Veer - Review

Warrior Salman is back as part of the Pindari clan, in an eagerly awaited, heavily budgeted film Veer. The epic war tale also marks his debut as a writer & serves as the launchpad for FATrina Kaif, oops Zarine Khan. Does it deliver?
Not quite....

Set in the late 1800's, the film deals with the warrior tribe, The Pindaris who are back-stabbed by the King of Madavgarh (Jackie Shroff) who forms an allegiance to the British. Their leader Prithvi Singh (Mithun Charaborthy) vows to avenge their loss & raises his son Veer (Salman Khan) to become an ace fighter.
The story then suddenly shifts to Britain where Veer & his brother Punya (Sohail Khan) go to learn the ways of their enemies. Here Veer falls in love with princess Yashodhara (Zarine), as you might have guessed, the daughter of Jackie Shroff. Then on, the film deals with Veer being torn between his love & his people.

One thing is certain, this movie is outright filmy making it funny at times. Whether it is random Matrix style jumps, songs out of nowhere, unreal heroism or just plain disregard for any form of logic, it has it all. There's even a song with Bharat Dabolkar coming out of a drum of water & Neena Gupta gyrating with Mithun.
The film starts of well, but slows down once the story shifts to Britain. The story by Salman just doesn't have enough meat. The film salvages some pride in the final action sequences with Veer going all-out.

The music of the film by Sajid-Wajid is a complete letdown & the songs irritate. They come way to often & do nothing for the narrative.

If there is one thing that works for this film, it is Salman Khan. Star power, scren presence, call it what you may, it works. Another knockout performance by him ensures you are still there. His histrionics are a joy to watch & its less style, more acting for a change. Mithun too is good in a meaty role. Jackie Shroff is fine.
Newcomer Zarine Khan is strictly OK. One wishes she & Salman had shared the gym equipment.
Sohail Khan is annoying. Aryan Vaid in a mute role is stone-faced.

Director Anil Sharma fails. He shows absolute disregard for continuity (long hair, short hair, long hair, Salman does as he pleases). Though makes a brave attempt, he doesn't repeat a Gadar.

At the box office, single-screens should do well, but owing to the budget, one doesn't see a hit on our hands.
I suggest all Salman fans to watch this film. Only for HIM, not the cinematic debacle. For all the others, skip it, wait for Rann, this one's no classic.