Yash Chopra and Aditya Chopra had collaborated on Veer-Zaraa. While the magnum opus was directed by Yash, the story, script and dialogues were by his son Aditya. The film starred Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta as Veer and Zaraa while Rani Mukerji played Veer’s lawyer in Pakistan. While the film was a blockbuster, Yash had once revealed that it was ‘one of the most difficult films’ he had worked on. Yash had also revealed that he and Aditya had ‘constant debate and argument’ during the making of the film.
Speaking with Rediff in 2004, the filmmaker said, “The truth is, while we were shooting Veer-Zaara, there was constant debate and argument between Aditya and me. Veer-Zaara is one of the most difficult films I have ever made. We had no time to think of anything else but to complete the film.”
“We needed to shoot in Punjab during a particular season. By the grace of God, we got all the stars’ dates. When we returned, we completed the indoors shooting. So people presumed we were secretive about the project because of its sensitive [Indo-Pak] subject when, in fact, we never got time to make announcements,” he said.
The filmmaker revealed that he and Aditya were on crossroads about the title of the film. “After completing the film, Aditya — who conceived the project, as well as wrote the script, story and dialogues — and I started debating on the title. We first thought of calling it Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum. But Veer-Zaara went better with the mood of the film. The film’s lovers [Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta] are not bothered with the strife around them. For them, love is the only religion. We never knew it would evoke such curiosity,” he said.
Veer Zaraa released on November 12, 2004, and set the box office on fire. The film emerged as one of the biggest hits of the year. The film also won several awards. These included Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at the 52nd National Film Awards and Best Film at the Filmfare Awards.
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