Veer

Veer drives home a few hard facts...

* No amount of gloss can substitute for an engaging story.
* Not all directors are capable of pulling off a period film.
* No star - howsoever strong his rankings are - can infuse life in a comatose script.

Everyone's awaiting Veer with bated breath. The film industry will get another breather if Veer goes the 3 Idiots way the box-office. The junta will have one more fascinating genre to look forward to, if Veer appeals to them. But your hopes go crashing as reel after reel of Veer unfurl.

Salman Khan [who has been credited as the story writer of Veer] takes Taras Bulba, adds Gladiator, Conan The Barbarian, Troy, Titanic and even Kranti [the end is a straight lift of Manoj Kumar's Dilip Kumar starrer] and comes up with this khichdi which gets unpalatable after a point. Veer is about a warrior and at the same time, it's a love story too. Sadly, neither does it evoke any patriotism, nor does the love story make your heart go dhak-dhak.

The writing [screenplay: Shaktimaan Talwar, Shailesh Verma] is so fragile that one is mentally exhausted by the time this marathon movie finally reaches its finale. Of course, Salman's star power tries hard to salvage the situation, but window dressing doesn't help if the store has nothing to offer. Final word? You have to be a Veer to sit through Veer. Colossal disappointment!

As the British enslave India with their devious Divide and Rule policy, kings and nawabs fall to their guile and cunning schemes and entrust their precious kingdom to the foreigners. Except for the brave Pindaris, who prefer death to dishonour and will fight to their last breath to save their land.