Saawariya (2007)

Director:

Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Writer:

Prakash Kapadia (writer)

Release Date:

8 November 2007 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

When he first fell in love...

Plot:

Two souls arrive in a small town, one on vacation, the other to meet a lover. They spend the most magical dream-like days of their lives in that town... with each other. |

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Ranbir Kapoor	...	Ranbir Raj
Sonam Kapoor	...	Sakina
Salman Khan	...	Imaan
Rani Mukherjee	...	Gulabji
Zohra Sehgal	...	Raj's landlady
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Begum Para	...	Sakina's grandmother

Also Known As:

Beloved (India: English title) (literal title)
Eternal Soulmate (India: English title) (literal title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements, brief nudity, some language and incidental smoking.

Runtime:

142 min

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

USA:PG | Ireland:PG | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:12 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

India

Company:

SPE Films India

Trivia:

Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali composed the song "Thode Badmash."

Quotes:

[Ranbir grabs Sakina and twists her arm]
Sakina: Let go of me, you junglee!... Please forgive me.

Movie Connections:

Version of Notti bianche, Le (1957)

Soundtrack:

Sawar Gayi

Bad Gift in a Pretty Package

'Saawariya' was one of those over-hyped films that I thought of skipping. Not because of the hype but because of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Bhansali's debut venture 'Khamoshi The Musical' remains one of my favorite film. After that he made 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' which for me was merely a one-time watchable film. This was followed by 'Devdas and 'Black' which were awful. The reason why I finally watched it was because I didn't have to pay. So what did I think? I didn't like the film.

On the technical side, 'Saawariya' is well made. The cinematography, lighting etc work are quite impressive. The set design is spectacular but looks fake (works for something like 'Moulin Rouge'). The film is set in some kind of France-Italy combo inhabited by Indians. For obvious reasons, Bhansali gives the film a blueish tint.

So where exactly does it fail? The story. It's extremely slow (and uninteresting as it's obvious what will happen) and knowing that it may have been ripped off from Visconti's 'Le Notti Bianche' doesn't do anything for the liking. The numerous references to the Kapoor family looks forced. Again, Bhansali presents the lead heroine as the flawless 'adarsh bharatiya naadi' (typical traditional Indian woman), who is coy and innocent, makes sacrifices and whatever. He did the same with Aishwarya and Madhuri in his previous films.

Sonam Kapoor does decent in some scenes but in other scenes it appears as if she's on weed, e.g. her giggle. Perhaps this is a reference to her madness as Imaan may be a 'symbolic' representation to that madness which suggests that there is no Imaan. However, this aspect is not explored and why would the Imaan character be a representation of madness. The character is one of the dullest I've seen in recent cinema and the viewer is left wondering what it was about Imaan that got Sakina so obsessed. Say even, if Sakina was mad, her acting out the symptoms looks unreal. Yet, there may be room for improvement depending on her future film choices. Ranbir Kapoor really overdoes his act, trying too much to look lovable and sympathetic. I can see that the actor really is trying (perhaps too much) but his expressions and moves just don't look natural. Salman Khan personifies wooden. In a small role, Zohra Sehgal is fun to watch. Rani Mukherji is absolutely fantastic. Her scenes really are worthwhile. She completely nails the part. Although in that same year, she does play a prostitute in another movie 'Laaga Chunari Mein Daag', the actress really does make both characters unique. She looks the part (and looks pretty hot).

Although I didn't like the film, there were a few enjoyable moments (that I mentioned above) and I was doing something else at the same time, so it wasn't a full waste of hours. I can see why many would like the film because it is pretty to look at but it has no heart.