Starring: Salman Khan, Zarine Khan, Mithun Chakraborty, Jackie Shroff.Directed by: Anil Sharma. Written by: Salman Khan. Music: Sajid / Wajid. Costumes: Anna Singh. Rating: *

I'm ashamed to admit that I sat through this film - hoping that something or someone would come and rescue Salman from a downward spiral into Bollywood has been.

Veer starts off like an 80's film about pre-independence India, reminiscent of a Kranti or Dharam-Veer. You have high hopes from Anil Sharma's direction and Salman's writing, but its all downhill after the opening scene. The first fifteen minutes capture Mithun chopping off Jackie's hand - in 1896 (keep this year in mind - I tried to do the math throughout the movie). I then squirmed in my seat as Mithun's "Dadda" holds his newborn son, Veer, out in the rain. Cheesy scenes of Veer growing up along with poor editing make the first 30 minutes of the film difficult to follow.

The grown up Veer, at 40+ Salman Khan, heads to London with his brother to learn the ways of the "Firangis". As Dadda says, one must know how their enemy thinks in order to defeat them. While in London, Veer falls further in love with Yashodhara, a gorgeous Zarine Khan. He kills her brother, the prince, leaving her to be next in line for the throne. Veer seems shocked to learn that Zarine's father, the king, is none other than the golden handed Jackie Shroff. Poor acting and unnecessary scenes follow.



I zoned out a bit in the middle but was hooked back in when I saw the hair clip holding Salman's hair extensions in place. I watched the rest of the film closely monitoring Salman's receding hairline and gaudy mustard pants, not paying attention to the plot. Veer is like Manoj Kumar meeting Gladiator. I won't ruin the ending for you but if you notice the motorbikes at the end of the film - you would think it's the 1990's and Dadda would be close to 100 years old.

The two saving graces for this film are the lead actress and the music. Zarine Khan has earned the nickname of "Fatrina" as she appears to be a plumper version of Katrina Kaif. Zarine lights up the screen as Princess Yashodhara and costume designer Anna Singh as done a decent job on the ethnic outfits. The music is melodious, especially, Surili Akhiyon Wali - but can't be expected to save the film.

My recommendation is to skip this film, even if you are a diehard Salman fan like me.

Review by - Avani