2004 · Film
Veer-Zaara
Yash Chopra's cross-border romance in which a young Pakistani lawyer takes up the case of an Indian Air Force officer who has spent 22 years in a Pakistani jail.
Reviewed by Movie Mandala, Sun, 18 Oct, 2026
Where to watch
IndiaAs of 18 October 2026, Veer-Zaara is streaming in India on Netflix with a subscription.
The story
Saamiya Siddiqui, a young lawyer in Pakistan, takes on her first case: an Indian prisoner known as Rajesh Rathore, who has been held for 22 years and has not spoken to anyone in that time. When she calls him by his real name, Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh, he begins to tell his story. Years earlier, he rescued Zaara Hayaat Khan, the daughter of a powerful Pakistani politician, after a bus accident in Punjab, while she was travelling to scatter her nanny's ashes, and the two fell in love.
Spoiler-free: only the set-up.
Who it suits
A long, old-fashioned love story with courtroom scenes and plenty of songs, for viewers who enjoy slow, sentimental romance. It runs over three hours and is gentle enough for families with older children.
Curation to help you choose, not a review.
Background
Veer-Zaara marked Yash Chopra's return to directing after seven years. His son Aditya Chopra wrote the story, and Yash Raj Films produced it. It was filmed in Indian Punjab and Mumbai, with prison and court scenes shot in Pakistan. The songs were built from unused compositions by the late Madan Mohan, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar, and the album was the year's best-selling soundtrack in India.
The film opened at Diwali, on 12 November 2004. Wikipedia reports a worldwide gross of about ₹97.6 crore in its first run, the highest for an Indian film that year. Later re-releases, including one in September 2024, took its total past ₹100 crore. At the 52nd National Film Awards it was named Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. It won four Filmfare Awards, including Best Film and Best Story, and seven IIFA Awards, including Best Actor for Shah Rukh Khan.
The facts
- Language
- Hindi
- Hindi
- Hindi original
- Genre
- Romantic drama
- Runtime
- 192 min
- Director
- Yash Chopra
- Cast
- Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini
Questions people ask
- Where can I watch Veer-Zaara in India?
- As of 18 October 2026, Veer-Zaara is streaming in India on Netflix with a subscription.
- Is Veer-Zaara in Hindi?
- Yes. Veer-Zaara is a Hindi-language film.
- How long is Veer-Zaara?
- Veer-Zaara runs for 3 hours 12 minutes (192 minutes).