By Martin D'Souza, Bollywood Trade News Network
Saawariya is an Indian cinematic experience of rare brilliance. Either consciously, or unconsciously, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali has let the influence of Baz Luhrmann's Award winning movie, Moulin Rouge take over his being. The sets are top class, the lighting absolutely brilliant and there is a prop in every frame that never looks out of place. The music is simply scintillating complemented with heart touching lyrics. The choreography is of international standard. Never have I seen such poetry in motion on Indian screen. Every dancer is in sync. Every movement matches the mood of the music and every expression complements the lyrics. The costumes have to be seen to be believed. Top it with performances worthy of applause and you leave the theatre humming the title track. Yes, the end too is not what was expected. There's also a loser in love. But Saawariya is a winner Full marks to Sanjay Leela Bhansali for treading the musical path to weave a sincere love story. Like an excellent music conductor, Bhansali waves his baton, to squeeze up a fine performance from his cast. Absolutely flawless. The actors follow the flow of the baton and the master conductor must be pleased with his symphony. My fear is that his movie will sweep up a number of awards in the coming year. The freshness of Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor takes this symphony to another level and keeps it there. Both actors give of a splendid performance. Ranbir is a great dancer and an excellent actor. He comes across very confident of himself in whatever he does. If you look intently, one can see a streak of his grandfather, the legendary Raj Kapoor, in his mannerisms. As for Sonam, she matches Ranbir, step for step. A gorgeous looker, she carries off her role with aplomb as the one who is looking for her love to return. Her huge eyes portray her emotions and her confidence is personified in every frame; whether she is playfully fooling around with Ranbir or anxiously looking out for her Imaan (Salman Khan) to return. It looks like these two were born to act. The chemistry between the two is awesome. Rani Mukherjee as Gulab the prostitute is very good; better than her Laaga Chunari Mein Daag act. It's a small but meaningful role, central to the theme of the movie. Zohra Sehgal is simply adorable. You just want to reach out and hug her! Cinematographer Ravi Chandran freezes the frames to give moving, picture perfect images. Only a master craftsman could have dreamt of a film like this and worked towards putting it together exactly as he saw it in his mind's eye. Take a bow, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Like Rani Mukherjee keeps saying in the movie, 'I likes it'! Ratings : 4 / 5
