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Saawariya

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(Redirected from Sawariya)

Saawariya
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySanjay Leela Bhansali
Written by
  • Sanjay Leela Bhansali
  • Prakash Kapadia
Based on
Produced bySanjay Leela Bhansali
StarringRanbir Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor
Rani Mukerji
Salman Khan
Zohra Sehgal
Narrated byRani Mukerji
CinematographyRavi K. Chandran
Edited bySanjay Leela Bhansali
Music byMonty Sharma
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing International
Release date
  • 9 November 2007 (2007-11-09) (India)
Running time
138 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget45 crore[2]
Box office39.22 crore[2]

Saawariya (transl.Beloved) is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language musical romance film directed and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1848 short story White Nights. The film marked the debuts of Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. It was the last film appearance of both Zohra Sehgal and Begum Para before their deaths. Co-produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment, it is the first Indian film to receive a North American release by a Hollywood studio[3] and is one of the first Indian films to be released on Blu-ray Disc.[4]

Saawariya was released on 9 November 2007, and emerged as a commercial disaster. It received mixed-to-negative reviews upon release, with praise towards its soundtrack, production design, grand artistic approach and performances of the cast; however criticism towards its story, screenplay and pacing.

At the 53rd Filmfare Awards, Saawariya received 6 nominations, including Best Supporting Actress (Rani Mukerji) and Best Music Director (Monty Sharma), and won Best Male Debut (Ranbir Kapoor) and Best Male Playback Singer (Shaan for "Jab Se Tere Naina").

Plot

[edit]

The narrative is framed through the recollections of Gulabji, a courtesan who frequents the town’s primary nightclub, the RK Bar. The establishment's lead singer, Ranbir Raj, whom Gulabji affectionately nicknames "Saawariya" ("beloved"), is an idealistic and kindhearted man who treats the local sex workers with genuine respect. When Raj mentions he needs employment and lodging, Gulabji directs him to Lillian, a stern but lonely landlady. Lillian agrees to rent a room to Raj because his gentle demeanor reminds her of her own son, who left years prior to join the army and never returned.

On his way home one night, Raj notices a mysterious young woman standing alone on a footbridge. He tries to strike up a conversation, but she initially reacts with suspicion and dismisses him. However, after Raj intervenes and protects her from a nearby drunkard, she allows him to escort her home safely. Raj discovers her name is Sakina and quickly falls in love with her.

Determined to express his feelings, Raj meets Sakina the following evening and takes her to his favorite spot atop the town's clock tower. Before he can confess, Sakina reveals that her heart already belongs to a man named Imaan. She explains that Imaan had rented a room in her house a year ago and, upon departing for an unspecified journey, promised to return and reunite with her on the night of Eid. Despite his prolonged absence, she continues to wait for him faithfully. Devastated by the revelation but skeptical of Imaan's existence, Raj seeks counsel from Gulabji. Secretly harboring her own unrequited love for Raj, Gulabji suppresses her pain and encourages him to confess his feelings to Sakina.

On the night of Eid, with the local neighborhood supporting him, Raj takes Sakina back to the RK Bar and dedicates a romantic song to her. Midway through the performance, Sakina realizes it is time to meet Imaan and abruptly rushes out to the footbridge. Raj follows her and tries to convince her that Imaan is a figment of her imagination, causing an upset Sakina to ask him to leave her alone. Heartbroken and disillusioned, Raj returns to Gulabji and asks to spend the night with her. Offended and deeply hurt that Raj views her only as a transactional escape, Gulabji has him thrown out into the street, where her guards beat him.

A bruised and remorseful Raj returns to the bridge, where Sakina is still waiting in vain. As midnight passes and Imaan fails to appear, a heartbroken Sakina accepts that he will not return and decides to move on with Raj. Raj successfully cheers her up, and the two happily plan their future together. However, as they walk back across the same footbridge, they notice a silhouette waiting in the shadows—revealed to be Imaan.

