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Direction: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Cast: Salman Khan, Rani Mukherji, Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor
Rating: **½ (half for Ravi Chandran's masterly cinematography)
Just as one was gearing up to applaud the growing maturity of Bollywood directors, who are truly looking at plots that connect with the audience and move away from the ordinary, come two films that spoil the party. The first was Anurag Kashyap's 'No Smoking', which released a couple of weeks ago and took self-indulgence to new heights and now Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Saawariya', which gives a new meaning to the word.
Bhansali sets up a story that takes place somewhere and in some time that is not defined. It's a dream sort of place with a thriving red light area (Rani Mukherji is one of its denizens), a Mrs D'Sa ('Anari') sort of boarding house landlady (Zohra Sehgal), a Muslim family fallen on hard times (Sonam Kapoor's), their tenant (Salman Khan), some random drunkards, and an innocent young traveller with a song on his lips and a smile for all (Ranbir Kapoor).
Since this place exists only in Bhansali's imagination, it rains and snows at will, is misty at any time of the day or night and is uniformly blue. And since the film is placed in no particular time period, the clothes vary from retro like the red velvet jacket Ranbir sports, to ethnic chic (Sonam) to the very sheer saris Rani wears.
Bhansali invites you into this fantasy world and asks you to share the passion and pain of first love and unrequited passion. But he moves so slowly, often repeating himself, that the whole romance of the situation falls flat. The fact that he makes Ranbir go through any number of Raj Kapoor moments as the wide-eyed innocent young man also jars. But what is worse is Bhansali also rips off scenes from his own 'Black' and 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', a sure sign of creative decline.
Though there are two love triangles, the courtesan-young man-young lady and the young man-young lady-mysterious tenant ones with lots of noble intentions along the way, neither involve your heart. There is no anxiety to see the lovers get together and therefore no pain when they don't.
Made in the Moulin Rouge style of musicals in which the characters break into song at the drop of a felt hat, you often wish the characters would stop dallying by the wayside. It only makes the two hour 22 minute film seem like 3.22.
If Ranbir impresses despite all this it's due to his inherent earnestness, good looks, fabulous body and interesting screen presence. Sonam looks pretty but where was the need to model her on the '60s actresses'? While she is not particularly impressive in the acting department, this is, after all, only her first film and she will hopefully, improve in time. Rani overdoes the hooker vivacity and as for Salman, he is subdued in a snooze-and-you-will-miss-it role.
A word of unsought for advice for Bhansali. Next time keep it simple and please, let the kids be kids, don't burden them with the baggage of their parentage.
