Saawariya — A Viewer’s Take
iView Author:
Suparna Sengupta (Bangalore, India)
Email :
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This is a viewer’s take and not a reviewer’s take on one of the most awaited/hyped movies of the year. Since PFC allows even viewers to express their opinions about a movie I thought I will send in my views.
I am not a Bhansali fan but I liked “Sawaariya”.
I liked the movie especially the second half. It is based on Dostoevsky’s “White Nights” and is a more or less faithful adaptation of the novella. His story is based in St. Petersburg whereas Bhansali’s tale is based in a nameless town set in the midst of an imaginative mindscape. (Some people in their reviews of the film have questioned this!!! I guess they also ask questions like — Where is Macondo? Why did the general live for 200 years? ) The whole town is painted in different shades of blue with a smattering of red and white (Tribute to Kieslowski?). There are a number of references to some major Hindi and English movies (references to Raj Kapoor, Cinderella and “Romeo and Juliet”).
However, the movie is not without its flaws. I thought that the dialogues in this movie could have been better. The first half hour could have been better written/edited. A couple of songs could have been avoided.
The movie works because of the performance of the “dreamer” Ranbir Raj played by Ranbir Kapoor. I think his effort is doubly commendable because he is not making a debut playing a very “safe” character in a “safely” designed film. He is playing the lead in a movie that more or less depends on his shoulders. With shades of Raj and Shammi Kapoor in him he pulls of the part quite well. Also wonderful is Rani Mukherjee. Her’s is a performance straight from the heart. Technically the film is superb. Scenes which must have been conceived on an artist’s palette are put to perfect execution by the cinematographer Ravi K. Chandran and the art director duo.
Another reason for writing this review is that I don’t agree with most reviews of this film. Why? Because I think most of them haven’t understood the essence of the film at all. The same thing happened with most reviews of “No Smoking”. What most critics have loathed about the film is its opulence. But it is there not without a reason. This is a landscape where Bhansali weaves fantasy and reality and the visual dimension is precisely the instrument with which he can transport the audience to this world. No one can question the director’s eye for details and the colours, the fabrics and the palette stand in their own respective schemes. Blue, green, red play with each other which speaks of the “Saawariya” (originally referred to Lord Krishna). They play of black and white, light and shade is not only a tribute to other greats like Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt but recreates that painful to and fro between hope and loss for its two main protagonists.
Despite all this the audience who do have the taste for it might not like it and everything might appear very fake or artificial but where “Saawariya” resembles “No Smoking” is precisely in the fact that we need to suspend our disbelief for these two films. Everyone has a complaint against the oppressive magnificence, the Venetian waterways, the arterial pathways and a city that doesn’t exist anywhere. But this is precisely the point of the director. In fact the character of Rani clarifies this at the start that this is a dream city suspended in time. That is why it is so poetic to find the Cinderella touch whereby the heroine has to leave as soon as the clock strikes twelve. The city is nowhere and yet it could be an ammalgammation of all those eternal cities of love made famous in history or legend from Venice to Agra. One of the reviewers expressed astonishment that it rained one day and snowed the next. What he did not realize was that while the rains symbolized the incessant downpour of emotions it climaxed with the purity of salvation with the white snow.
The dialogues no doubt do not match up to the conception of the poetry and the actors are often lamed by it. But it is the freshness of the two lead actors which carries the film forward. It is not enough to see the maginificence in its literalness. Bhansali is no fool to do it on such a superficial level.
Some people have even panned the cinematography which I think was excellent. People have questioned the opulence and the detailing that has gone into making this film. I think detailing is an aspect that most Indian film makers pay little or no attention to.
Cinema is a very personal experience. And I thought I will put my personal experience on paper this time.
Bouquets and brickbats welcome!!!
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
kya baat karte ho bhaa
i sahab, saawariya itni bekaar film hai ki main uski jagah NO SMOKING” wapas dekh kar apne aap mar jana pasand karoonga bajaae Saawariya dekh ke atmhatya karne ke
I second you, thank you for writing the post. People haven’t understood the essence of both the films- Saawariya and No smoking.
I have not seen the movie yet, my friends ditched me after reading the reviews…Honestly I want to like this movie, because I can feel for the Bhansali’s passion and hard work..Thanks for keeping my hopes alive..
:d/,nice casting with good framework.everyone did their job perfectly.i give 3 star
@ Nitu ..will you review for Hindustan Times? For further reference check out this link..
http://passionforcinema.com/khalid-mohmmd-wtf-are-you-writing/
:P
I agree to whatever you have written.
I would like to add the movie wud hav been better if bhansali had managed to increase the pace little bit.
Sometimes the movie used to become so slow that you start getting disinterested.
