Saawariya - Movie Review

Published: September 28, 2009

By JENNIFER HOPFINGER

Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji, Zohra Sehgal

Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor—children of famous Indian actors (Ranbir is the son of Rishi Kapoor and Sonam is the daughter of Anil Kapoor)—made their film debuts in the lead roles, alongside veteran actors Rani Mukerji and Salman Khan in supporting roles, and all four give admirable performances in this gorgeously shot picture. Despite this, the movie—based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story White Nights—is as lifeless as a Russian winter. The scenes are bathed in an icy blue light and the voices echo off the sound stage walls—which could have been effective touches if the actors weren’t struggling to inject some verve into this listless story of unrequited love. Somehow, the brilliance of Dostoevsky doesn’t translate here. And the attempt at visual East/West fusion—with prostitutes in silken saris walking 19th-century European streets and Buddhist statues looming over Venice-like canals—fails to create a nexus.

 

There’s little meat to the plot, little depth to the characters, and little heart to the romance. A naïve, young musician named Raj (Ranbir Kapoor) arrives in a new town, befriends a jaded hooker named Gulabji (Mukerji), rents a room from an elderly landlady named Lillipop (Zohra Sehgal), and meets a sorrowful girl named Sakina (Sonam Kapoor), who’s waiting for the man she loves, Imaan (Khan), to return for her. Sakina lives with her aunt and grandmother, who once rented a room to Imaan. Imaan left, without much explanation, and promised to come back on Eid (an annual Muslim holiday). The love story between Sakina and Imaan is told in flashback. The rest of the film focuses on Raj and the three women in his life: Gulabji, who loves Raj; Lillipop, who mourns for her long-lost son, and Sakina, whom Raj loves. Sakina hears that Imaan may be staying in a nearby hostel and she asks Raj to deliver a letter to him. He destroys the letter, but later, out of guilt, he goes to the hostel and discovers that no one by that name is staying there. Encouraged, Raj tries to woo Sakina, who’s starting to think Imaan might not show up.

 

Under the direction of Sanjay Leela Bhansali (of Devdas fame), the lead actors show great potential right out of the gate, Mukerji successfully plays against type, and Khan is hauntingly intense as a rough, mysterious man of the world. But unfortunately, this beautiful film leaves you cold.

Saawariya is rated Worth Watching.

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