UNTIL NOW, San Franciscans looking for a big-screen Bollywood fix have had to either depend on the good graces of local film festival programmers or bribe car-owning pals (or endure long BART rides) to reach far-flung hot spots like Fremont's Naz 8 Cinema. Though some might consider the Balboa Theater's Outer Richmond District digs a hike, the gloriously over-the-top charms of Yash Chopra's Veer-Zaara should prove tempting enough to lure Indian movie fans – and convert new ones to the cause. True to form, Veer-Zaara boasts wall-to-wall singing (dubbed, natch) and dancing, colorful costumes, sensational rainstorms, and dramatic music cues that elaborately underline every plot twist (and, at three hours and 12 minutes plus intermission, there are many). Megastar of Pitt-Cruise-Clooney proportions Shahrukh Khan headlines as Veer, an Indian Air Force pilot who falls in love with spunky Pakistani lass Zaara (Preity Zinta). But multiple forces are against this seemingly destined couple, including Zaara's impending marriage, a politically important match arranged by her wealthy family. Veer, a stand-up guy, decides he can't ruin Zaara's family – no matter how strong his love – but he's stopped as he's returning to his beloved India and tossed in jail by Pakistani police on a trumped-up charge. Two decades later human rights attorney Saamiya (Rani Mukerji) – who's not without her own troubles, trying to do her job in a culture biased against female professionals – takes up his cause. Amazingly, Veer-Zaara manages to mingle spontaneous musical numbers and cheesy romance with earnest pleas for serious issues (notably women's rights and peace between India and Pakistan). It's long, but high-energy, and never ceases to be entertaining. (Cheryl Eddy)