Nice piece, I too liked SAWARIYA, heres my take on it!
http://aakshayshah.blogspot.com/2007/11/akshay-shah-reviews-sawariya-hindi-2007.html
I certainly liked it more than OSO!
A.Shah
Sawariya… great film…
we have to respect the vision of bhansali
no body can
Why the hell are you putting No smoking and Sawariya in the same league. Saawariya is crap. No smoking is almost a cult film(if only the film making was little more unconventional).How the hell can any one say that saawariya matched the vision of white nights. I honestly think there was no need to associate Dostovesky’s name to this film. I can come up with such story lines every hour of the day. What is great about Dostovesy’s tale is not the story but the poetic vision, which is missing completely from this film. That Kapoor fellow is too silly.
If any of you think that Saawariya is a great film read FD’s white nights first.
The link to the online book:
http://ia311532.us.archive.org/0/items/whitenightsother00dostiala/whitenightsother00dostiala_djvu.txt
@Govardhan,first things first bhaisaab nei , behen ji:-w…next, it seems u are keen to commitsuicide..sawaariys or no smoking doesnt matter… pls, dont take cinema that seriously
@venkat, i think u misunderstood my asociation of sawaariya with no smoking. what i meant was, both the films needed the audience to enter a world different from ours. when we view both these films we need to understand that K. vis-a-vis ranbir are in a space that cannot be construed by conventinal terms. understanding of these films and their setting (the city or the dungeons of kalkatta carpets) cannot take place unless we are ready to suspend our ordinary expectations of reality. pls i am comparing the quality of the two films but their respective technical ethos.
@venkat
correction in thelast line of my post
i am not comparing the quality of the 2 films…thnx!
forget about NS,OSO and Sawariya and start get hooked to TZP. Once you play the music 4-5 times, you are certain that Aamir is the ONLY film personality that we can be proud of. The nusic is exceptionally brilliant and clearly shows what an awesome movie we are going to get from AK.cheers
Put together GB Road, Venice, Istanbul, fairyland together on a rotary mixer and churn at high velocity. Add some rain, snow, tuneless music and two deranged kids and what you get is a bollywood version of Fyodor Dostoeysky
I agree with the review for once…..i absolutely loved this movie……..its a wok of art…infact pure art…from the first frame till the last…SLB made this movie with lots of love..there was so much soul in this movie…..an both ranbir and sonam took my breat away…..i believe after waheeda rehman…no actress looked so beautiful except sonam kapoor…..an i m talking abt indian beauty guys…..there was so much theraav, so much ada, so much nazaakat an so much haya in her beauty……..mindblowing..and ranbir is amazing for his first movie…..remember abhiskekh in his first movie…..he was so expressionless, and give ranbir 5 movies more n see his acting……beautiful movie, beautiful sets, great performances and such a heart warming love story…….so guys I dont give a damn abt critics, but I for once loved this movie….
Devdas did not look like it was shot in Bengal, Black did not look like it was shot in the time it was supposed to potray and now Saawariya transcends both time and space. Unless of course I bring myself to accept the fact that it is based in Paris, Lucknow, Prague, Venice and the sets of Moulin Rouge all at the same time with of course a deep blue tint. As far as the time is concerned, I would safely say-turn of the century. Which century is anybody’s guess.
Kamala Hassan, Aamir and now SLB (is that what he calls himself?)have been done in by narcissism . The biggest disservice that one can do to art is to laud an artist as brilliant especially one who is gullible enough to be taken by it. How else can one explain Abhay (Kamal), Mangal Pandey and Fanaa (Aamir)and now Saawariya.
I dont consider Saawariya a bad movie. I see it more as a boring movie in frame by frame slow motion. As far as it being a work of art is concerned I see kitch not class. .. and I hear kitch sells (there is a market for Mohan Bhakri and Ramsay horror posters, someone tells me).I am really disheartened that just when the Hindi film industry is throwing up movies like Johnny Gaddar, Manorama-Sx feet under, Dil Dosti.., Khosla Ka.., Bheja Fry, No smoking (the last film is named here only for the sake of the arguement and not for any other reason-lest the director of the said movie interpret my actions as an endorsement of the said movie)we have someting as retrograde as Saawariya come along. And of course I an hear Farah Khan laughing all the way to the bank. So Mr. Bhansali.. please go and watch OSO while your guys run around looking for a TV channel to buy the rights of the “international TV premiere” of Saawariya scheduled for the coming Friday.
PS:I spent my childhood and most of my youth reading Russian authors (there was a huge subsidy on Russian books pre-1991). FD was never my favourite author. Chekhov was. Mr. Bhansali.. for the love of God.. do not adapt Chekhov.
