Veer-Zaara

Veer-Zaara
Theatrical-release poster
Directed by	Yash Chopra
Written by	Aditya Chopra
Produced by	Yash Chopra Aditya Chopra
Starring	Shah Rukh Khan Preity Zinta Rani Mukerji
Cinematography	Anil Mehta
Edited by	Ritesh Soni
Music by	Original Songs: Madan Mohan Background Score: R. S. Mani Revision: Sanjeev Kohli
Production company	Yash Raj Films
Distributed by	Yash Raj Films
Release date	12 November 2004 (2004-11-12)
Running time	192 minutes[1]
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹26 crore[2]
Box office	₹105 crore[3]

Veer-Zaara (Hindi pronunciation: [ʋiːr zaːɾa]) is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language epic romantic drama film directed and produced by Yash Chopra, from a screenplay written by 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 Hayaat Khan (Zinta) is the daughter of a Pakistani politician. Veer is imprisoned on false charges, and 22 years later, 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 expressed his desire to make a comeback to the film industry after a gap of seven years, as he was unsatisfied with the scripts he had been offered. It was during this time that Aditya narrated a few scenes from a story he had written, which intrigued Chopra and sparked his interest to direct it. Chopra envisioned the film as a tribute to Punjab, aiming to capture the essence of the region. It was to be titled Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum, based on an eponymous song from Yash Chopra's Silsila (1981). 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.

Veer-Zaara was released on 12 November 2004 during the Diwali festival. The film earned over ₹105 crore worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of the year in both India and International territories. It received widespread critical acclaim, with high praise directed to the story, screenplay, dialogues, soundtrack, 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 is considered as one of the greatest romantic films of Indian film history.

At the 52nd National Film Awards, Veer-Zaara won the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. At the 50th Filmfare Awards, the film received a leading 15 nominations, and won 4 awards, including Best Film and Best Story (Aditya). At the 6th IIFA Awards, it won a leading 7 awards of its 11 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Chopra), Best Actor (Khan), Best Supporting Actress (Mukerji) and Best Music Director (Mohan).