REVIEW: SAAWARIYA belongs to Ranbir

What the film is about

When one adapts the written word to the camera, the plot does not remain as important as it would have in an original screenplay. It is hence that the story of Saawariya has nothing much to offer. One carefree bloke Ranbir Raj (Kapoor) thinks he is head over heels in love with a damsel (yet another Kapoor) who he's met one fine night on a bridge. Needless to say the bridge has some troubled waters flowing beneath in the form of her faraway lover Imaan (Salman). And the chap has four nights to woo her or lose her forever. Then of course, there is the prostitute with a heart of gold, Gulabji (Rani with a wrong spelling of her last name in the opening credits) who also acts as a narrator of sorts of the film.

What we liked about the film

The film tends to grow on you. If you have the patience to sit through the first half, chances are that you will walk out of the cinema hall smiling. Also the music, may not have appealed only for itself. But the picturisation works wonders and that is possibly the strength of the movie itself. There are songs that make you cringe and affect the pace of the film drastically. But there are those, which almost seem to hold the film. The plot after all, is adapted. And hence it is the treatment that gains importance. Yes, there is a lot of hamming in the movie. But if we can still go back to films like (blasphemous as it may sound) DDLJ all over again and fall in love with Shah Rukh Khan, why not give this one a chance? Ranbir Raj can possibly never replace Raj Malhotra. But that does not mean he isn't good. Kapoor does a good job and hopefully should have a good career ahead. Ditto for Sonam, though one believes she could've done far better.

What we didn't like about the film

Being attached to the raw footage can be very dangerous for an editor. It is the distancing that often helps create perspective; after all most movies are made on the editing table, aren't they? The hitch here is Bhansali has edited this film himself. And evidently the man is quite possessive about the frames he has shot. Although the film isn't as long as it may seem, it drags horribly. It is because of this that the hamming (which if one may say is partly necessary in a film like this one) gets to you. A well-told story can go on for hours. But like many others, Bhansali too falls for stereotypes and clichés. The prostitute, and Raj's visit to her after he's been turned down by Sakina is just a case in point. Indeed, Saawariya has its strengths. But the weaknesses are just as overbearing. It depends on what you choose to look at.

Verdict

Not all films can be measured by the same yardstick. The key is to pick the right one before judging it. We'd recommend you watch the film and possibly you'll find yourself waiting for the DVD too.

Rating: 3/5

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