Veer-Zaara is a 2004 Indian romantic drama film directed by Yash Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta in the leading roles, with Rani Mukerji, Manoj Bajpayee, Kirron Kher, Divya Dutta and Anupam Kher in supporting roles. Veteran actors Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini make a special appearances in the film. The film's story and dialogues were written by Aditya Chopra. Set against the backdrop of conflict between India and Pakistan, this star-crossed romance follows the unfortunate love story of an Indian Air Force pilot, Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh and a Pakistani woman hailing from a rich political family of Lahore, Zaara Hayat Khan, who are separated for 22 years. Saamiya Siddiqui, a Pakistani lawyer, finds Veer in prison and upon listening to his story, tries to get him freed. Highly anticipated pre-release, the film eventually became the top-grossing Bollywood film of the year at both the Indian and the international box office, earning over 942.2 million worldwide, in addition to being showcased at numerous prominent film festivals around the world.