Saawariya
Reviewer: Tom Leins
Issue 105 July 2008
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Bollywood meltdown!
The Lowdown: Inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky’s short story ‘White Nights’, Saawariya tells the story of goofy romantic Raj and Sakina, a pretty girl with an all-encompassing sadness. Despite her shyness, the pair become close friends, and Raj becomes mesmerised by her beauty, causing problems when her true love returns…
Review: The eagerly anticipated Saawariya marks Sony’s first attempt at dipping their toes in Bollywood-flavoured waters. But is this ambitious co-production a magical hi-def experience, or has something been lost in translation? A bit of both, in truth… Saawariya is a sumptuous visual experience, redressing the Blu-ray balance with the kind of exotic dance routines that have so far been absent in HD. That said, the show-stopping musical numbers that usually dominate Bollywood flicks have curiously been kept to a minimum, presumably for US audience runtime considerations.
The producers have successfully recaptured an old-fashioned back-lot Hollywood musical vibe with the look of the movie, and the succession of elaborately pieced together sets recall Moulin Rouge. Whether this is enough to captivate crossover audiences is a moot point, as Saawariya’s laboured plot quickly falls apart and undoes much of the hard work. Also, the two leads aren’t entirely convincing, and get easily overshadowed by the supporting players. Nevertheless, the spicy Dolby True HD audio mix delivers the goods, and the visual palette (broadly comprising of rain-lashed deep blues and rich greens set against a snazzy selection of costumes), is reliably captivating throughout.
Special features are limited to two crappy featurettes, which will test your patience with their cheap aesthetics and rehashed footage. Although Saawariya promises much, it can’t quite deliver on every level. It might tick your boxes if you prize slick visuals ahead of narrative guile, but otherwise it feels like a missed opportunity.
PICTURE: 9
AUDIO: 8
FILM: 5
EXTRAS: 3
DVD Info:
Certificate: PG
Starring: Rani Mukherjee, Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor
Directed By: Sanjay Leela Bhansali, 2007
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Audio: Hindi Dolby True HD 5.1
Visuals: 2.35:1 Widescreen
Running Time: 137mins
Price: £24.99
Special Features:
Scene Selection
‘Making The Music’ Featurette
‘Premier Night’ Featurette
Trailers
