Saawariya

One of the most artistically magnificent sets I've ever seen; this whole film is the exceptional creation of master Sanjay Leela Bhansali of India and while some didn't receive it so well there, I heard, I found it a masterpiece that just had me wow'd from beginning to end. It's light, it's deep, it's passionate, it's just young friendship. It's staged more like a huge 'set' in a play than a movie; a dream world even. The culture is muslim, the art of it and there's one ceremonial dance on full moon Eid, but the film is made in total neutrality, in other words, there is no religious or political reference in the movie. It's a love story and a hoping for love story and a story of young friends. Some of the scenes are breath-takingly beautiful.I guess you'll either love it like I did or you won't...Rani Mukerjee is her wonderful self in this; great actress; she plays a red light district girl but as I said, it's all more dreamlike than real; she befriends the young wandering musician. Ranbir Kapoor is very young in this, one of his first movies I would imagine? He's just darling in it and kind of flops about in joyous innocence. Sonam Kapoor is very young here, it also must be one of her first movies; she is just breath-takingly beautiful. The prolific Salman Khan is very quiet, very deep and grounded, hence sultry, magnetic, in low key, steamy role this time and thus a rare performance from him.

It wasn't until I watched Khamoshi for the second time that I recognized the director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali as being the same for Saawariya. It changed my opinion of the film and character/actor development. In Khamoshi which was released in 1996 you had a young Salman Khan and Manisha Koirala both who at that time were 20 something year old actors. Fast forward to 2007 you have Saawariya introducing two new young actors, Ranbir Kapoor & Sonam Kapoor both 20 something actors. It is clear that Sanjay Leela Bhansali cares about the story, the characters, and the actors because he wrings every bit of emotion that he can from them in their performances. My initial impression was that Saawariya was dark. It still is, only, I recognize now that it is a director style and was necessary for the movie. I didn't care for the movie/play effect. It works..but I don't like that Les Mis the movie feel but the movie was based on Dostoyevsky so dark was the order of the day and it was done well. The storyline ,he-loves-her, she-loves-another is not unique, however, when you are not inundated with a lot of characters, your focus remains on the two main characters and you take the journey with them.The music/dancing was fine. Nothing really memorable or hum-able. The costuming was very good. There was this Islamic overtone ( music helped) which added a contrast, but did not invade the movie. Now, if you are a Salman Khan fan ( which I am ) I would say the 6 minute screen time he had in this movie was some of his best work. He did not dance or take off his shirt which, for this role, would have been excessive and not related to the movie. What he did do in 6 minutes would have taken 16 minutes for another actor. You see him in flashback which makes the (4) scenes even more powerful. Ten years have passed since Khamoshi- evident is the cinema maturity of Mr. Khan. There is one scene where he ( Imaan ) is speaking to Sakina ( Sonan Kapoor ) the camera angle and lighting was excellent. He cocked his head to the side, paused, spoke...returned it and spoke again. This may not seem like a big deal but had the dialogue or movements been a second off - the scene would have been ineffective ! I see that as exquisite timing something that he has become noted for and working with a director who sees what he wants the viewer to feel at that moment.Overall, the cinematography is excellent; giving us wide shots and closeups when needed. Angles were used to bring us the viewer in and for the most part they worked - tapping into our emotions for that moment. I would have loved more than one scene that implied it was morning since the entire movie seemed to take place at night in the rain, wind, or snow but as I said above, it was Dostoyevsky-ish which means dark, somber, filled with angst.If you are interested in acting and directing - this is a movie to see. You can find this kind of story line anywhere - but not this execution. To get a full picture of Sanjay Leela Bhansali and what he can do with actors I would suggest that you also watch Khamoshi-The Musical; not so much for Salman Khan (sic) but to see how a director can take a story and move actors to excellence when for the most part there are only 3-4 main characters. These two movies would make interesting comparative discussions.

From the polarised reviews on this 2007 movie, I wasn't sure whether I'd like it. It is in fact something quite different for Bollywood. It is more a stage-like production. There are few characters focused on and the sets look like... sets (on stage that is). They have developed a fantasy old painted backdrop town with an overall blue tone to most scenes. The acting is also of the stage dialogue type too.It looks late 18th century yet there is a mix of clothes styles and the hero looks quite modern. It has captured the mood of a Dostoevsky novel though I think. It isn't a bleak movie but a philosophical movie about love.The songs for me weren't memorable (once the subtitles fade and the poetry of the lyrics vanished the tunes didn't remain for me).The acting was good from all though. The main character has to carry a heavy weight of focus and the part is played well by relative newcomer Ranbir Kapoor (who did a good job with Bachna Ae Haseeno too) and he dances well. Rani doesn't get a lot to do and nor does Salman Khan. Zohra Sehgal as the old woman did a particularly fine job and always draws the eye.It is well captured, acted, directed and cinematography well framed and often interesting, and creative in its approach but I'm not into arty stuff that much and the stylized nature of the movie had a claustrophobic feel with its limited number of actors and sets and the setting almost all at night with its dark blue hues predominant.I am giving it 4 starts within its more art genre even though I don't think I got into it as much as some other reviewers did.

I initially found out about this sound track from a movie trailer. I purchased the movie and was so impressed with the music I had to find the sound track as well. While the movie was a bit difficult to follow due to having to read subtitles, the music will grab you and take you away! It's a combination of traditional Indian music but with a twist in that modern instruments are used extensively. A better understanding of what went into the music production can be had in the Special Features section on the DVD for those that are interested. It's easy to find online. The choreography in the film is also a joy to watch. It's quite rhythmic and precise while being quite a bit more involved than many dancing attempts done with other music.I would highly recommend this sound track to anyone that likes Indian Music but even more so if the DVD is watched first! I couldn't get it out of my mind for several weeks... but in a good way!!!

Bought this but it sat on my shelf for ages unopened. Then finally when I was in the mood I decided to give it a spin. Thought I was going to hate this but I quite enjoyed it- even the music. I have zero interest in Bollywood or Indian cinema but still enjoyed this. The lead actress is incredibly beautiful and the audio quality on the bluray is 5 star, just fantastic. Picture quality 4 out of 5. Not sure if I'd watch it again anytime soon but I appreciate it for what it is and I can see why so many enjoyed this.

If you want to see the beauty of Blue Ray in Bollywood title, grab this. Sony has set an extremely high standard while produced this blue ray. This is a master piece. The picture quilty and sound qaulity is breathtaking. 5 out of 5. I should not be going on too much. The only way this beauty will blow you away is buy and watch with your own eyes to see how rich and lifelike this transfer is. Just spin this disc in your Blue Ray player and put your seat belt on. If you are looking for a strictly reference quality disc, so far this is the one to grab on.As usual Amazon is the best in business.

Good looking blu-ray and great music in a rather typical Bollywood extravaganza. Fluffy as a Cloud with noble characters and strong emotions. Gorgeous sets and beatiful cinematography.

Superb images, entertaining movie

strange film more enjoyable on second viewing