Veer: It’s Salmanism-Movie Review

By Harshit....

No. This is not a so-called ‘critical’ opinion on the movie. Nor is it a bashing of the Salman’s Veer, so in case all you’re looking for is bashing and thrashing of the movie, switch over to other critics, there are many who have done that.

Of course, I had read so many reviews before I saw the movie and that was one of the reasons I saw the movie pretty late. But once I entered the theater, there wasn’t one time I felt I shouldn’t have come.

I know Veer is not the so-called sophisticated movie with right facts and logical script/screenplay. But if you are a Salman Khan fan and ready to join the madness which can be called Salmanism, you ARE going to enjoy the movie. After all, Veer still accommodates more mind than, with all due respect, Rajnikant movies do.

And before I say anything more, I would like to say there are a few people who have been of huge importance to Veer. Sajid-Wajid with their compositions, Gopal Shah with his marvelous cinematography, and Gulzar with his words.

Frankly, when I went to see the movie, I was in no misconception that I was there to watch a period movie. In fact, I had almost no expectations, and was there to see Salman Khan and the songs from the best album of Sajid-Wajid. But then, the movie didn’t look bad in the start. And the same feeling was there till the end. Except for some sequences where I was ecstatic, which mostly happened to be the songs or at times, some beautifully pictured scenes which show a superb work by cinematographer.

The story of the movie isn’t great. Salman Khan, son of one of the Pindari top ranks Mithun, tries all Saam-Daam-Dand-Bhed to beat the king of MadhavGarh who had cheated upon Pindaris once and killed some 4500 of them. And Salman, Veer, does so because Mithun had pledged to kill the king. Like all movies, Salman falls in love with the daughter of the king adding a ‘twist’ to the story. And then comes the treatment of the story, which happens to be completely dominated by Salman Khan, as expected. While the story has flaws which was again expected from a director like Anil Sharma, the good point is that except these flaws almost entire movie manages to be okay with Salman Khan’s acting and action, and some absolutely wonderful cinematography by Gopal Shah. I was extremely impressed by both the types of cinematography, be it close up shots, or the ones taking a view of entire battlefields and palaces. In fact, during the scenes depicting the entire battlefield in a desert, I was wishing for an even bigger screen.

The songs are wonderful, and while Sajid-Wajid have given probably their best for Veer, Gulzar’s words look much more meaningful in the movie as almost every line fits in the story and sequences of the movie. Surili Ankhiyon wale, which is the best song of the album, however, has been used a bit too much as it appears again and again and again in the movie. I think it would be a better idea to get more than two antaras done for the song which would give the director scope to place the song in a better way. Remember Kalyug? Interestingly, there too, the best and the most repeated song, Jiya Dhadak Dhadak jaaye, was sung by Rahat only, but since the director knew he’d use it a lot, we just had a few extra antaras ready. Anyway, still no complaints with the song as it’s too good anyway.

In the movie, Salman Khan is exactly what he was expected and made to be. He does action sequences perfectly and his acting is good enough for the movie. The best part is that once a role model for all today’s body-building heroes manages to look superb even at forty-four.

Mithun, again, looks fine as he finds yet another good, though not that great, role for himself after Guru. His character in the movie is quite balanced and he gives a good performance. Sohail Khan doesn’t get much to do though and the part given to him during their entry in London probably are the only so-out-of-place part of the movie as the director seems to be forgetting for a few minutes whether he’s making Veer or Hello Brother. Zarine Khan quite resembles Katrina and it gets realized more during the initial sequences. The good part is that the girl manages to do more than just smile even in her first movie while Katrina has reached that stage quite recently. Still, as we all know, apart from the movie, Katrina is Katrina.

Overall, Veer is of course not a movie from the times we belong, certainly not one for the today’s ‘multiplex audience’, but if you are a Salman Khan fan or have a group of school/college friends who make almost every movie worth a watch and/or love to whistle in the movies instead of watching silently, do watch Veer. As Anupama Chopra says, such movies will be extinct in a few years.

PS: Do NOT watch Veer with girlfriends, especially if they’re the ones who cry in SRK movies. Not even on DVD in that case.

PPS: I had slight doubt about Veer being a hit after watching the reviews. Now after watching the movie, I am in no doubt. Veer is a hit.