Veer Zaara - a few thoughts [Probably Spoilers]

[s***@yahoo.com]

Shah Rukh Khan let me down in a big way - but then again, I should have
expected no less. "Veer Zaara" made me sick. The reviews from Taran
Adarsh et al seem to see echoes of DDLJ in the film. The only film I
could think of while watching it was "Gadar" - there was the same
prolonged melodrama, the same stuff about race relations, the same
problems with Indian men chasing after Pakistani women whose fathers
happen to be big-time politicians. The major problem I had with this
film was that it tried to assert its epic-ness within the film itself,
rather than allowing it to develop over time.

The film - as others outline, and without wanting to give away too much
- is the story of Veer Pratap Singh (SRK), a guy who, 22 years earlier
came into Preity Zinta's life. For wanting to marry her, he is
imprisoned in Pakistan. During the inevitable flashbacks, there are
scenes of the lush fields and rivers of the Punjab, a model village
which Hema Malini and Amitabh Bachchan have built, and so on. Various
plot-twists occur to give us the inevitable happy ending.

So why did I dislike it so much? First, things were too obvious. Two
bus crashes on the same route result in very different outcomes. You
know that Shah Rukh is in jail from the outset, but we still have this
whole story dragged out to two hours when it could be much much
shorter. Secondly, it really was too cliched. (Hindi movies generally
are, but I found this one especially egregious.) Shah Rukh doesn't know
if all Indian boys are the same as he is, but he knows that all Indian
mothers are as sweet as Kirron Kher. A mother's laddus taste the same
no matter where they're made, apparently. Shah Rukh may spend 22 years
in prison on flimsy grounds, but he still feels that Pakistanis are his
own people. Thirdly, it was just too long. The theatre in which I saw
it (and this time I was coerced into going) had no interval.
Establishing that Veer and Zaara were in love did not need to take
anywhere near as long as it did - even the attempt that was made, I
thought, did not put it at the level of a Romeo-Juliet or even
Basanti-Veeru romance. (So Preity saw Shah Rukh's village. Wow. I
wasn't entirely sure whether Shah Rukh went after Preity because he
wanted to or because Amitabh told him to.) The dialogues were quite,
quite, awful. We're told that the outcome of the case is "as
transparent as water" (the word transparent is used when speaking in
Hindi). Shah Rukh's narration of his first meeting with Preity sounds
more like a Mills & Boon novel than any real account of romance. We're
asked whether Veer and Zaara are people living as gods or gods living
as people. (I thought they were just people acting as caricatures.)

My biggest problem was probably the two leads. Shah Rukh was lame, as
ever, but he wasn't even supported by a plot or high-jinks as in "Main
Hoon Na". He hammed and hawed his way through the film - the person I
went with hadn't seen a Hindi movie before (but had seen this one
advertised, and was desperate to go), and I explained at the outset
that Shah Rukh had only four expressions and it made no difference
whether he laughed and cried. (She agreed afterwards.) Preity has
probably lost some weight and hence looks better, but I still can't
think much of her acting. Shah Rukh has four expressions, Preity has a
smile and a frown. (She also has an overbite, I'm fairly sure. It's why
her top lip comes further out than her bottom one and she can't close
her mouth. All this time, I just had doubts as to whether or not she
could breathe through her nose.)

There were good things about the film. Rani was effervescent in this
role. She has grown her hair a bit, and I think has whitened her teeth.
She continues to impress despite the idiocy of some of the dialogues
she's been served (although the sequence with Anupam Kher in the
Courtroom to start with was quite good). Her outfits in this film were
quite wonderful. The last piece she wore was a beautiful orange kurta
with a pink (probably silk) dupatta, which complemented her eyes to
perfection. I find it difficult to believe a more beautiful woman has
ever existed.

Boman Irani and Divya Dutta impressed, as did Manoj Bajpai - Kirron
Kher less so. The best sequence in the movie was the Amitabh-Hema
segment, but even there, the "Indian unity" was overstressed. (They
live in this idyllic Punjabi village, but apparently Hema is a Madrasi
married to a Punjabi. This has some significance, but it ended up just
seeming like an in-joke, the joke being on Hema.) There are aims to
echo Sholay in some ways too, albeit faintly. I think it's Hema who
uses the "izzat ka sawaal" line at one point, and she calls out to
"her" Veeru several times in that segment. Some of the songs are nice,
most are overdone.

In short, I'd avoid this film in the cinemas and probably even
otherwise (try and get the Rani segments only if possible - it probably
isn't.) It just tries too hard to stamp its place in Indian cinematic
history by mixing messages and themes, thereby losing focus. The film
could have been an interesting idea of the triumph of human rights
against wealth, but even that opportunity was denied us with a song
sequence instead of the case for the defence. The romance could have
been crisper, the dialogues could have been less cheesy, the themes
could have been less cheesy. (Pakistan must be a really great place if
even its unjustified prisoners think it's "like home" - yeah right.) I
liken it to Titanic but on a Hindi film scale. The twists carried on so
long that you began to expect them. The film focused too much on being
a film and too little on telling a story. I hope it flops like
anything.

