Veer Zaara is a movie from the Yash Chopra production house, produced by Aditya Chopra, and directed by Yash Chopra. The movie was released in 2004, and was set in a cross border situation between India and Pakistan, where the inherent hostility between the 2 nations provides a great situation to set a story of hostility and romance. The movie showcases the full power of love, where people are willing to take a 22 year delay for their loved ones. The movie was promoted with all the power that Yash Raj Films could use, and turned out to be a huge hit, in India, in Pakistan, and in the overseas market.
The movie also had the distinction where the music was by using tunes from the deceased famous Music Director, Madan Mohan, where unreleased tunes of the famous music director were used, with his son Sanjeev Kohli, leading this effort. The female lead of the songs was Lata Mangeshkar, adding to the poignancy of the overall effort, since she has sung for many movies in the past where Madan Mohan was the Music director. The movie received a large number of awards in the Filmfare awards, IIFA awards, Stardust Awards, Star Screen awards, Zee Cine Awards, and many others. It was almost like a clean sweep of the awards, with these covering Best Film, Actor, Actress, Best Director, etc.
The movie is about the romance between Veer Pratap Singh (Shahrukh Khan) and Zaara Haayat Khan (Preity Zinta), where Veer is a Squadron Leader with the Indian air force, and Zaara is a young Pakistani girl from a prominent family. She is already engaged to Raza (Manoj Bajpai). Zaara comes to Punjab in India for fulfilling the last wishes of her governess, who wanted her ashes to be scattered in the river Sutlej near the holy city of Kiratpur. However, when Zaara comes over, she is left in a precarious position due to a bus accident, and Veer saves her with his helicopter. He takes her one day to his village where she meets his parents, Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini, in a small appearance. They are impressed with Zaara, but the couple separate when it is clear that they need to go on their own ways.
Zaara is now confused, since she has come to love Veer, but must marry Raza for the sake of pride and honour; Veer comes when told to by Zaara's maid, but when he comes to their home, her mother implores him to go away for the sake of their family. However, when he is going, Raza takes revenge by getting him arrested as a spy. And that is where things go totally wrong, since Veer is sent to jail, and Zaara believes that Veer had died in a bus accident.
22 years later, a young firebrand lawyer called Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukerji) is fighting for the rights of women in Pakistan, and also gets allotted the case of prisoner number 786, Veer, who has been convicted of being an Indian spy called Rajesh Rathod. Veer has not spoken to anyone, which makes the case all the more difficult.
What happens next ? How does she find out the truth, and do the lovers meet again after 22 years ?
Baabul released in the year 2006 and talks about the highly sensitive issue of widow remarriage. We are living in the twenty first century but in India, widows still lead a very hard life. The rural-urban divide in terms of the position of widow within mainstream society is only a difference in degree. The question of a widow remarrying and starting life afresh is considered to be blasphemous by many. Babul tackles this very controversial subject by focussing on all the obstacles
Talented artist Malvika Talwar ( Rani Mukherjee) meets handsome rich guy Avinash on a golf course. Following a short misunderstanding, the two fall in love with each other. They decide to get married. Avinash is completely doted upon by his parents, Balraj (Amitabh Bachchan) and Shobhna ( Hema Malini). Avinash’s parents willing acceps Malvika. Her parents too have no problem with the match. She has also the blessings of her best friend Rajat Verma (John Abraham) who secretly lover her but has never had the guts to confess his feelings.
Malvika and Avinash marry and soon become proud parents of baby boy. Things are going smoothly and Malvika is blissfully happy with her husband, son and her in-laws, who treat her like their own child. However life goes from bed of roses to bed of thorns as Avinash dies in a automobile accident. Malvika is totally shattered as are Avinash’s parents, Balrah and Shobhana. In spite of his grief, Balraj is sensitive to the desolation that he sees in his daughter-in-law’s eyes and is determined to remove it. He decides to get Malvika married to her childhood sweetheart Rajat. Initially Malvika is unwilling to start life anew but soon gives in. Shobhana too is not too happy with her husband’s decision as she is concerned whether after remarrying Malvika will let them have any access to her grandson or not. However soon she too come around. The climax sees an impassioned Balraj questioning society’s right to deny a widow the right to a life when the same right is not taken away from a widower. As he convinces his elder brother Balwant (Om Puri), who is against the notion of widow marriage, the humane impact of this act, he sends out a solemn plea to society to change its attitude towards women and particularly towards widows.
Babul is a sincere effort by Ravi Chopra to talk about a relatively taboo topic. He succeeds too up to a point of spreading awareness. Competent acting by one and all makes this film a wonderful watch. Aadesh Srivastav’s music is melodious and catchy. On the whole Babul is an honest attempt to talk about the burning question of widows and their plight.