Sakina hesitates, torn between her developing bond with Raj and her long-standing devotion to Imaan. Sensing her internal conflict, Raj selflessly steps aside and urges her to choose her original love without guilt. Sakina reunites with Imaan, and the two walk away together into the night. The film concludes with Raj walking away alone into the snow, looking back on his brief time with Sakina with a resilient smile.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Bhansali initially wanted Rani Mukerji and Salman Khan's extended guest appearances to be hidden from the public,[5] but later announced that they would appear in the film in supporting roles.[6]

Elaborate sets for the film's imaginary city, complete with lakes, streets, shops, signages and a clock tower, were designed by the production designer Omung Kumar, who had previously worked with Bhansali on Black (2005).[7]

Release

[edit]

The first official teaser of the film was accessed by New York Times on 25 August 2007.[8] The first screening was held on 28 October 2007, though only for those associated with the film.[9]

This film was released on 9 November 2007, clashing with Om Shanti Om, starring Shahrukh Khan, and Deepika Padukone.

Soundtrack

[edit]
Saawariya
Soundtrack album by
Released
19 September 2007 (India)
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length47:44
Label
ProducerSanjay Leela Bhansali
Monty Sharma chronology
Black
(2005)
Saawariya
(2007)
TBA
(2009)

The soundtrack album of the film is composed by Monty Sharma with lyrics written by Sameer. The soundtrack was released to mixed reviews on 19 September 2007. Indiafm gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, saying, "The title song would be remembered for months to come, if not years, the others do not really go that extra distance."[10] According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 10,00,000 units sold, the film's soundtrack album was the year's fourteenth highest-selling.[11]

Saawariya Soundtrack
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Saawariya"SameerShail Hada2:45
2."Jab Se Tere Naina"SameerShaan4:44
3."Masha-Allah"SameerKunal Ganjawala, Shreya Ghoshal5:28
4."Thode Badmaash"Nusrat Badr (Composed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali)Shreya Ghoshal3:19
5."Yun Shabnami"Sandeep NathParthiv Gohil5:15
6."Daras Bina Nahin Chain"SameerRicha Sharma, Shail Hada, Parthiv Gohil4:45
7."Sawar Gayi"SameerShreya Ghoshal3:42
8."Jaan-E-Jaan"SameerKunal Ganjawala, Shreya Ghoshal5:59
9."Pari"SameerKunal Ganjawala5:19
10."Chhabeela"SameerAlka Yagnik5:23
11."Saawariya (Reprise)"SameerShail Hada3:06
Total length:44:43

Reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 38% of 21 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5/10. The website's consensus reads: "It's pleasing to the eye, but Saawariya struggles to fill its runtime with a story whose clichés unfortunately outnumber its points of interest."[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 44 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[13]

Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express criticized the screenplay of the film calling it "static", adding that "Saawariya is an act of supreme self-indulgence".[14] Jaspreet Pandohar of BBC rated the film 2 out of 5 writing, "It's a clear case of self-indulgence and theatrical style over substance; with the director paying little attention to fleshing out the skeletal screenplay, preferring instead to focus on coaxing 'good-looking' performances from his young muses."[15]

Accolades

[edit]
Award[a] Date of ceremony[b] Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Filmfare Awards 16 February 2008 Best Supporting Actress Rani Mukerji Nominated [16]
[17]
Best Male Debut Ranbir Kapoor Won
Best Female Debut Sonam Kapoor Nominated
Best Music Director Monty Sharma Nominated
Best Lyricist Sameer Anjaan – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer Shaan – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Won
International Indian Film Academy Awards 6–8 June 2008 Best Supporting Actress Rani Mukerji Nominated [18]
[19]
Best Male Debut Ranbir Kapoor Won
Best Music Director Monty Sharma Nominated
Best Lyricist Sameer Anjaan – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer Shaan – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Won
Best Female Playback Singer Shreya Ghoshal – ("Thode Badmash") Nominated
Producers Guild Film Awards 30 March 2008 Best Male Debut Ranbir Kapoor Won [20]
[21]
Best Music Director Monty Sharma Nominated
Best Lyricist Sameer Anjaan – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Nominated
Sandeep Nath – ("Yun Shabnami") Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer Shaan – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Won
Best Art Direction Omung Kumar, Vanita Omung Kumar Nominated
Best Choreography Ganesh Hegde & Pappu Mallu – ("Yun Shabnami") Nominated
Best Sound Recording Resul Pookutty Nominated
Screen Awards 10 January 2008 Best Male Debut Ranbir Kapoor Won [22]
[23]
Best Female Debut Sonam Kapoor Nominated
Best Music Director Monty Sharma Nominated
Best Lyricist Sameer Anjaan – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer Shaan – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Nominated
Best Cinematography Ravi K. Chandran Nominated
Best Art Direction Omung Kumar Nominated
Best Choreography Ganesh Hegde & Pappu Mallu – ("Yun Shabnami") Nominated
Stardust Awards 25 January 2008 Dream Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali Nominated [24]
[25]
Best Supporting Actress Rani Mukerji Nominated
Superstar of Tomorrow – Male Ranbir Kapoor Won
Superstar of Tomorrow – Female Sonam Kapoor Won
Standout Performance by a Music Director Monty Sharma Won
Sanjay Leela Bhansali Nominated
Standout Performance by a Lyricist Sandeep Nath – ("Yun Shabnami") Won
New Musical Sensation – Male Shail Hada – ("Saawariya") Nominated
Zee Cine Awards 26 April 2008 Best Male Debut Ranbir Kapoor Won [26]
[27]
[28]
Best Female Debut Sonam Kapoor Nominated
Best Lyricist Sameer Anjaan – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer Shaan – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Won

