Saawariya
(2008)
Sony
Cast:
Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee.
Rating:
PG.
Run
time: 138 mins
Genre:
Foreign.
Verdict:
Bland
(see rating
system)
Saawariya
(Beloved), the first Bollywood co-production for Sony/Columbia
is a bit of a disappointment.
Despite
an eyecatching fantasy (and mostly deserted) cityscape, some
pleasant music and OK acting, this version of Russian writer
Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story White Nights plods dully along.
A skilled editor could have easily whacked 30 minutes from
the 138 minute running time.
The
story focuses on Raj (Ranbir Kapoor), a young musician trying
to make his name in a new town. While he catches the eye of
the beautiful and wise prostitute Gulabji (Rani Mukherjee),
she keeps him as a platonic friend. In any case, Raj is drawn
to the mysterious young girl he encounters on a canal bridge
in the rain. Sakina (Sonam Kapoor), goes there each night
to wait for her lover Imaan (Salman Kahn), who promised to
return for her a year before.
Infatuated
with her innocence and beauty, Raj does all he can to persuade
Sakina to forget Imaan, even secretly betraying her trust.
It's
all handsomely staged, with the usual dazzling costumes and
impressive sets. The music and singing is quite decent and
though there's a healthy dose of overacting by all concerned,
it doesn't grate. The movie's biggest sin is its dullness
- it simply doesn't take flight.
Some
annoying brief featurettes are included of the cast, director
Sanjay Leela Bhansali and others praising each other's alleged
brilliance a la Hollywood's Oscars. Chill guys and gals -
it's just a movie and not a classic at that.