Aditya

[Amit Malhotra]

Post by s***@yahoo.com
Shah Rukh Khan let me down in a big way - but then again, I should have
expected no less. "Veer Zaara" made me sick. The reviews from Taran
Adarsh et al seem to see echoes of DDLJ in the film. The only film I
could think of while watching it was "Gadar" - there was the same

The review on Bollyvista seems to echo your thoughts
http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/29/3660

'Jaded!' - 'Veer-Zaara'
By Prema K. ©2004 Bollyvista.com
Article Updated 12 November, 2004 07:19:52 PM IST

This kind of film is best termed ‘passé’. It shows a filmmaker’s
refusal to change with the times. The result- it is bound to meet the
same fate as that of some of his contemporaries in recent times. It is
unnecessarily long, dragging, and boring. But this does not take away
from the fact that he has managed to extract a good performance from
his cast. Having said that let us add that Yash Chopra has never ever
managed to make his heroines look so ordinary and non-alluring. Even
the normally debonair looking Shah Rukh Khan is looking old and jaded.
Ditto for Preity. One can't say much about Rani’s looks either. The
only charming pair in the film is Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini.
The two make a rocking screen couple. In fact, their track is the best
in the film. But unfortunately they are reduced to extended guest
artists.

Now for the story. Obviously it is a love story. Squadron leader Veer
Pratap Singh Shah Rukh Khan) is a rescue pilot with the Indian Air
Force. He risks his life to save the lives of others. One day, he
rescues, Zaara (Preity Zinta), a girl from Pakistan who is here on a
special mission. A carefree, bubbly girl, she has come here to fulfill
her surrogate mother’s last wish. Veer saves her life but his life is
not the same anymore. Does this sound very clichéd? There is no
romance or heartbreak, in case you are expecting it. Veer is still
mustering up enough courage to confess his love to Zaara, when her
fiancé (Manoj Bajpai) suddenly pops up. This gives Veera all the
courage to profess his love to Zara, and he does it in full view of
her fiancé. A shocked Zaara returns to Pakistan and gradually realizes
that she too loves him in return. When Veer hears of this, he rushes
to Pakistan to claim his love, a day before her ‘nikaah’.
Unfortunately destiny has willed otherwise. Circumstances force him to
return to his country alone. But he ends up in a prison in Pakistan!
He languishes there for 22 long years. Why?

Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukerji), a young lawyer from Pakistan, is
given her first case, a tough one. It is that of Veer’s. Being a
strong woman, she takes up the challenge and proves to be Veer’s
messiah. All’s well that ends well. After all, what’s 22 years in
one’s lifetime? Love never dies. All this bit is fine in theory but
not when one has to witness it on the big screen.

This film is a big let down especially where the music is concerned.
It has some sweet moments though. Veer taking Zaara to his house for a
day to meet his people is one such. The way he professes his love to
her is also cute and rather different. The re-emergence of an aged
Zaara feels good. There are great emotional moments too. Veer and
Zara’s separation, once in India and once again in Pakistan, is very
sad. Also their meeting, after 22 long years of separation, in
Pakistan is heart-wrenching. However, despite all this, the film fails
to captivate the audience. It is definitely not a film for the metros.
It may work in the interiors where people tend to get very emotional.
The first week’s collections will give us a better picture.

[Arjun Pandit]

You know that Shah Rukh is in jail from the outset, but we still have
this whole story dragged out to two hours when it could be much much
shorter.

<snip>

Thirdly, it was just too long. The theatre in which I saw
it (and this time I was coerced into going) had no interval.
Establishing that Veer and Zaara were in love did not need to take
anywhere near as long as it did - even the attempt that was made,

The screenplay was written by one Aditya. Looks like all Adityas write
megabytes of crap prose to establish simple facts :-)

[s***@yahoo.com]

Post by Arjun Pandit

You know that Shah Rukh is in jail from the outset, but we still have
this whole story dragged out to two hours when it could be much much
shorter.

<snip>

Thirdly, it was just too long. The theatre in which I saw
it (and this time I was coerced into going) had no interval.
Establishing that Veer and Zaara were in love did not need to take
anywhere near as long as it did - even the attempt that was made,

The screenplay was written by one Aditya. Looks like all Adityas write
megabytes of crap prose to establish simple facts :-)

Have you seen this piece of crap? If not, don't. And if you don't trust
me, read what this other Aditya has to say -
http://www.mouthshut.com/readreview/65153-1.html.

Basically the film tries to state that it's full of messages too
obviously, which is what really got me. The line about people living as
gods and the useless speech SRK gives at the end of the film really did
it for me. Fortunately a few of my friends were nearby, so we cracked
up when the bullshit became unbearable (to dirty looks from the other
cinemagoers who thought this was some great story). I know I said KHNH
would be crap, and didn't think it was so bad after I saw it. I had no
expectations of this useless film, and even so, I was severely
disappointed.

I wonder how the Mukerjees and Ram Jaanes of this world can think SRK
is any good after watching films like these.