Hey ,
thanks for ur view man i liked sawaariya from bottom of my heart.
i was really so impressed by the art director of movie the sets are awsome and direction m noone to say anything about SANJAY JI he is god of romntic flicks and this movies direction and cinematography is “GODGIRI” hats off to SANJAY BHANSALI ,
SONAM was best fit for this role because she is like coool breeze in hot humid afternoon she has done outstanding work really.
its my views guys..
its must watch movie for everyone ever in LOVE or
everyone who wanna experience be in LOVE .
THANX…
@Suparna ,
Thanks for the unbiased view of the film. I’ve only seen the promos and the first thing that came to my mind was “Moulin Rouge” because of the fantasy and artificial look of the settings. It looked beautiful and mystical to me.
Today I talked to my friends who run the local Indian store here in the state of Virginia and they have contacts with Loahmanns Plaza Movie theater which shows Indian films. They said it is flopping really bad and people that bring their families seem to be offended by the content of the film and leave before it’s over.
It seemed to be a big mistake opening the same day as OSO. Why didn’t they wait a few weeks?
I think this is a dissapointment for SLB fans (I’m one of them!!)
I didn’t have a problem with the opulence etc… But the actual film was just……nothing.
It didn’t stir my emotions.
It didnt entertain.
It didn’t do anything for me whatsoever.
I felt numb in this.
And, i found it instantly forgettable.
Not a single scene stood out for me.
Really is such a shame, as i actually looked forward to this since it was announced.
Terrible letdown!!!!
I guess one positive is that i prefered Rani’s prostitute act in this more than ‘Laaga Chunariya’.
‘No Smoking’ on the other hand, was thouroughly engaging and it was a must to see it again and again.
A beautifully crafted film. (that’s ‘No Smoking’ not ‘Saawariya’!!)
Dear Suparna,
I agree with you almost completely on the suspension of reality part which we as an audience just DO NOT GET, unless it’s a KJ / YRF / David Dhawan film where reality exists when convenient and is suspended when inconvenient. The poetry and even more, the skill of the filmmaker to weave magic into the storytelling in a suspended time and space goes unappreciated in our society. SLB is absolutely top notch on that parameter – he has an ability to draw his audience into HIS world, which I think is fantastic.
More after I watch the film.
@chandra
i take exception to ur statement “I am really disheartened that just when the Hindi film industry is throwing up movies like Johnny Gaddar, Manorama-Sx feet under, Dil Dosti.., Khosla Ka.., Bheja Fry, No smoking (the last film is named here only for the sake of the arguement and not for any other reason-lest the director of the said movie interpret my actions as an endorsement of the said movie)we have someting as retrograde as Saawariya come along”. if u mean to imply that films only with taut and racy scripts, appealing to urban tastes and so called- intelectuals should be made…then well, u know better :(( retrogade is very strong word to use for this film(for any work of art for that matter). retrogade because it is narcissistic? i am sorry ur growing up on Russian Literature hasnt really taught you not to get judgemental about art-remeber the tragedy of Lopakhin?
@Suparna..agree with you on “retrograde” definition. Actually, the time has come to let audiences decide on their preferences rather than shoving the same stuff down every throat..the pleasant thing is that it is happening..sample a Dhol beside a Dil, dosti, etc. or a Heyy Babyy beside a Manorama!! Boss..one doesn’t have to like every film just becoz they land up in theatres on the same day!! Saawariya has a specific audience..it will not be appreciated by all!!
@NoVaDJ
its sad there seems to be an uncessary air of negativity regarding the film…people can alway dislike it, but the way the displeasure is being expressed is particularly worrying and disheratening
@ indraneel couldnt have agreed more..i think this has been a watershed year for hindi commercial cinema…while we must accept that the hey baby’s will always come and become superhits, there;s always room for no smoking and bheja fry…why cant the two coexsit…and why does it mean that an audience who likes the former cannot like the latter? as for sawaariya i agree, its for very few to admire…in fact till now there hasnt been any middle-of-the-road reaction for the film…either too good or too bad
@Suparna..don’t feel dejected..there shall be the SLB critics as always..just the way he presents his movies!! this is nothing compared to the flak Karan Johar had to face after KANK
@Suparna
I enjoyed “Heyy Babyy” and I’m sure I’ll love “Saawariya” and I loved “Manorama” and I’m sure I’ll love OSO….I actually will admit I loved “Heyy Babyy”, but sometimes I’m scared to say my true feelings on here. I believe the two types of cinema can co-exist, but I don’t think it will be evenly because the Heyy Babyy’s will always outnumber the Manorama’s. It seems the critics in India have a lot of power over the people. The audience will stay away because of what they read or hear, that doesn’t seem to happen in the US. A movie can get awful reviews and end up being number one for the week.
