenes were shot in a Pakistani law court. Refresh and try again. [91] At the end of its theatrical run, it collected ₹580 million in India, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year. As a woman reading this book, I find myself resonating with and rooting for Zahra at every turn, even when her decisions may feel questionable; we are all flawed, and often ou. Back home in Pakistan, Zaara realises she too is in love with Veer but that she must keep her family's honour and marry Raza, a wedding that will further the political career of her father Jehangir (Boman Irani). [82], Carrie R. Wheadon of Common Sense Media gives it four stars out of five and rates it as 11+, writing, "Those who watch can't miss the pleas for understanding and peace between India and Pakistan or the film's strong support of equality for women." Zahara's debut album Loliwe was released in 2011. Her statement and evidence prove Veer's innocence and the judge frees him, apologising on behalf of Pakistan. [55] Apart from that, it was screened at the Berlin Film Festival, where it was received well. Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible. [28] Saif Ali Khan's palace in Pataudi served as Zaara's mansion. "[66], Subhash K. Jha gave Veer-Zaara a positive review for Indo-Asian News Service, praising the performances of the leads as "old yet passionate, frail yet sublime" and writes, "The surge of love between two people belonging to entirely different cultures and lands is collected into a quaint and quivering collage of memory and melody. "[18] Zinta had to attend various lessons for improving her diction for speaking Urdu. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published They are selfish and cruel. [20][23] [89] It also had the highest weekend collection of the year, earning ₹97.8 million over the weekend. The writing was beautiful in this book. [6] All scenes which featured Khan in a prison were shot in a single day,[14] at a jail in Pakistan. [46], In a soundtrack review, Syed Firdaus Ashraf of Rediff.com states, "It will disappoint you at first, but if you listen to it repeatedly, the music will grow on you. Zinta labeled it "one of the most humbling experiences of [her] life" and stated that it made her realize the difficulties male actors have to go through. When Zaara's mother reminds her daughter that women always love fully, with heart and soul, she casually adds, "Men don't have the strength to love like that. The film received several awards, including four at the 50th Filmfare Awards, including Best Film and Best Story. She started singing in her school's choir when she was six years old, and at the age of nine she was told to join the senior choir because of her strong voice.