Saawariya

The starting credit starts saying that the story comes from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Nights_%28short_story%29 And the story is pessimistic enough. Now, clearly u can not make a Fyodor Dostoevsky story a movie, can u? U can try, and in case u try u can fail. This experiment failed miserably. Nastenka becomes Sakina, and she has no clue what she wants from life. The protagonist, "Saawariya" has no clue what he wants, bliss or love. This duality can be greatly anticipated in the story, but to make it feel in the movie, u need to be at least a Ray, and sorry Mr Bansali, u are no Ray.

I am not a great Hindi movie fan, but have watched some Hindi movies with family. I usually don't get fed up with Hindi movies. But Sawaariya was a exception. It felt really boring at times. Even my wife who was a great fan of these romantic movies was bored. She was saying its too slow. And there were too many songs. The set was great, but was overused. It seemed like a fairy tale as the director did not care to tell the audience where this 'red light district' is, and when did the story took place. I invite Mr. Director to answer these common questions 1. where did the foot ball came from? 2. where did Raj came from? 3. Why don't Raj go around the town in the day time. 4. What does he do during day time ? (sleeping ??) 5. How come the boat is given unattended for the girl and the boy for free rides? 6. How come the girl is deep in love with that stone cold guy? 7. Where is he leaving for work so suddenly? (to Afghanistan ?) 8. If Raj can visit Salman's workplace to find him, why cant the die-hard girl do that? 9. Why does everything happen in the night?, did this happen long time ago in far away place in the Universe? 10 etc There was no plot, and no real characters. (however if we think of it as a fairy tale, who cares about characters ??) It was a waste of time and money.

Saawariya is Sanjay Leela Bhansali's worst film to date. Not that the movie does not have any moments of glory. Expectations are high in SLB's movie but this does not meet the expectations for sure. The storyline lets it down.Its a two line story.Boy meets girl and falls in love,spends four nights of togetherness as good friends.The girl loves and waits for the return of her lover Salman,the boy is left alone at the end. Ranbir Raj, a happy go lucky vagabond musician reaches a dingy blue chilly town infested with prostitutes to croon in JK Bar. His first acquaintance is a sweet prostitute Rani who loves our fella and his sweet mannerisms and clean heart. Ranbir , one night, sights a girl on the bridge and falls in love. The girl too finds him a good friend and they spend four days of togetherness.On the third night Sonam tells Ranbir that she loves Salman and he has promised to return on the fourth day.On the fourth day Salman returns , albeit a little late and takes Sonam away leaving Ranbir alone again. The music by Monty is the best one could have asked for and that was proved even before the release of the film.But the songs are not so effective in the film because some of them do not fit the narrative. For the first time ,I find a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film which is not having a storyline and music that justifies the script. The songs seem to have been fitted in forcibly . The film is a poetry as far as the visuals are concerned. The landscapes and the quaint town is beautiful and is a true SLB visual. The bridge, lake and other dingy lanes are beautifully picturised.The rain and snow sequences are like exquisite photographs. Rani is the lone survivor from this film She exudes positive energy from every frame of the film.As the prostitute her overtures portray the character to the fullest. Her Birthday sequence , the Chaail Chabila song, her scenes of anger when a frustrated Ranbir comes heartbroken to her all go to prove that she is one of the finest actresses of today. Ranbir is good but the script does not support him.Sonam is inconsistent, sometimes good, sometimes bad. Sanjay Leela Bhansali seems more in love with the visuals and music than with the storyline.The film is not taut enough to sustain a two line story.The public attention wavers and the hold is let go. First time I am experiencing this in an SLB Film.Is Sony to blame for this?