Aditya

[s***@yahoo.com]

Post by Arjun Pandit

You know that Shah Rukh is in jail from the outset, but we still have
this whole story dragged out to two hours when it could be much much
shorter.

<snip>

Thirdly, it was just too long. The theatre in which I saw
it (and this time I was coerced into going) had no interval.
Establishing that Veer and Zaara were in love did not need to take
anywhere near as long as it did - even the attempt that was made,

The screenplay was written by one Aditya. Looks like all Adityas write
megabytes of crap prose to establish simple facts :-)

Have you seen this piece of crap? If not, don't. And if you don't trust
me, read what this other Aditya has to say -
http://www.mouthshut.com/readreview/65153-1.html.

Basically the film tries to state that it's full of messages too
obviously, which is what really got me. The line about people living as
gods and the useless speech SRK gives at the end of the film really did
it for me. Fortunately a few of my friends were nearby, so we cracked
up when the bullshit became unbearable (to dirty looks from the other
cinemagoers who thought this was some great story). I know I said KHNH
would be crap, and didn't think it was so bad after I saw it. I had no
expectations of this useless film, and even so, I was severely
disappointed.

I wonder how the Mukerjees and Ram Jaanes of this world can think SRK
is any good after watching films like these.

Aditya

[habshi]

All Bollywood movies appear embarrasing the first time they are seen because they deal with
emotions and that is tougher- as humans have evolved to watch out for deception etc.- to do than
action. However it is these very emotional scenes which give them such excellent repeat value - abit
like Titanic . Go and see it again and you will love it.

On 15 Nov 2004 00:33:25 -0800, ***@yahoo.com wrote:


Basically the film tries to state that it's full of messages too
obviously, which is what really got me. The line about people living as
gods and the useless speech SRK gives at the end of the film really did
it for me. Fortunately a few of my friends were nearby, so we cracked
up when the bullshit became unbearable (to dirty looks from the other
cinemagoers who thought this was some great story). I know I said KHNH
would be crap, and didn't think it was so bad after I saw it. I had no
expectations of this useless film, and even so, I was severely
disappointed

[DODO]

snipped
In short, I'd avoid this film in the cinemas and probably even
otherwise (try and get the Rani segments only if possible - it probably
isn't.) It just tries too hard to stamp its place in Indian cinematic
history by mixing messages and themes, thereby losing focus. The film
could have been an interesting idea of the triumph of human rights
against wealth, but even that opportunity was denied us with a song
sequence instead of the case for the defence. The romance could have
been crisper, the dialogues could have been less cheesy, the themes
could have been less cheesy. (Pakistan must be a really great place if
even its unjustified prisoners think it's "like home" - yeah right.) I
liken it to Titanic but on a Hindi film scale. The twists carried on so
long that you began to expect them. The film focused too much on being
a film and too little on telling a story. I hope it flops like
anything.
Aditya

You didn't get the point of this movie. It is the 72 year-old,
Pakistani Punjab born Chopra's heartfelt plea for the reunification of
West and East Punjab. All the songs are about the land and the people,
how they are the same, their basic mores and culture. The length is
essentially because it is two movies in one ... one that shows the
land is the same, and the other that shows this love story.

It was a bit long for me, and the theater I was in had the sound
turned way too loud ... But nonetheless an enjoyable time. The music
grows on you

The story is incidental to this central theme. He never falls into the

[Amit Malhotra]

Post by DODO

snipped
In short, I'd avoid this film in the cinemas and probably even
otherwise (try and get the Rani segments only if possible - it probably
isn't.) It just tries too hard to stamp its place in Indian cinematic
history by mixing messages and themes, thereby losing focus. The film
could have been an interesting idea of the triumph of human rights
against wealth, but even that opportunity was denied us with a song
sequence instead of the case for the defence. The romance could have
been crisper, the dialogues could have been less cheesy, the themes
could have been less cheesy. (Pakistan must be a really great place if
even its unjustified prisoners think it's "like home" - yeah right.) I
liken it to Titanic but on a Hindi film scale. The twists carried on so
long that you began to expect them. The film focused too much on being
a film and too little on telling a story. I hope it flops like
anything.
Aditya

You didn't get the point of this movie. It is the 72 year-old,
Pakistani Punjab born Chopra's heartfelt plea for the reunification of
West and East Punjab. All the songs are about the land and the people,
how they are the same, their basic mores and culture. The length is
essentially because it is two movies in one ... one that shows the
land is the same, and the other that shows this love story.
It was a bit long for me, and the theater I was in had the sound
turned way too loud ... But nonetheless an enjoyable time. The music
grows on you
The story is incidental to this central theme. He never falls into the

Ah! spare us please! Listen, the movie is *nothing* to rave about,
but unfortunately the masses *will* love it! SRK overacted as an old
man.. Preity's performance was not that great... the story.. it's just
nothing new. Rani was excellent and should be commended for her
performance.

====================================
'Veer-Zaara' takes an unassailable lead!

