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.

This was supposed to be the movie with which Dimple Kapadia would make her comeback. it had everything going for it. The Rishi Kapoor-Dimple Kapadia Jodi, Kamal Hassan right from Ek Duje Ke Liye, a director like Ramesh Sippy (Sholay, Shaan, Shakti, Seeta aur Geeta, Andaz) music by RD Burman but the movie got delayed. The director and Dimple also fell in love but it would not end happily. This movie is a love triangle. Kamal Hassan is in love with his childhood friend Dimple. She sees him as her best friend. Dimple meets Rishi and both fall in love. Rishi and Kamal get to know each other and become friends. When Rishi comes to know that Kamal loves Dimple he scrified his love. But thats not the end. On paper it may sound cliché but this movie is one of the best love stoeries ever. You actually also see Dimple in a topless scene, for a brief moment but the pause button will give youa chance to relive it. The best thing about Ramesh Sippys movies are the death scenes which are always brilliant (Amitabh in Sholay, Sunil Dutt in Shaan, Amitabh in Shakti, Jacjie, Meenakshi, Aditya Pancholi in Akayla,Rajesh Khanna in Andaz) and this movie is no different. The acting is superb as always. Add to it that you have one of the best directors of Bollywood and one of the best actors ever (Rishi Kapoor). Music by RD Burman has evergreen songs by Kishore Kumar, Lata, SP Balasubrahmanium. Songs like Saagar Kinare Dil jeh Pukare are sung even today. Worth a watch over and over again.Rishi kapoor, Dimple, Kamal Hassan, Saeed Jaffrey, Madhur Jaffrey, Nadira, Shafi Imaandaar, Satish Kaushik all are good.

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

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.

Brilliant music, brilliant direction and a dream star cast. Rishi and Dimple with Kamal Hasan. It cant get better. It is the story of rich and poor with a love triangle between the 3 brilliant actors. Rishi finally gets the girl and Kamal looses his life to sacrifice. The maestro RD burman has scored some of his best songs with Javed Akhter writing the best lyrics to date. Chehra hey ya chand khila hey, paas aao na, sagar kinarey. A kissing scene and a topless scene by Dimple adds to the attraction. Ramesh Sippy directs this evergreen saga with a mature love story. Shafi Inamdaar plays the bad guy with a penchant. However the movie did not meet the amount of success that i think it deserved, a must see for anyone of newer generation to see how the original love stories were made and how well the original actors executed them with restrain.