Veera-Zaara

In this movie people like to dance. There are solos and giant productions, and all the time watching it, it never occurs to me what this has to do with India Pakistan relations. Singing, dancing, singing and dancing dream sequences, marriage ceremonies, jails, and trials, are all different ways the movie tries to show culture conflict. This all done to address one major thing: India and Pakistan don’t like each other. This is rooted in religion and land. Pakistan was formed in 1947 for the large Muslim population that didn’t want to live under Hindu rule after India gained independence from the British. The CIA world fact book says that there was conflict in 1947 and again in 1965 over control of Kashmir. They are both nuclear states, so the movie has the noble goal of addressing a problem that needs resolving. But Kashmir is not mentioned once in this movie. This conflict is shown through the love story of a Hindu from India and a Muslim from Pakistan (Veera and Zaara). It would be a big issue in both cultures if Hindu and a Muslim got married. It is still a big deal, but a belief that is not as strongly held with the younger generation. The movie is an attempt to have Indians and Pakistanis overcome their social and political barriers and live in peace.

English is used when someone wants to say something smart or important or philosophical. Judges are addressed as “Your Honor” and Veera has the fancy title of “Squadron Leader”. When the Pakistani version of Johnny Cochrane says to the defense attorney “Thank you for teaching me the value of truth and justice”, he says it in English. There is modeling after the British when it comes to the military, education or the court of law, so it is not a surprise when English words pop up in such settings. When the British colonized India in the 1800s (and had tremendous influence with the East India Tea Company in the 1600s) they established many British customs. Even after gaining independence India still has some of the same trappings of colonialism.

This movie has sweeping mountain landscapes, rural villages and rolling prairies but not much city is shown. To watch this movie one would think that India had the population of Wyoming. What is seen of the city is just major monuments or inside train stations or just outside prisons. Characters do not go parading down city streets talking about flowers, love or sunshine. These routines are saved for the countryside.

Songs bring people to the movie. That is what Wikipedia tells me. Also song and dance routines are a good way to lengthen any movie theatre experience into 3 hours. That helps if you want to get out of the Indian heat. Logically song and dance routines are a good way to incorporate a lot of different actors and actresses and film production people. It is just good for the Indian movie community to have many people participating in the movie process. This movie was done in a way that people in India who enjoy Bollywood movies expect. Obviously this movie doesn’t reflect the reality of India. The general public doesn’t fly around on helicopters or look like models. This style of film making is a means of telling a story. Mass producers of pop culture like to tell stories the same way, and Bollywood is no exception. It is a form that has worked in the past, so with a lot of rich peoples’ money involved the format doesn’t change. But the content does change. This movie tries to address political and religious differences the best way it knows how: with good looking people dancing and lip synching.