By Abid ©2004 Bollyvista.com
Article Updated 15 November, 2004 05:08:59 PM IST
Critics and fancy reviews don’t make movies succeed at the box-office,
otherwise 'Meenaxi', 'Chameli', Satta', 'Yuva' and many others would
have been blockbusters. On the flip side, bad mouthing by so called
trade experts or deliberately written bad reviews cannot stop a movie
from succeeding. It's the paying audience who decide the fate of a
movie. ‘Murder’ and more recently ’Mujhse Shaadi Karogi’ demonstrated
this.

Among the four Diwali releases, 'Veer-Zaara', which released with
about 450 to 500 prints in India and nearly 700 prints worldwide, has
emerged as the clear winner and is on its way to grand success from
Muzaffarpur in the East to Mumbai in the West and from Chandigarh in
the North to Chennai in the South. The next best, 'Aitraaz', which has
been released with about 375-425 prints in India is picking up by the
day and the court scenes involving Kareena in the second half, draw
loud applauses. Still, the gap between 'Aitraaz' and 'Veer-Zaara'is
quite pronounced. From Saturday onwards and especially Sunday, the
collections have really picked up and are expected to increase even
more today (Monday), due to Eid.

'Mughal-E-Azam' is a milestone movie; a tutorial on filmmaking and to
put it into the hit and flop category is blasphemy. Still it was
always expected to appeal to certain sections and with a limited 100
to 125 print release, that’s what it has done.

Ram Gopal Varma's 'Naach' was never expected to achieve anything, as
it was too abstract. Given the competition, its chances were reduced
further and as a result the movie is not even a flop, it’s a washout.
Even a good review by Khalid Mohammed, a person who directed two
box-office duds, 'Fiza' and 'Tehzeeb', did not help 'Naach'.

For the confirmation of what we have just said above, please wait for
Saturday when the collections will be out and the truth will be there
in black and white for everyone to see.

[V]

Post by Amit Malhotra

Post by DODO

snipped
In short, I'd avoid this film in the cinemas and probably even
otherwise (try and get the Rani segments only if possible - it probably
isn't.) It just tries too hard to stamp its place in Indian cinematic
history by mixing messages and themes, thereby losing focus. The film
could have been an interesting idea of the triumph of human rights
against wealth, but even that opportunity was denied us with a song
sequence instead of the case for the defence. The romance could have
been crisper, the dialogues could have been less cheesy, the themes
could have been less cheesy. (Pakistan must be a really great place if
even its unjustified prisoners think it's "like home" - yeah right.) I
liken it to Titanic but on a Hindi film scale. The twists carried on so
long that you began to expect them. The film focused too much on being
a film and too little on telling a story. I hope it flops like
anything.
Aditya

You didn't get the point of this movie. It is the 72 year-old,
Pakistani Punjab born Chopra's heartfelt plea for the reunification of
West and East Punjab. All the songs are about the land and the people,
how they are the same, their basic mores and culture. The length is
essentially because it is two movies in one ... one that shows the
land is the same, and the other that shows this love story.
It was a bit long for me, and the theater I was in had the sound
turned way too loud ... But nonetheless an enjoyable time. The music
grows on you
The story is incidental to this central theme. He never falls into the

Ah! spare us please! Listen, the movie is *nothing* to rave about,
but unfortunately the masses *will* love it! SRK overacted as an old
man.. Preity's performance was not that great... the story.. it's just
nothing new. Rani was excellent and should be commended for her
performance.
====================================
'Veer-Zaara' takes an unassailable lead!
By Abid ©2004 Bollyvista.com

Wait a sec, neither agreeing or disagreeing with what the OR said, I have to
say that quoting from your OWN website doesn't add any legitimacy to your
point.

Just like what your tried to do in your last three postings.

V

[Amit Malhotra]

Post by V

Post by Amit Malhotra

Post by DODO

snipped
In short, I'd avoid this film in the cinemas and probably even
otherwise (try and get the Rani segments only if possible - it probably
isn't.) It just tries too hard to stamp its place in Indian cinematic
history by mixing messages and themes, thereby losing focus. The film
could have been an interesting idea of the triumph of human rights
against wealth, but even that opportunity was denied us with a song
sequence instead of the case for the defence. The romance could have
been crisper, the dialogues could have been less cheesy, the themes
could have been less cheesy. (Pakistan must be a really great place if
even its unjustified prisoners think it's "like home" - yeah right.) I
liken it to Titanic but on a Hindi film scale. The twists carried on so
long that you began to expect them. The film focused too much on being
a film and too little on telling a story. I hope it flops like
anything.
Aditya

You didn't get the point of this movie. It is the 72 year-old,
Pakistani Punjab born Chopra's heartfelt plea for the reunification of
West and East Punjab. All the songs are about the land and the people,
how they are the same, their basic mores and culture. The length is
essentially because it is two movies in one ... one that shows the
land is the same, and the other that shows this love story.
It was a bit long for me, and the theater I was in had the sound
turned way too loud ... But nonetheless an enjoyable time. The music
grows on you
The story is incidental to this central theme. He never falls into the

Ah! spare us please! Listen, the movie is *nothing* to rave about,
but unfortunately the masses *will* love it! SRK overacted as an old
man.. Preity's performance was not that great... the story.. it's just
nothing new. Rani was excellent and should be commended for her
performance.
====================================
'Veer-Zaara' takes an unassailable lead!
By Abid ©2004 Bollyvista.com

Wait a sec, neither agreeing or disagreeing with what the OR said, I have to
say that quoting from your OWN website doesn't add any legitimacy to your
point.
Just like what your tried to do in your last three postings.
V

heck i'm not the reporter!! i'm not quoting myself, what does that
have to do with legitimacy?? Quoting from other websites would give
me more credibility? Now that would be silly, wouldn't it? as far as
I know, pretty much the same news circulates among all the reporters!!
Just cuz i'm associated (fully) with Bollyvista doesn't mean the news
articles posted on the site don't have any credibility!!!

