After multiple attempts to reach out to the Opposition parties, the government finally announced the committee without members of the Congress, DMK, and TMC.

Over two decades ago, Yash Chopra’s Veer-Zaara, a poetry on celluloid, brought together Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji in a timeless story transcending borders. SRK played Veer Pratap Singh, an Indian Air Force Pilot, who falls in love with Zaara Hayat Khan (Preity), a Pakistani woman from a powerful political family. When Veer rescues Zaara after a bus accident during her visit to India, the two form a bond. Upon returning to Pakistan, she realises her feelings for Veer but is already betrothed to Raza Sharazi (Manoj Bajpayee). Determined to fight for his love, Veer crosses the border, only to be falsely accused of espionage, a trap set by Raza. To protect Zaara’s honour, he chooses silence and spends decades in a Pakistani prison, while Zaara leaves her motherland behind to settle in the land Veer once called his own.

Chopra wanted to break away from the Westernised characters Zinta had often played. For the actress, the film offered to tell a story that was more than just the war-oriented films with Pakistan. Preity once said, “I thought that was a great message to have in a film and I think what our governments can’t do… what our government cannot do, our cinema can do, and this film is truly doing that.”

It needs no mention that India-Pakistan have been divided by politics and violence ever since the Partition. Veer-Zaara imagined empathy where there was separation and humanised both sides. And now, twenty-one years later, Veer Zaara still feels important when conversations around faith and identity seem polarising.

Religion and nationalism, which are supposed to be personal sentiments, are now subjects to constant scrutiny. Identity has to be proven and empathy is met with suspicion.
 

Across the border, the distance has only widened. Cultural exchange, which once connected the two nations, seems to have vanished completely. Pakistani artistes are banned from working in India, joint collaborations have ceased, and conversations that speak of peace are met with resistance.
 

In such times, Yash Chopra’s film reminds us of the values of compassion, dignity and most importantly, love.

 
“Woh kehte hai mera desh uska nahi, Phir kyun mere ghar woh rahti hai. Woh kehte hai main us jaisa nahi, Phir kyun mujh jaisi woh lagti hai,” Veer says in a monologue after his name is cleared from espionage charges.

Veer-Zaara reminded us that beyond borders, people exist with the same capacity for love, loss, and longing. The message of this film feels necessary today, more than ever before.

The India-Pakistan setting was not there to serve as a battlefield, or to pit ‘us’ against ‘them’. In another example from the film, Zaara’s mother requests Veer to leave her daughter for the sake of her honour but gives Veer the same respect as a son, whereas Pakistan’s Zaara finds a second home and acceptance in India. The film doesn’t preach unity or whitewashes the reality of conflict, it chooses co-existence and empathy.

Today, a film about a cross-border love will probably be marred with controversy. Forget love across the border, even interfaith relations are questioned within the same nation. Veer-Zaara dared to say that boundaries, politics and religion can’t dictate who we love, an idea that struggles to exist in an environment that favours othering over unity. Religion dictates who we trust, marry, associate with, or even grieve for.

But the film’s version of patriotism and secularism was not to appease, but it was rooted deep in humanity and love.
 

Veer’s adoptive parents, Chaudhary Sumer Singh (Amitabh Bachchan) and Saraswati Kaur (Hema Malini), embrace Zaara as their own. She also advocated the cause of women’s education to Sumer Singh, who later saluted her upbringing. On the other hand, Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukerji) fought for an Indian prisoner’s justice and ensured he got back his dignity and respect.

Talking about the film, Yash Chopra said back then, “Veer-Zaara is a humble tribute to my home in Punjab. It is my tribute to the oneness of people on both sides of the border. The film’s lovers are not bothered with the strife around them. For them, love is the only religion.”

Veer-Zaara was not just a love story between an Indian Sikh man and a Pakistani Muslim woman, but it was about peace, possibility and co-existence.

 
Also Read: Top 11 Romantic Movies Of Shah Rukh Khan That Prove He is Truly The King Of Romance

The song Deewangi Deewangi from Om Shanti Om (2007) is remembered as one of Bollywood’s biggest star reunions, featuring more than thirty popular actors in a single celebratory sequence. Years later, Farah Khan shared a touching memory from the shoot, revealing how Salman Khan’s admiration for Dharmendra resulted in one of the most spontaneous highlights of the song.

Farah recalled that Salman Khan, who usually follows his own timing and routine on sets, chose to wait for several hours just to see Dharmendra perform. He spent that time quietly in Shah Rukh Khan’s van, even though he had no requirement to be there. Farah said his presence came purely from respect and affection for the veteran star.

That admiration led to an unscripted moment during the shoot. While Dharmendra was dancing with Shah Rukh Khan, Salman suddenly rushed into the frame, and Saif Ali Khan followed him, unsure of what was happening. Farah revealed that Saif looked visibly confused because the moment wasn’t planned at all. The song also included Sanjay Dutt along with several other well known actors like Rekha, Kajol and Rani Mukerji.

In recent news, Dharmendra has been discharged from the hospital after being admitted for breathlessness, and doctors have stated that his recovery will now continue at home.

Also Read: Watch: Amitabh Bachchan Snapped Arriving to Meet Dharmendra at His Residence