SAAWARIYA REVIEW - RATING 3.5/5

One half of the two major releases this Diwali, there are major expectations from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya ; one reason being that it marks the debuts of Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam and Rishi Kapoor’s son Ranbir. Do the youngsters live up to the acting prowess of their parents? Read on...

Cutting through the chase, Saawariya is a visual brilliance even though the plotline is very thin. The sets are very imaginative and the larger than life experience that Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s gives the audience in every film is now down to earth but with something really magical. The performances are beautiful and though you cannot include this to be out of the world cinema, it does relocate you into another world.

The highlight of the film is the young innocence present in the two main characters. They dance to choreographed songs with extras behind them; they are in love but it’s not two way; It’s all been seen before but not like this. That’s where the screenplay comes into play. Small things and incidents between the two characters radiate so much bloom that it’s difficult not to fall in love with the two.

Rishi Kapoor made a huge splash in Bobby and his son doesn’t let him down. Ranbir makes the debut of a life-time and it is evident that another member of the Kapoor clan has arrived. He is not the polished clean-shaven stud but a young boy with a heart of gold who is deeply in love. Here’s a new-comer to definitely watch out for. Sonam too emotes perfect expressions for her part and looks very beautiful. Kudos to Sanjay Leela Bhansali for getting the best of out the two.

Visually this is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s best film to date. A very simple story told in a beautiful way and Bhansali lives up to his tag of being a master craftsman. In fact you get a theatrical feel while watching the film. The sets are beautiful and you just cannot keep your eyes of them. The dialogues are simplistic- just what is required in this film. No high dosage of heavy dialogues here.

Rani plays a prostitute once again after Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and manages to do a much better job this time though one cannot completely explain her presence in the film. Salman Khan reminds you of his other special appearance in Saawan, Garv- Pride and Honour and numerous other serious films that he has acted in before- nothing new. Zohra Sehgal is terrific once again after Cheeni Kum .

Sweet innocence has returned once again to Bollywood and Ranbir and Sonam are part of it. Though the film is slow at several places, one cannot forget that there is freshness in Saawariya that hasn’t been seen in a very long time. If you loved the purity of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak , then you are bound to love film as well.