Amit

[Amit Malhotra]

Post by Amit Malhotra

Post by V

Post by Amit Malhotra

Post by DODO

snipped
In short, I'd avoid this film in the cinemas and probably even
otherwise (try and get the Rani segments only if possible - it probably
isn't.) It just tries too hard to stamp its place in Indian cinematic
history by mixing messages and themes, thereby losing focus. The film
could have been an interesting idea of the triumph of human rights
against wealth, but even that opportunity was denied us with a song
sequence instead of the case for the defence. The romance could have
been crisper, the dialogues could have been less cheesy, the themes
could have been less cheesy. (Pakistan must be a really great place if
even its unjustified prisoners think it's "like home" - yeah right.) I
liken it to Titanic but on a Hindi film scale. The twists carried on so
long that you began to expect them. The film focused too much on being
a film and too little on telling a story. I hope it flops like
anything.
Aditya

You didn't get the point of this movie. It is the 72 year-old,
Pakistani Punjab born Chopra's heartfelt plea for the reunification of
West and East Punjab. All the songs are about the land and the people,
how they are the same, their basic mores and culture. The length is
essentially because it is two movies in one ... one that shows the
land is the same, and the other that shows this love story.
It was a bit long for me, and the theater I was in had the sound
turned way too loud ... But nonetheless an enjoyable time. The music
grows on you
The story is incidental to this central theme. He never falls into the

Ah! spare us please! Listen, the movie is *nothing* to rave about,
but unfortunately the masses *will* love it! SRK overacted as an old
man.. Preity's performance was not that great... the story.. it's just
nothing new. Rani was excellent and should be commended for her
performance.
====================================
'Veer-Zaara' takes an unassailable lead!
By Abid ©2004 Bollyvista.com

Wait a sec, neither agreeing or disagreeing with what the OR said, I have to
say that quoting from your OWN website doesn't add any legitimacy to your
point.
Just like what your tried to do in your last three postings.
V

heck i'm not the reporter!! i'm not quoting myself, what does that
have to do with legitimacy?? Quoting from other websites would give
me more credibility? Now that would be silly, wouldn't it? as far as
I know, pretty much the same news circulates among all the reporters!!
Just cuz i'm associated (fully) with Bollyvista doesn't mean the news
articles posted on the site don't have any credibility!!!
Amit

to add to that: if the news article appeared on some other site, i
would be allowed to quote it to give my comments legitimacy?

Amit

[rkusenet]

Post by Amit Malhotra

Post by Amit Malhotra
heck i'm not the reporter!! i'm not quoting myself, what does that
have to do with legitimacy?? Quoting from other websites would give
me more credibility? Now that would be silly, wouldn't it? as far as
I know, pretty much the same news circulates among all the reporters!!
Just cuz i'm associated (fully) with Bollyvista doesn't mean the news
articles posted on the site don't have any credibility!!!
Amit

to add to that: if the news article appeared on some other site, i
would be allowed to quote it to give my comments legitimacy?

totally agreed. But then V, like Ram Jaane and Mukherjee is a SRK fan.

rk-

[Amit Malhotra]

Post by rkusenet

Post by Amit Malhotra

Post by Amit Malhotra
heck i'm not the reporter!! i'm not quoting myself, what does that
have to do with legitimacy?? Quoting from other websites would give
me more credibility? Now that would be silly, wouldn't it? as far as
I know, pretty much the same news circulates among all the reporters!!
Just cuz i'm associated (fully) with Bollyvista doesn't mean the news
articles posted on the site don't have any credibility!!!
Amit

to add to that: if the news article appeared on some other site, i
would be allowed to quote it to give my comments legitimacy?

totally agreed. But then V, like Ram Jaane and Mukherjee is a SRK fan.
rk-

Hey RK!

fine, he is an SRK fan, but the article i quoted from the site was
pro-veer zaara, and not against it! :)

Amit

[V]

Post by rkusenet

Post by Amit Malhotra

Post by Amit Malhotra
heck i'm not the reporter!! i'm not quoting myself, what does that
have to do with legitimacy?? Quoting from other websites would give
me more credibility? Now that would be silly, wouldn't it? as far as
I know, pretty much the same news circulates among all the reporters!!
Just cuz i'm associated (fully) with Bollyvista doesn't mean the news
articles posted on the site don't have any credibility!!!
Amit

to add to that: if the news article appeared on some other site, i
would be allowed to quote it to give my comments legitimacy?

totally agreed. But then V, like Ram Jaane and Mukherjee is a SRK fan.

