KADAMBARI SRIVASTAVA
The year was 2004, when social media was not in
prominence, and every trailer or movie dropped with a
delightful beat of surprise. That was the time when Yash
Chopra introduced us to a timeless love story, Veer-Zaara.
A love story between a Pakistani politician’s daughter and
an Indian army officer, Veer-Zaara was everything that
we cannot imagine it to be in today’s scenario. It was love,
poured in a jar devoid of biases and boundaries. Another
surprise was in store for us when we were introduced
to the composer of its tunes. It was none other than late
Madan Mohan. Veer-Zaara was where some of his unused
tunes were recomposed and recycled to create an album
which went on to become a benchmark in music.
However, there is another musical marvel which lies in
the box of this movie’s trivia. Do you remember ‘Silsila’?
How can anyone forget an iconic movie like that. Then you
must also remember the song ‘Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum’. It
was reported that Yash Chopra’s last venture ‘Jab Tak Hai
Jaan’ was originally titled after this song. However, what
many did not know that this was the original title of ‘Veer-
Zaara’ too. Yash Chopra was so fixated on the title that he
tried to give it to not one but two of his films. Nevertheless,
as fate would have it, both went with other titles.
We love the title ‘Veer-Zaara’. Simple and effective, it
ingrained in people’s minds the fact that it was a simple
love story of two individuals, and nothing else mattered.
However, Yash Chopra couldn’t drop the idea entirely.
Thus germinated another gem from its album — you
guessed it right, ‘Yeh Hum Aa Gaye Hain Kahan’, a
slight tweak on the original song. While we loved it in
the album, many were disappointed to find out that
it could not make it to the final cut of the movie.
But, Chopra Senior did not disappoint. Sensing audiophiles’
love for the album, he re-released another cut of the movie,
this time with the beautiful song in it. It was a quintessential
Yashraj song, a romantic number amidst the seasons, as
the demure heroine sashayed in beautiful chiffons, in
the arms of the hero. The wait was definitely worth it.
‘Yeh Hum Aa Gaye Hain Kahan’ or ‘Yeh Kahan Aa
Gaye Hum’, both were an ode to the forbidden love that
these respective movies celebrated, and even found a
place in the heart of the audiences, as they aged fine
with time. While they didn’t achieve the status they
were meant to, as the title, they did become a cult in
the playlists of people — from Walkmans to iPods.
Yash Chopra’s dream found a way, in its own way.
Nostalgic Notes
Yeh Hum Aa Gaye Hain Kahan - Veer Zaara
The
Score Magazine
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