After you've seen this Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie; you'll probably forget how to say the title of the movie without singing it. I feel ashamed that following an over-flooding of my head with bad reviews on this movie, I actually watched it only when I was dragged to the cinema by a friend who believes in SLB more than me. And now I cannot thank the friend more for showing what I think is the best cinematic production in Bollywood ever. Don't hesitate to have high expectations since this one is made to beat them. This movie is not a comedy- so comparing it with the parallel-released movie for the amount of laughs it gives you is hardly a fair evaluation. It's a musical based on the story by Fyodor Dostoevsky's "White Nights". It's the story of love- not the Soni-Mahiwal and Veer-Zaara type of love but just love. It's the love that just happens in a snap and sweeps you off your feet. It's definitely the type of love story that Bollywood has never narrated before. There's no family rivalry; no social drama; no unrealistic action; nothing except the love of Saawariya. The debutant actors Ranbir and Sonam couldn't have started their career with better performances. While we'll have to wait and see how the newbies fair on the spectrum of acting when they do other films with hopefully varying roles; but for a start they completely make you believe in their characters in Saawariya. Sonam is a beauty- the type that you don't lust for because it's so pure- the type you fall in love with. And Ranbir has a disarming smile and a style that will easily get him inside every girl's dream. And with the first-time-ever portrayal of male sensuality in Bollywood in a song with him barely in the towel; Ranbir might be more than smiling in the ladies' dreams. The movie boasts of a powerful cast besides the lead actors too. We have yet another jaw-dropping performance by Rani Mukherjee – her choreography in the song 'Chabeela' is amazing. Salmaan is playing a tough guy with little dialogues but fitting in this role perfectly. Zohra Sehgal is shining through remarkably as well. Most importantly, no body is dominating the screen over the others with a clichéd acting; the characters seem to gel together and you watch every scene believing in them and believing in the magic that the director is pulling in front of your eyes with many deeply thought over dialogues; subtle appearances; through the character's eyes; through the water and the weather and even the street lights. The music score of the movie was great. Some of the songs that have accompanying dances are beautiful and the lyrics by Sameer are touching. Playback singers really draw your heart close into the sentiment of the song with their melodious voice with emotions and rhythm. Kudos to the two new singers Shail and Parthiv! The best of everything is still the dream-world like sets. When I saw the trailers; I felt it was too unrealistic to be good. But with the story that's meant to be a tale-of-love narrated by Rani herself; the sets were perfect to create the atmosphere of a delightful small town far away somewhere love has it's own magical dimension. I give the movie an 8/10 for the new standard it has established in Bollywood; for the acting of every single actor in it; for the music; for the dances; for the picturesque sets; for the direction; for this movie being really good cinema. If the entertainment you are looking for is more than a few skin-deep smiles; this will be a treat! A treat not just for your eyes but for your ears too and it will even leave you with a warm thought when the credits roll at the end.

This movie is highly disappointing after all the hype it went through. and its not that this movie had a bad plot but quite a few things fell flat. For one, it was too slow, its just failed to move ahead, you see yourself losing interest in first 30 minutes or so. For a regular Bollywood movie buff, this movie wont appeal to any but a chosen few who have extreme level of patience. it might work in foreign market, only on the fact that it is a well directed movie and the sets of the movie are mind blowing. apart from these there are no plus points. the songs prop up every ten minutes, and made every1 cringe as we got fed up of it. there are a few good numbers but they don't help much. the acting is pretty average with the exception of Sonam Kapoor, who failed to impress. Ranbir reminded us of his father and is some one to watch for. watch if u have nothing else to watch.....i suggest to wait for the DVD n rent it.

Too many cooks spoil the broth, that is the best way one can describe this movie. We have the so called cream of Indian film makers involved, arguably the first family of Indian cinema "The Kapoor Family", Anil Kapoor and last but not the least, the very talented Sanjay Leela Bhansali. And all of them together screwed-up The very Moulin Rogue treatment given to the film was just bearable but the clueless leads were difficult to watch. Neither Randhir Kapoor Nor Sonam Kapoor can convince us about their characters. Salman was pretty much wasted on the film you could have but a statue instead of him and that would'nt had made any difference. The only little grace that you can take from this movie is Rani Mukharjee, who also plays the narrator in the film. My guess is Salman and Rani were used more as safety nets for the film rather then for their acting capabilities. But even they couldn't save the film. And Mr Bhansali plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz stop putting so many songs in your films. We get it that more songs might give you more revenues from the audio sales but don't kill the movie for it. White Nights" is a Russian short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky, originally published in 1848 and used by Bhansali as his source material. The story is about Raj(Randhir Kapoor/ and Sakina(Sonam Kapoor/Nastenka) who meet each other one night. They develop a good friendship and Raj inevitably falls in love with this Beautiful girl. However Sakina has a secret she has been secretly waiting for her lover Imaan(Salaman). She Tells Raj that in two days time her lover is going to come for her ending her year long wait. Raj is devastate but continues to be her friend and Raj gets more and more involved and eventually confesses his love for her. Sakina dismisses it as another of his mischiefs. On the night when Sakina is suppose to come to meet her lover she waits for him with Raj and as time passes by she begins to doubt Imaan's intentions much to the pleasure of Raj. But neither one knows how will the night end, will friendship become love?, will true love triumph? or worse will friendship become a compromise? In the end a bad use of good artistic talent.