That I am, however, unlike them or habshi, I also thoguht that Devdas was
bad, and Chalte Chalte horrible, specially towards the end. Main hoon na,
and KHNH were much better, though not as good as KHKN, DDLJ or YB.

The point I was trying to make is, that by posting articles from his own
website, ( QUOTE: 'My brother and his company runs Bollyvista...'
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=Bollyvista.com&start=320&hl=en&lr=&scoring=d&selm=uS_p4.1542%24CC3.50727%40wagner.videotron.net&rnum=324
http://tinyurl.com/6mek8) he cannot really claim that his opinion is widely
shared. This is completely different from whether the movie rocked or
sucked.

[Amit Malhotra]

Post by V

Post by rkusenet

Post by Amit Malhotra

Post by Amit Malhotra
heck i'm not the reporter!! i'm not quoting myself, what does that
have to do with legitimacy?? Quoting from other websites would give
me more credibility? Now that would be silly, wouldn't it? as far as
I know, pretty much the same news circulates among all the reporters!!
Just cuz i'm associated (fully) with Bollyvista doesn't mean the news
articles posted on the site don't have any credibility!!!
Amit

to add to that: if the news article appeared on some other site, i
would be allowed to quote it to give my comments legitimacy?

totally agreed. But then V, like Ram Jaane and Mukherjee is a SRK fan.

That I am, however, unlike them or habshi, I also thoguht that Devdas was
bad, and Chalte Chalte horrible, specially towards the end. Main hoon na,
and KHNH were much better, though not as good as KHKN, DDLJ or YB.
The point I was trying to make is, that by posting articles from his own
website, ( QUOTE: 'My brother and his company runs Bollyvista...'
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=Bollyvista.com&start=320&hl=en&lr=&scoring=d&selm=uS_p4.1542%24CC3.50727%40wagner.videotron.net&rnum=324
http://tinyurl.com/6mek8) he cannot really claim that his opinion is widely
shared. This is completely different from whether the movie rocked or
sucked.

but you see, your point doesn't make sense!! My brother and his
company does own bollyvista.com, but my brother, nor I, nor the other
members of my family or the other people present in the company write
the news article. So i really don't understand what the point of
quoting that rsc post here was. Anyway, we were talking about news
articles on our site: they come from reporters that are located in
India. Hence, an article from the site is NOT my opinion! I think
you are failing to understand this simple logic. That's ok, I don't
mind trying to explain it slowly and as clearly as i can. (read the
above nice and slow!). The reporter's name was in the news article as
you saw also. Imagine if the same reporter wrote for say.. some other
big bollywood site, and i quoted him, would you have brought this fact
up that I'm associated with Bollyvista? Now think really carefully
about what I just said. You are confusing "being associated with a
website" with "my opinions".

Now i'll give you my personal opinion (which is different from the
article posted on the website): I think the movie is nothing to rave
about (this is what i had said in my initial post). But i also think
the masses will love it. Proof is one of the news articles posted on
bollyvista.com that says "Veer-Zaara" is leading in terms of how all
four diwali releases are doing at the box-office. The proof is that
gorgeous "Veer-Zaara is great, amazing" type review that appeared on
IndiaFm. So yes, the masses will eat it up, why .. cuz it's an SRK
movie. But that doesn't change MY PERSONAL opinion that the movie is
nothing to rave about!

Now read the whole thing slowly and let it sink in before saying
something silly again.

Amit Malhotra

[V]

Post by Amit Malhotra
but you see, your point doesn't make sense!! My brother and his
company does own bollyvista.com, but my brother, nor I, nor the other
members of my family or the other people present in the company write
the news article.

ok, you just said that the above was not true in a different message.

Post by Amit Malhotra
So i really don't understand what the point of
quoting that rsc post here was. Anyway, we were talking about news
articles on our site: they come from reporters that are located in
India. Hence, an article from the site is NOT my opinion! I think
you are failing to understand this simple logic. That's ok, I don't
mind trying to explain it slowly and as clearly as i can. (read the
above nice and slow!). The reporter's name was in the news article as
you saw also. Imagine if the same reporter wrote for say.. some other
big bollywood site, and i quoted him, would you have brought this fact
up that I'm associated with Bollyvista? Now think really carefully
about what I just said. You are confusing "being associated with a
website" with "my opinions".
Now i'll give you my personal opinion (which is different from the
article posted on the website): I think the movie is nothing to rave
about (this is what i had said in my initial post). But i also think
the masses will love it. Proof is one of the news articles posted on
bollyvista.com that says "Veer-Zaara" is leading in terms of how all
four diwali releases are doing at the box-office. The proof is that
gorgeous "Veer-Zaara is great, amazing" type review that appeared on
IndiaFm. So yes, the masses will eat it up, why .. cuz it's an SRK
movie. But that doesn't change MY PERSONAL opinion that the movie is
nothing to rave about!
Now read the whole thing slowly and let it sink in before saying
something silly again.
Amit Malhotra

you go to quite lengths to explain that the article doesn't really express
your opinions, but fail. The author of the article works for you, and hence
reflects your opinion, not his. And then, for all you know, it could be a
pseudonym!

