Saawariya - La voce del destino

A lot has been written and said about Saawariya. Majority of the critics and reviews have dismissed this movie! Well, I for one, almost gave it a miss (as it is I am not a huge fan of Mr.Bansali). But I saw the movie yesterday, and whoa-I was pleasantly surprised!!! It has to be, in my opinion, one of the most visually appealing movie of all time. I mean, right from the reel one, the movie speaks volumes about its grandeur. It is true delight on the visual senses.

So why have the critics darned it? Well, I think you have to view "Saawariya" in its own context. Comaprisons just cannot be made. It's like a book of fairy-tales. each page in the book is rich in illustrations and drawings. Just holding the book sometimes can take you in a world of dreams. This movie is precisely like that and has to be viewed in that context. The music adds to its flow-it is the part of the package.

Now to the performances: Sonam Kapoor has an angelic screen presence and her acting too is good for her debut movie. Ranbir Kapoor is a powerhouse of talent and a great screen presence too. For their first movie, the lead pair creates lots of magic! Salman Khan is barely there. Rani Mukherjee who plays a prostitute is awesome-I nearly fell in love with this prostitute!!! The movie does have some rough edges. At least a couple of sequences (including the ending) are way too abrupt! It's like the chef forgot to garnish his dish. All in all "Saawariya" is a movie that I think justifies my 8/10 rating. It is so visually appealing that one literally cannot take the eyes off! And it's not too taxing on the brains too-just a simple love story set in a far-far away land, narrated with flow and music, though at the end of it you might question the essence of Sonam's character. That to me was very baffling! Go for it!

The word "Saawariya" means a lover. There was song sung by the nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar, many, many years back by the same title.

I don't know why this movie has been compared with "Om Shanti Om." The stories are completely different, even though the genre may be the same - love story and also being released on the same day - Diwali and also Ranbir Raj Kapoor dancing in the towel and Shah Rukh Khan showing his "six pack." But the two movies should not have been compared. The other difference, besides the story is that Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who has directed some excellent movies such as "Devdas", "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" and "Khamoshi - The Musical" and "Black", has launched two new stars - Ranbir Raj Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor and in the other - it has a super star and introducing Deepika.

Raj, gets Job to sing in a club in which there are prostitutes, one being Gulabji, with whom he becomes friends. He informs her that he is new in the town and has no place to stay. She gives him address of an old woman and tells him that she will allow him to stay with her as long as he is able to pay rent, etc. But one one night, after performing at the club, Raj meets Sakina in an empty street and falls in love with her. Its only later that he realises that Sakina is in love with someone else. The movie introduces two new stars - Ranbir Raj Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. The cast includes Rani Mukherjee, Salman Khan and Zohra Saigal.

In many ways, "Saawariya" echoes some of the RK movies such as "Barsaat", "Shree 420", "Awara" and "Anari." It also has some echoes of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's previous movies such as "Black" and "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam." While Ranbir Raj Kapoor has shown talent - naturally as he belongs to a well known filmy family and his parents being - Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, both actors themselves. But this did not seem to be the case with Sonam Kapoor, who has also shown some talent but not so much and even though she comes from a family that also is connected to the film industry - Anil Kapoor being her father, Boney Kapoor her uncle and Surendra Kapoor her grandfather.

The music by Monty Sharma is good and is worth while listening to as are the songs and especially the title song. This is not a typical Sanjay Leela Bhasali film, which would normally show some glitz, glamour and costume and Jewellery as he did in "Devdas." Nevertheless, it is worthwhile watching at least once.

For those interested, the two Kapoor families are said to be long distance relatives and at one time it is believed that Anil Kapoor and his brother were going to visit the late Raj Kapoor at his home. And Rishi Kapoor and Anil Kapoor have worked together in a film by Yash Chopra entitled "Vijay." It is believed that the "RK Studios" could once again, after many years and that Ranbir Raj Kapoor will be in the movie. In the meantime, Sonam Kapoor, has already been offered to work in another movie, this time with Abhishek Bachchan.

Good luck to the two new comers.

I thought world can never go wrong in deciding a film. Well this time, people have gone somewhat wrong. I watched the despite all the warnings given by my friends and I found the movie to be good. Because I went to the theater with a negative mind, I was waiting that when would this movie go wrong as described by reviews. But to my surprise, it was not until the end that I felt displeasure.

For me, the movie was just like the whistle that Ranbir blew in the movie. It starts out very well defined but its ending is just not clear (isn't it?). Till the end Sonam was so faithful to her lover but right at the end she seems to have been loving Ranbir, which I didn't like. I thought it could have been much better if the director tried to show her love towards Ranbir as her acceptance due to his devotion and not because Salman has not come. And then leave with Salman after he returns. After all, a girl's feeling should be given more importance.

For acting- I like the Old Lady, her dialogs and her expressions. Ranbir and Sonam were both excellent. Rani was also good in her side role.

Songs were dull and slow when I heard them in my car but when I saw them in the movie I liked them very very much.

I cut a point for Ranbir's towel misadventure. I didn't knew about it before I went to the movie and when he was flashing it, I thought he cannot drop that but to my fear he actually did. I felt ashamed. That was not at all required in the movie and I wonder how his parents let him do it.

Now the director, I can see that director was playing very safe by showing a dream city and shooting only night scenes. I understand that love is more beautiful in night and dreamy places, but if love is great what is day and what is night? So, instead of taking the pain to be creative and show beautiful love even in day and real world environment, director played safe and avoided. Aim was also not clear on his part. They were trying only to make a good movie not a great movie within safe boundaries.

And lastly, I liked the way in which Sonam keeps speaking of Id. Whenever she speaks of preparations for Id, I felt how beautiful any festival is and its beauty lies in the people's preparation. I see that such essence of a festival is now all lost.

Watch it!

'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. However, 'Saawariya' is the kind of movie that required a more subtle treatment than the operatic loudness.

So where exactly does it fail? The story. There's no soul. 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 is passable in some scenes but in other scenes it appears as if she's on weed, e.g. especially because of her constant giggling. Perhaps this is a reference to some kind of madness as Imaan may be a 'symbolic' representation of that (suggesting that Imaan does not exist). However, this aspect is not explored and why would Imaan 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 of the symptoms looks unreal. Yet, there may be room for improvement depending on her future film choices and directors. 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 and all those references to RK movies flooding the screen do not help. Salman Khan personifies wooden. In a small role, Zohra Sehgal is okay. In the end, it is Rani Mukherjee's performance that leaves an impact. She is absolutely fantastic. Her scenes really are worthwhile. She completely nails the part. Although in that same year, she does play a prostitute in 'Laaga Chunari Mein Daag', the actress really does make both characters unique. She looks and acts the part (looking 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. In my opinion, 'Saawariya' is forgettable and it does not deserve more than a one-time watch.

I heard varying comments prior to watching this film, and I have to say that I shall always follow my gut instinct from now on. This film is neither boring or slow paced! Whilst watching the trailers the first thing that caught my eye was the beautiful sets. And they did not disappoint! The set is magical. The acting is flawless. The music is brilliant. The story is well written, nicely paced and very artistic indeed. Clever and intellectual. A well deserved round of applause for both those in front of the scenes and behind. For anyone who has loved someone unconditionally. I would highly recommend to those who enjoyed films from Romeo and Juliet to Devdas to Moulin Rouge! ;)