Notes

[edit]
  1. Awards, festivals and organizations are in alphabetical order.
  2. Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 "Saawariya". Variety Insight. 10 November 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Saawariya – Movie". Box Office India.
  3. Chhabra, Aseem, "From Bollywood to Chinatown: Warner Bros. teams with India for 'Chandni Chowk' martial-arts musical", Film Journal International, 14 January 2009
  4. "Bollywood Comes to Blu-ray with 'Saawariya'". High-Def Digest. 3 January 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  5. "Rani Mukherji to play courtesan in Saawariya". 9 November 2006. Retrieved 30 September 2007.
  6. "Rani plays a prostitute in Saawariya". 8 January 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2007.
  7. Deepanjana Pal (September 2013). "Places Other Than This". The Big Indian Picture. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  8. "mid-day.com". Saawariya Debuts in New York Times. Retrieved 16 September 2007.
  9. "'Saawariya' first screening held". Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  10. "Music review". 27 March 2006. Retrieved 21 September 2007.
  11. "Music Hits 2000–2009 (Figures in Units)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 24 June 2010.
  12. "Saawariya". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 16 July 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  13. "Saawariya". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc.
  14. "Saawariya". The Indian Express. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  15. "Saawariya (Beloved)". BBC. 5 November 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  16. "Nominees – 53rd Annual Filmfare Awards". Bollywood Hungama. Bollywood Hungama News Network. 6 February 2008. Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  17. "Winners of 53rd Annual Filmfare Awards". Bollywood Hungama. Bollywood Hungama News Network. 23 February 2008. Archived from the original on 22 November 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  18. "Nominations for the IIFA Awards 2008". Bollywood Hungama. Bollywood Hungama News Network. 16 April 2008. Archived from the original on 8 March 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  19. "IIFA 2008: And the award goes to..." CNN-News18. 9 June 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  20. Bollywood Hungama News Network (14 March 2008). "Nominations for 3rd Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  21. Bollywood Hungama News Network (1 April 2008). "Winners of 3rd Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  22. "Nominees for 14th Annual Screen Awards". Bollywood Hungama. IndiaFM News Bureau. 2 January 2008. Archived from the original on 29 April 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  23. "Winners of 14th Annual Star Screen Awards". Bollywood Hungama. Bollywood Hungama News Network. 11 January 2008. Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  24. "Nominations for Max Stardust Awards 2008". Bollywood Hungama. Bollywood Hungama News Network. 25 December 2007. Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  25. "Winners of Max Stardust Awards 2008". Bollywood Hungama. Bollywood Hungama News Network. 26 January 2008. Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  26. "Nominations for the Zee Cine Awards 2008". Bollywood Hungama. Bollywood Hungama News Network. 1 April 2008. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  27. "Winners of the Zee Cine Awards 2008". Bollywood Hungama. Bollywood Hungama News Network. 27 April 2008. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  28. "Zee Cine Awards 2008 winners". Zee News. 23 April 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
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