Black that released in the year 2005, amidst tremendous hype and expectations, managed to set a new benchmark for Hindi films. Partly based on the true life story of Helen Keller, the film was tremendously appreciated by the critics and the general public. Hailed by many to be a cult film Black won numerous awards for all those who were associated with it.
The film begins with Michelle McNally (Rani Mukherjee) a blind, deaf and mute woman visiting her former teacher Debraj Sahai (Amitabh Bachchan). Debraj is shown to be in a hospital struggling with the deadly Alzheimer’s disease. The film then goes back to Michelle’s childhood. Michelle’s world from a very young age has been a world that is devoid of sights, colours, sounds and noises. With the passage of time, she becomes a prisoner of this soundless and sightless universe that makes her violent, hostile, and almost animal like. Her parents, Paul and Catherine are at their wit’s end trying to control their eight year old daughter whom they are unable to understand and who is unable to understand them. Into this helpless situation enters Debraj Sahai, a slightly eccentric man. He takes it upon himself to bring Michelle into the light.
Initially he has to use harsh methods as Michelle has become uncontrollable which meets the disapproval of the little girl’s father who asks him to leave. But Debraj asks for twenty days from Catherine to prove himself and stays on. By the 20th day, as he is about to give up, a miraculous break through happens and Michelle is able to come out of her dark world. Impressed by his success the McNallys decide to keep Debraj as Michelle's teacher. Michelle is a fast learner and is very soon able to expertly sign. Debraj even convinces the Principal of a college to grant her the chance to pursue Bachelor of Arts degree, the first deaf-blind person to do so at that university. Michelle moves away from home and lives with Debraj and one of her servants.
Over the next twenty years she struggles to gain her degree. As Michelle face many ups and downs in life, we see the beginning of Alzheimer affect Debraj’s brilliant mind. He is shown forgetting the way out of Principal’s office. Debraj leaves Michelle when one night she forces him to kiss her on her lips as she has never experienced passion and wanted Debraj to be the one to teach her the meaning of this word like so many others. The film ends with Michelle gaining her B.A. degree and her visiting the institution where Debraj stays. She shows him her degree and a glimmer of recognition appears in his eyes. The film ends with a complete role reversal as Michelle takes it upon herself to reacquaint Debraj with the meaning of words that he has long forgotten.
Cast of movie Black:
Amitabh Bachchan - Debraj Sahai
Rani Mukerji - Michelle McNally
Ayesha Kapoor - Young Michelle McNally
Shernaz Patel - Catherine McNally
Dhritiman Chaterji - Paul McNally
Nandana Sen - Sarah McNally
Movie Information:
Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Anshuman Swami
Written by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Bhavani Iyer, Prakash Kapadia
Music by Monty Sharma
Cinematography Ravi K. Chandran
Editing by Bela Sehgal
Awards:
Black made an all-time record at the Filmfare Awards by winning eleven awards.
National Film Awards (2006)
Best Feature Film in Hindi
Best Actor - Amitabh Bachchan
Star Screen Awards (2006)
Best Film
Best Director - Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Best Actor - Amitabh Bachchan
Best Actress - Rani Mukerji
Best Supporting Actress - Ayesha Kapur
Best Cinematography - Ravi K. Chandran
Best Editing - Bela Sehgal
Best Sound Recording - Anup Dev
Best Background Score - Monty Sharma
Filmfare Awards (2006)
Best Movie
Best Director - Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Best Actor - Amitabh Bachchan
Best Actress - Rani Mukerji
Critics Award Best Movie - Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Critics Award Best Performance - Amitabh Bachchan & Rani Mukharji (each)
Best Supporting Actress - Ayesha Kapur
Best Editing - Bela Sehgal
Best Cinematography - Ravi K. Chandran
Best Background Score - Monty Sharma
mausam ki adalaa-badali mein
pavan gulaabi ho jaati hai
(haan mainne chhuukar dekha hai) - 2
raat sarakakar chalate-chalate
bilkul aadhi ho jaati hai
(haan mainne chhuukar dekha hai) - 2
mausam ki adalaa-badali mein
garam gunaguni dhuup se baat ki hai mainne
paani ke bahane mein hansi suni hai mainne
sab kahate hain dip bujha hai
lekin baati so jaati hai
(haan mainne chhuukar dekha hai) - 2
mausam ki adalaa-badali mein
bin dastak ke aaye jo vo pyaar suna hai
bin bole man khole vo adhikaar suna hai
lamhon ki ungali thaam ke
yaadein aangan mein aa jaati hain
(haan mainne chhuukar dekha hai) - 2
thandha thandha rang buundon ka
mulaayam rang hai phuulon ka
chubhanevaale rang pahanakar
dulhan saj-dhaj ke jaati hai
haan mainne chhuukar
haan mainne dekha hai