Saagar

I should admit that I've only seen a handful of Indian movies, and most of them weren't Bollywood movies. With that in tow, I found Ramesh Sippy's "Saagar" impressive. This focus on a love triangle in Goa is over-the-top at times - and a bit long - but knows how to keep the plot going. My parents went to India last year to attend their friends' daughter's wedding; from what they described, India is like nothing that we in the west are used to. Movies like this probably don't give the full idea of what India is - least of all in ignoring the caste system - but if we accept them for the cornball stuff that they are, we can enjoy them.

Worth seeing, improbable though it is.

Saagar boasts of amazing performances by Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia and awesome Kamala Hassan.

Wonderful music and vocals over some very nice cinematography and locations makes this film definitely a audio-visual treat.

Story might sound like a clichéd love triangle but the treatment is quite different which makes it very interesting! A bit predictable at times but the performances are so brilliant that the viewer is sucked in and he waits to see what is going to happen next.

One of the better films out of our Indian Film Industry called Bollywood. A perfect combo of music, cinematography and performances, and of course story telling!

I would rate this film 8 / 10!

I am still buzzing with the wonderful music by the master R.D.Burman!

Superb!

Ramesh Sippy's Saagar was very enjoyable. It is a love triangle - a traditional one but not a typical one. Sippy's direction is unsurprisingly excellent. He keeps everything about the film simple, whether it's the characters, the dialogues, the situations. Nothing is overdone, nothing is particularly melodramatic as one would expect from a 80s mainstream Hindi film. The story may have its share of clichés but Sippy refines it. I can name several filmmakers who would have made this film into a cheap soap, but Sippy is not one of them. It may be quite poor on script, but the execution is fantastic.

The film is set in an exotic fishing colony on the seashore, where Mona, a young beautiful girl, helps her father run the local pub. Her childhood friend Raja is a fisherman and is in love with her but she considers him just a good friend. She later falls for Ravi, a wealthy young man who befriends Raja. Yes, sounds ancient, and it actually is, but it is done in a very refreshing way, and it's not the film's best aspect. What makes Saagar so special is its entire approach towards the genre and the different way in which emotions were shown. The film was long but the pace was fast, though I would still delete a few scenes which I found unnecessary.

I also extremely liked the depiction of the small village of Goa. Sippy portrayed it with authenticity, exhibiting the cultural influence of the Portuguese India, and that's thanks to the fantastic sets, the simple non-traditional costumes, the characters' names, and the music (particularly "Oh Maria"). All these aspects gave the film a sense of everyday realism. The film is beautifully shot across some amazing locations. The shots of the sea in times of sunrise, sunset and twilight, are particularly breathtaking. RD Burman's music is wonderful, with the romantic "Saagar Kinare" leading the list. The songs were pictured very well on-screen.

The acting is excellent. Rishi Kapoor is quite good as Ravi, but the film's owners are Kaamal Hassan and Dimple Kapadia. Hassan showcased both his comic and dramatic talent in the role of Raja. He acted with sincerity and depth, and I loved the scene in which he found out about Ravi and Mona's relationship. Dimple Kapadia is incredibly sexy as Mona. She is beautiful, convincing and charming throughout and her wardrobe was also very well chosen. She was way too hot in her bartender dress and all the other tight dresses she wore, and how can one forget her brief and well-executed topless scene? The entire sequence with her swimming in the sea was pure magic. An awesome comeback for an awesome actress.

Supporting actors do pretty well. Madhur Jaffrey is brilliant as Ravi's vicious grandmother Kamladevi. What a superb actress - every facial expression, every dialogue is so precisely displayed. Nadira is wonderful as the kind-hearted Miss Joseph. Saeed Jaffrey is good as Mona's loving father. Apart from the camera work, which has always been great in Sippy films, the cinematography is very good, the editing is great and the background score is lovely, particularly the tunes playing over the romantic sequences between Kapoor and Kapadia.

Saagar is not without its flaws. I for one never understood why Kapadia preferred Ravi to Raja and this was not cleared to the viewer. Raja is portrayed as far more kind, likable and brave, while Rishi Kapoor looks overweight and goofy. Also, the entire Vikram track, who wants to win Kamladevi's fortune, should have been deleted. Towards the end the film got very confused and seemed to have turned into a typical action film. The action was not overdone like it was in most of the mindless action films of the times, yet it was somewhat out of place.

Anyway, I liked the ending, and Saagar is a very good film nonetheless. It was very well made, superbly directed and acted. I recommend you to watch it - it is one of the better triangular love stories Hindi cinema has produced.

This movie actually launched the Bollywood career for Kamala Haasan and relaunched Dimple Kapadia's career. The story follows the regular plot of two men loving the same girl and one of them losing her to the other in the end. Added formula attractions are that of the rich boy-poor girl angle and the brutal heartless capitalists. The camera work is breathtaking and the music is more than passable. Dimple Kapadia's wardrobe is well chosen and the general feel of the movie is updated for the times. Dimple also takes a daring move with a brief and well executed nude scene. Rishi Kapoor's performance is poor while Dimple and Kamal show they are able performers.

Love triangle is a separate genre in itself as far as Bollywood cinema is concerned. From Andaaz (1949) to Sangam (1964), this trikon wala formula has found its share of success. Ramesh Sippy's Saagar was another addition to it.

The story was simple : Mona (Dimple Kapadia) falls for the richie rich Ravi (Rishi Kapoor) while her childhood friend Raja (Kamal Haasan) secretly loves her. Saagar or the sea forms the backdrop of this story and is a character in itself.

Javed Akhtar's story was as old as the ocean but it was director Ramesh Sippy's brilliant execution which elevated Saagar to a cut above the commonplace. The way he shot each scene particularly the sunrise and sunset landscape made it a visual delight indeed. Saagar is completely a directors film!!

RD Burman's melodious music was another big positive and all songs topped the music charts that year. Technically too, the film was far ahead of the mediocre actioners made in that era.

Coming to the cast, Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia reunited after their super successful debut in Raj Kapoor's Bobby (1973) and yep, their chemistry was just as sizzling. Kamal Haasan pitched in a fantastic performance and won the Filmfare award for best actor that year.

Dimple, already a mother of two, looked drop dead gorgeous even appearing in a fleeting topless shot which generated a lot of controversy at that time. Pitching in a powerful performance, Saagar wouldn't be half of what it is without her!!

Surprisingly, the villain - an otherwise strong point in Sippy films from Gabbar to Shakaal - was relatively pheeka here and Shafi Inamdar just couldn't fit in as the main antagonist.

If compared with world cinema, Saagar is to Casablanca (1942) what Sholay is to The Seven Samurai (1954) - its Ramesh Sippys ode to these timeless classics. Unfortunately, the film could not replicate the success of Sholay and was an under performer at the box office.

I had seen Saagar with my parents at Barkha cinema (of Badal Bijlee trio), Matunga and then multiple times on VHS. It is my favourite film in the love triangle genre.

Regards Sumeet Nadkarni