By Neeraj Nanda in Melbourne, Australia
I was one of the first in the world of around 200 select audience who saw Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Saawariya’ in Melbourne’s Greater Union Cinema on the evening of November7, 2007. There was a queue (it was a free show) for the special show. Bags were checked and mobile phones with cameras were kept out. (To stop piracy) There were no stars or film people at the show.
Anyway, the movie started and there was silence. The otherwise noisy Indians somehow kept the cool. However, slowly the unease started. Rani Mukherjee (Gulab – a prostitute in the film) tells the story of a young singer Raj (Ranbeer Kapoor- Rishi Kapoor & Neetu Singh’s son) has a crush for Sakina (Soonam Kapoor – Anil Kapoor’s daughter). However, Sakina is in love (in fact, waiting) with Imman (Salman Khan) who once visited Sakina and then left for somewhere (no one knows where). Raj is madly in love with Sakina. Finally Imman comes back. Sakina goes away with her love and Raj has nothing else but to accept the reality. In the end, Gulab comes and tells us that this was the story of a young – crazy boy, who fell in love and then whatever you saw happened. That’s it. The movie ends.
From a reviewer’s point of view the movie (story is based on the famous Russian author Dostoevsky’s story) looks more like a musical fairy tale based in an unusual town (at times looks like a mix of cosmetic Venice with water flowing and a mysterious bridge with lights), like a big stage lighted up and boosted with special effects. There are hotels with English names, a big Buddha type head (reminding me of ‘Chitralekha songs) and a lot of Mughal stuff.
Then there are traces of Pakeeza (train scene), Devdas, Hum Dil de Chuke Sanam and a few others. Well, there is a song scene where Ranbeer Kapoors towel slips (for a few seconds) and you can see his back. (A first in a Bollywood movie). I hear the scene has been cut (one wonders why?) for the Indian screen.
The film is supposed to be a musical but no song (one can differ) makes a dent. Music is all the time loud. Why can’t music be a bit less loud? Ranbeer Kapoor with all his jumping and so on is average. Sonam Kapoor (looks beautiful at times and tries to act) needs more experience. Zohra Seghal and Rani Mukherjee are the redeeming feature in the movie. The script is sloppy. Costumes and sets look good but give the impression of a stage show. Big money has been spent on the movie. Is this enough for a movie to click. Nevertheless, Bollywood is obsessed with making money (they have a right!) and forgets that viewers cannot be taken for a ride. This movie is no match to ‘Hum Dil de Chuke Sanam’.
Massive (expensive) good looking sets, beautiful exotic costumes, blunt colors, loud music, sons and daughters of famous Bollywood big-wigs, a famous name do not necessarily make a good (as different from a financially hit movie) movie. The movie is a big disappointment. What next Mr. Bhansali?