@NovaDJ- Critics don’t have that kind of a role to play in India..if you know the print reach of the newspapers and the TRP ratings of those shows..so..chill guys..as of today movies still sell by word of mouth..and a good bit of marketing..Shootout at Lokhandwala was panned universally but yet made 18 cr in the 1st week.
@ Suparna – Your take on Saawariya is good!
@NoVaDJ believe u me it happens all the time here in India too..this time though very few are not in the gang against sawaariya :(
@Suparna: taking cinema too seriously? hello!!!! first behanji its you who taking it so seriously by writing a review on a “BLUE FILM”. 2nd i am already dead after reading your review… jokes apart… there is nothing in saawariya worth appriciating, i mean NO SMOKING was a bad film but it was worth thinking about but Saawariya? there was no story nothing. it looks funny people doing melodramatic movements even if they are talking normally, i dont understand why every character in Bhansalu’s film are so “CHAMIYA” kinds? every movement of the character looks like choreographed. its funny to see a girl lying on aboat like Old meena kumari film as if she has nothing else to do on this blue SET. camera is fine but thats it. you cant make great cinema by putting strong sets and lights and dramatic camera movements there is no soul in the film.
waise i have to take cinema seriously, coz meri roji roti usi se chalti hai :(
@govardhan…oh my god…should have told me before na that tumhara roji roti usi se chalti hai ….wouldnt have dared touch your “chamiya” sense of cinema…so sorry yaar, didnt know my review caused such a heartburn…are u alive [-(
@goverdhan, u are so right i did take sawaariya a bit too seriously…should have left it for people like you to maim and malign it…after all, it doesnt make u think, it hasnt a story and its so melodramatic..what’s your favourite film of the year btw…”Hey Baby” (no pun intended…lest you die again)?:o
superna , i complely agree with you, saawariya is a fantastic movie and sanjay has lived up to my expectation. but this kind of movies will not be liked by the masses.
people are willing to see the crap OSO, i am really surprised by the kind of negative publicity saawariya is getting.
@suparna no “Hey Baby” was way too Inteligent film for me. i loved “Buddha mar Gaya” …. waise, gussa hone waali kya baat hai?
@suparena u loved saawariya and i hated it…. i am desi babu ur english mame….. main front row ka rickshaw wala and you are Gold Box waale, aap Suparna main goverdhan…. ab difference of opinion tho hoga hee… ab ismain gussa hone waali kya baat hai…. Gareeb hain lekin ijjat hamaree bhi hai memsahab
@ goverdhan no offence…insaan se galti ho jati hain….:)>-;)
@ goverdhan no offence yaar…considering your last post, tumhara gussa bhi thikhi hain…anyway lets end it here
@supanra thoda sa aur ladte hain….
I love this movie, I think this needs to be viewed as a fairy tale, no as realistic….just like one wouldhave read the book. Sonam and ranbir brings a freshness to screen.
suparna
excellent review, i loved this movie too..
i fail to understand the reaction of most reviewers, looks like they have totally missed this movie
like it or not , bhansali is an auteur , and this is a bhansali film thorough and through, from the theme to the sets , cinematography and art direction..
Saaaaaaaaaaaawariya.
Below are the reasons why you should watch this Blue Film.
1. If your fav color is BLUE.
2. If you feel like committing suicide, it actually stops you from doing so! So Life giving!!!
3. If you are a fan of Ranbhir’s dierrie [his towel dropping scene] or Rani’s English Speaking Course!
4. If your GF giggles/giffaws/stares/stalks/cries without any reason, then you can actually take her on a date to this movie. She will surely stop doing all these!
5. If you like Bhansali and His abstract antique world where postitutes roam freely and none of the [in]sane men stalk them! How rude!
6. If you like to watch a movie which is almost a music video with some mundane dialogues thrown in with insipid expressions [read acting] followed by a lousy Camera in a virtually existing piece of shitty place (read set).
7. If you, for no reason, start dancing i mean the ‘Id the Chaand’ and then song and then absurd dance Scene.
8. If you are a dreamer and could visualize such a city which resembles neither Venice nor Shimla nor Amsterdam’s Red Light District nor…[fill in the blanks].
9. If you are suffering from acute Insomnia.
Honestly, i dont likes!
@ maya
Do u understand the term “auteur” ?
@ maya
Do you understand the term “auteur” ?
I have seen the movie and read the review. The basic problem about the movie goers is that most of them like to watch a movie with all typical bollywood (Or Indian Cinema) ingredients and this movie certainly does not come into that category and hence has left a negative impact on most of the viewers, but, honestly, if we watch this movie as a movie, considering everything, it is a different and a class movie and I agree with the view of the writer here.