Veer

Here's some lowdown on history first. Pindaris a word of uncertain origin, applied to the irregular horsemen, loosely organized under self-chosen leaders, who accompanied the Mahratha armies in India during the 18th century when the Mughal Empire was breaking up.

Now coming back to Veer (Salman Khan)… Anil Sharma’s bravest Pindari of all times, sums up the entire film in one word- exaggerated, when he jumps from his horse to a colonial train. If Gadar’s Hero could uproot a handpump with bare hands this Veer can extract his pound of flesh from a human body and can even claim its accurate weight.

He is a son of famous Pindari leader Prithiviraj (Mithun Chakraborty) who had once won a war for the ruler of Madhavgarh (Jackie Shroff) but only to be betrayed by the king and his new friends, the Britishers. Seething with revenge he reared his son to be a Veer, a brave soldier, who would conquer both the evils in a great Pindari fight back.

But alas, while going through all the gore and gun routine, Veer falls in love with princess Yashodhara (Zarine Khan) and into the British trap as well. Now he is pitted against his own father who won’t give up on his vow to annihilate king and the goras because they maimed 4000 of his own in that bloody battle of yore.

Do you smell some similarities here with Taras Bulba, a 1962 film loosely based on Nikolai Gogol's short novel? Well, that’s Veer… inspired from a J. Lee Thompson’s Ukrainian epic and custom made for Indian audience to scream, "Yeh Mere Dadda Ki Talwar..."

Anyway, as expected the King and Firangis betray Veer too and pierce his heart with a gun. But then he is not an ordinary soldier who could die with just a single bullet wound. He wraps a cloth around his chest, takes his time to kill and maim the entire fleet, finds a neat corner to die but not without a promise to return.

So what’s ailing this Veer? Well… a lot of things actually. Anil Sharma, an over enthusiastic director with a lose script concocts the perfect recipe of disaster despite having the great stars and big budget. In fact, he deep-sixes the logic as the movie shifts to London and inconsistencies are too many.

Salman Khan, as expected, unleashes raw (star) power as he becomes the killing machine but is there a market for his Veer (read weired) antics... only the time will tell. Zarine Khan certainly is like Katrina of yore, simply plastic. Mithun and Neena Gupta seem too besotted with each other but pull their act rather decently.

Sohail as a jocular side kick has now started to get on the nerves. Puru Raj Kumar as vile prince makes a come back in a wrong flick. Firang hotties like Lisa Lazarus, Gita Soto are mere props.

To make the matters worse, songs (especially Surili Ankhiyon Wali) keep coming one after another in the already dragging tale, in fact by the interval you tend to lose their count. Tinu Verma's action takes the adventure to a different level altogether where swords are twisted with bare hands and impossible somersaults are order of the day.

And there is only one person to blame for the entire mess- Anil Sharma who still didn’t get that Gadar phase is long passé.

Go and watch Veer only if you are brave or Veer enough to take the ordeal for full 2 hours and 45 minutes.