There are a very few sensitive women who are also, sensible. Yet, those rarely wonderful women make ambiguous decisions in their love life. In fact, they mostly have two love lives. One, which they consummate and live with; and the other, which they adore, yet foolishly ignore! This ignored, yet adored beloved of a sensitive and sensible woman is …. Saawariya . In an ethereal world, where there never existed bright sunlight and pure Love, walks in a young man with a divine charm and a heart full of love. With his effervescent charm, he spreads happiness all over; but preserves his heart for a mysterious angel; until one night, he loses it to the beautiful damsel standing on the bridge. He is so much consumed in love with her that he decides to do anything for her happiness. But on the contrary, the lady is in love with someone else, for whom she has been waiting. And so, he ends up being her Protector (protects her from the evil eyes of the bad), her Friend (sharing her pain and anguish) and her God (she prays to him to help her unite with her lover). The story of Saawariya is about the conflict between Dreams and Destiny; the conflict between Reality and Divinity; the conflict between Temptation and Self-Dignity. Also, it emphasizes the contrast in society: when the whole city of prostitutes yearns for love (because they are not loved by anyone), the Prince of Love gives his heart to a woman, who already has the love of another person. In any society, the Rich remain Rich and the Poor remain Poor. As a film, Saawariya is intensely passionate in poetry and obsessively brilliant in technique. And the man who put everything together in perfect balance is Sanjay Leela Bhansali . He dreams it, believes it and executes it with applaud-able conviction. The most note-worthy aspect of his direction is the treatment he bestows on the story. It is a complex explanation of a simple story and a complex story of a simple theme. And Bhansali carries it with sincerity all through-out. His fine rapport with art-director Omung Kumar and cinematographer Ravi K Chandran shines radiantly on the big-screen. Bhansali's heart, mind and soul smoothly ooze out of Monty Sharma's mellifluous compositions. Ranbir Kapoor is perfectly cast as the Prince of Love. He is cute, lovable and charming. Sonam Kapoor is adorable enough for the character she plays. Rani Mukherjee is at her usual best and Salman creeps in for some star-value. Other actors are adequate. If there is any glitch in the otherwise perfect film, it is Prakash Kapadia's script. Not much is wrong as long as the main leads are considered. But he stumbles into the mistake he has done for Devdas for Rani's and Salman's characterizations. He has given irrelevant dialogs to Rani's character and unappealing ones to Salman and consequently both characters seemed unimportant. This film can be appreciated only by people who can understand the fact that sensible women are sometimes insensible and that there are men who can whole-heartedly acknowledge them. So I am not sure if I can really recommend this film to everyone.

To cut a long story short, SAAWARIYA disappoints big time. You expect the moon from this genius film-maker, but you're disheartened as you watch his new creation. SAAWARIYA is about two young star-crossed lovers. A musician, Raj (Ranbir Kapoor), is certain that he has found his ultimate dream when he arrives at a picturesque town. However, destiny paints a different picture for Raj. One silent night, he spots a mysterious girl draped in black, standing alone at a bridge. This chance encounter introduces him to Sakina (Sonam Kapoor), a shy and quiet girl, who continues to intrigue him. Thus follows the beginning of a new friendship, where Raj, with his most charming ways and an undying spirit, tries to win Sakina's heart. Raj is unable to accept her haunting past and their friendship pulls him into a whirlwind of desire, madness and romance. SAAWARIYA suffers because of its writing mainly. What makes matters worse is the setting/ambiance. The film gets monotonous after a point, visually speaking, since it has been shot in its entirety on dark sets. You long for some visual relief, some bright spots, some sunshine… Dostoevsky's short story WHITE NIGHTS may sound interesting on paper, but SLB's adaptation suffers because there's not much meat in the plot. In fact, it wouldn't be erroneous to state that SAAWARIYA ranks amongst SLB's weakest films, as far as scripting is concerned. Overall, disappointing!!