Again, it has nothing to do with the movie being good or bad, but your
pulling up articles from your own website, to support your own statements
makes no sense.

[Amit Malhotra]

Post by V

Post by Amit Malhotra
but you see, your point doesn't make sense!! My brother and his
company does own bollyvista.com, but my brother, nor I, nor the other
members of my family or the other people present in the company write
the news article.

ok, you just said that the above was not true in a different message.

hmm.. where? I did say that things have changed, but how, did i say
that as well? What did you have before getting on RAMLI today? ;)

Post by V

Post by Amit Malhotra
So i really don't understand what the point of
quoting that rsc post here was. Anyway, we were talking about news
articles on our site: they come from reporters that are located in
India. Hence, an article from the site is NOT my opinion! I think
you are failing to understand this simple logic. That's ok, I don't
mind trying to explain it slowly and as clearly as i can. (read the
above nice and slow!). The reporter's name was in the news article as
you saw also. Imagine if the same reporter wrote for say.. some other
big bollywood site, and i quoted him, would you have brought this fact
up that I'm associated with Bollyvista? Now think really carefully
about what I just said. You are confusing "being associated with a
website" with "my opinions".
Now i'll give you my personal opinion (which is different from the
article posted on the website): I think the movie is nothing to rave
about (this is what i had said in my initial post). But i also think
the masses will love it. Proof is one of the news articles posted on
bollyvista.com that says "Veer-Zaara" is leading in terms of how all
four diwali releases are doing at the box-office. The proof is that
gorgeous "Veer-Zaara is great, amazing" type review that appeared on
IndiaFm. So yes, the masses will eat it up, why .. cuz it's an SRK
movie. But that doesn't change MY PERSONAL opinion that the movie is
nothing to rave about!
Now read the whole thing slowly and let it sink in before saying
something silly again.
Amit Malhotra

you go to quite lengths to explain that the article doesn't really express
your opinions, but fail. The author of the article works for you, and hence
reflects your opinion, not his. And then, for all you know, it could be a
pseudonym!

Oh it's just that I type fast, so unconsciously, I type up long stuff
;-) ...

I am not sure if the fact that the author works for the site means he
is fully reflecting MY opinions. Think about this, CNN has a news
article on something, do you really think that that news article is
reflecting the opinion of everybody (and i mean everybody) working for
CNN? Another example, Recently, on my request, Sanjeev Ramabhadran
from RMIM wrote up a music-review on Mughal-e-Azam for Bollyvista.
Are you telling me that he reflected my opinions in his writeup?

And about that pseudonym thing.. yeah.. sure. That's what I do all
day sitting in Montreal, get news from Bollywood, right them myself
and then publish them under a pseudonym! sure :) Maybe u didn't know
but the site is located and so is the company, in Montreal, Canada.
It's quite hard to get even the recently released CD or DVD here...
Veer-Zaara had a big name so the movie was release and I saw it..

Anyway, my quote was about the fact that Veer-Zaara will do better
than all of the movies that were released on Diwali, I'll see if any
other website predicts that and I'll post that here, if that will
"gell-well" with you, then great! mission would be accomplished and
all this brouhaha about the fact that I pulled a news article from a
site with which i'm associated will end right there.

Post by V
Again, it has nothing to do with the movie being good or bad, but your
pulling up articles from your own website, to support your own statements
makes no sense.

I once again think you didn't read my post carefully, but that's ok,
if you are stuck up on the fact that "I said that you shouldn't take
news articles from your own website to prove your own statements, even
though you have nothing to do with the news articles and I'm right and
you can't say anything to change that"..... i guess i can't really do
anything to change that, now can I....

hey, if someone else has pulled that article from the site and tried
to prove his point with it, what would you have said?

Allright, i'll end my pointless arguements.

Ciao!

Amit Malhotra

[Amit Malhotra]

Post by V
The point I was trying to make is, that by posting articles from his own
website, ( QUOTE: 'My brother and his company runs Bollyvista...'
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=Bollyvista.com&start=320&hl=en&lr=&scoring=d&selm=uS_p4.1542%24CC3.50727%40wagner.videotron.net&rnum=324
http://tinyurl.com/6mek8) he cannot really claim that his opinion is widely
shared. This is completely different from whether the movie rocked or
sucked.

wow, that was an old article you pulled up!! ALUP in 2000!! in four
years, the site, the company that runs the site, the team behind the
site.. has changed a lot!

Regards,

Amit Malhotra

[Shishir Yerramilli]

Post by V

Post by rkusenet

Post by Amit Malhotra

Post by Amit Malhotra
heck i'm not the reporter!! i'm not quoting myself, what does that
have to do with legitimacy?? Quoting from other websites would give
me more credibility? Now that would be silly, wouldn't it? as far as
I know, pretty much the same news circulates among all the reporters!!
Just cuz i'm associated (fully) with Bollyvista doesn't mean the news
articles posted on the site don't have any credibility!!!
Amit

to add to that: if the news article appeared on some other site, i
would be allowed to quote it to give my comments legitimacy?

totally agreed. But then V, like Ram Jaane and Mukherjee is a SRK fan.

