Offering a great introduction to lavish, fantastical Bollywood musicals for the Western newbie, this lush, explosively colorful film that is reminiscent of Moulin Rouge (which was, in turn, inspired by Bollywood) is based on the Dostoevsky short story “White Nights.” Set in a cityscape more closely resembling a dreamy cartoon than urban reality, Saawariya finds young musician Ranbir (Ranbir Kapoor)—“an angel of rock and roll,” our narrator Gulabji (Rani Mukherjee) informs us with a sigh—falling hard for Sakina (Sonam Kapoor), a sad young woman awaiting the return of her absent beloved. Ranbir woos Sakina anyway over the course of this two-hour-plus film featuring much singing and dancing—magically staged by director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Rather more sweetly erotic than you might expect—given Bollywood's reputation for wholesomeness (the bit of naughty near-nudity here is, ahem, cheeky)—Saawariya is a tad darker, as well: narrator Gulabji is a prostitute whose plight (and that of her comrades) is not completely elided over. Still, this is an enrapturing, deliciously gorgeous film that is almost impossible not to love. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a “making-of” featurette and footage from the theatrical premiere. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a fine Bollywood film.] (M. Johanson)
Saawariya
Sony, 138 min., in Hindi w/English subtitles, PG, DVD: $26.95, Blu-ray: $38.99 Volume 23, Issue 4
Saawariya
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