That I am, however, unlike them or habshi, I also thoguht that Devdas was
bad, and Chalte Chalte horrible, specially towards the end.

Interesting..I undersestimated you V.Perhaps now I would have to
retract the" V is gay" rhetoric(especially since you are also
married).But the label remains on
Mukerjee,Shridhar....



Main hoon na,

Post by V
and KHNH were much better, though not as good as KHKN, DDLJ or YB.
The point I was trying to make is, that by posting articles from his own
website, ( QUOTE: 'My brother and his company runs Bollyvista...'
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=Bollyvista.com&start=320&hl=en&lr=&scoring=d&selm=uS_p4.1542%24CC3.50727%40wagner.videotron.net&rnum=324
http://tinyurl.com/6mek8) he cannot really claim that his opinion is widely
shared. This is completely different from whether the movie rocked or
sucked.

[Amit Malhotra]

Post by V

Post by Amit Malhotra
Ah! spare us please! Listen, the movie is *nothing* to rave about,
but unfortunately the masses *will* love it! SRK overacted as an old
man.. Preity's performance was not that great... the story.. it's just
nothing new. Rani was excellent and should be commended for her
performance.
====================================
'Veer-Zaara' takes an unassailable lead!
By Abid ©2004 Bollyvista.com

Wait a sec, neither agreeing or disagreeing with what the OR said, I have to
say that quoting from your OWN website doesn't add any legitimacy to your
point.
Just like what your tried to do in your last three postings.
V

to support my point that Veer-Zaara will do well with masses (although
I don't think it's such a great movie, kinda like what TOI reviewer
thinks), here is a snippet from a news article I pulled off
"apunkachoice.com"

Veer Zaara: More than a love legend
13th Nov 2004 18.00 IST
By Nitika Desai

In short, Veer Zaara is a movie that will appeal to many. Although it
dabbles in drama at the cost of realism, the movie does pluck a few
strings at heart with a story that comes as a refreshing change in
these times of sexually explicit flicks.

========
Radiosargam.com has this to say:

VEER ZAARA STORMS UK CHARTS!
Yash Chopra attracts massive British audience!

VEER ZAARA, released at 60 sites in the UK, has managed very
impressive collections of £484,993 in its opening weekend with a site
average of £8083. In a weekend of Hollywood biggies like Bridget Jones
and The Grudge, Radio Sargam can report that Veer Zaara now ranks
number 4 in the UK Top 10 Charts. Expectations were sky high after the
music sales crossed the million mark even before the film's release.
Yash Chopra's directorial venture after a gap of 7 years, Veer Zaara
is all set to continue its reign at the UK box-office in the coming
days.

===========
Sify: (courtesy IndiaFM):

First day first show reactions to `Veer-Zaara`

By IndiaFM
Saturday, 13 November , 2004, 11:15

Today was the acid test for the 2004 extravaganza Veer-Zaara. And the
booking charts at New Excelsior marks a flying start for this Yash
Chopra magnum opus. With houseful bookings that stretch till Tuesday,
the film has all it takes to have a dhamaka opening.

The film has evoked strong response from viewers. A huge chunk of
audiences have loved the film all the way. The intense love story
seems to have found universal appeal with the people. Also finding
favor with filmbuffs is Late Madan Mohan’s music (recreated by Sanjeev
Kohli).

Amongst the performances, Preity Zinta gets an A grade from audiences.
Rani Mukherji is a huge hit with the people. They seemed to go gaga
about her portrayal as Saamiya Siddiqui. As for Shahrukh Khan, an
entire cross profile of people from the frontbenchers to the dress
circle gives a thumbs-up to Veer! SRK’s acting seems unquestionable
from the audience reaction.

While some have loved his product, there are voices that say that the
movie isn’t up to their expectations. However these are stray comments
in a bunch of encouraging reactions.

The overall picture looks rosy and encouraging.

===================
Rediff predicts that it will do well at box office:

Veer-Zaara is like a rash!

Sukanya Verma | November 12, 2004 19:17 IST

<snipped>
So what if Veer-Zaara is not really a legendary, memorable blah blah,
saga of love and blah blah. So what if it is not even among Yash
Chopra's best works. It is poised to make big bucks at the box office
and may even pick an award or two next year. So if you are a fan of
the Chopra factory of filmmaking and looking for plenty of eye-candy,
Veer-Zaara promises to make your Diwali a happy one.

===================
Timesofindia reflects the Bollyvista reviewers point of view:

Veer-Zaara: Been there, scene that
TEENA MALIK
TIMESOFINDIA.COM[ MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2004 01:45:26 PM ]

<snipped>
Why am I upset? Because I feel cheated. There was nothing new in the
movie, and literally.


=============
allright V, that would be it to support my point of view.... sorry
about posting that article that appeared on Bollyvista.com that pretty
much said the same thing as most of the ones i quoted here (except for
TOI).


Regards,

Amit Malhotra