By: Calinda D’Souza
The teaser of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya is out, and every frame to each sound seals the Bhansali trademark. Haunting, surreal, poetic, visually beautiful, a moving larger-than-life canvas, an experience in itself, this 1 minute 30 seconds trailer literally sends a cold chill down your spine! Fyodor Dostoevsky’s love story novel, White Nights, comes to life and in such a soulful, timeless, yet contemporary manner in this Bhansali version. It is no wonder that the trailer has caught a lot of attention. The award-winning filmmaker who gave Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Ajay Devgan, Aishwarya Rai, Nana Patekar as well as others their career-best performances directs newcomers Ranbir Kapoor, son of yesteryears movie stars Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, and Sonam Kapoor, daughter of acclaimed actor Anil Kapoor, in his latest offering due this November. Though neither their entire faces are seen nor voices heard in the teaser, there is no doubt that the two look most promising and are debuting in one of the best platforms ever! Ranbir looks charming and shows off a great, lean body, and Sonam seems to convey her character’s anguish and loneliness well. Together, the two certainly make a refreshing pair! With budding investment interests in the Indian film market, Sony Pictures chose Saawariya to be their first Indian film to co-produce. While many other Indian films could have been chosen, the selection of Saawariya reflects Sony Pictures’ desire to venture into the fort of popular Hindi films, otherwise known as Bollywood. Saawariya is absolute vintage Bollywood as evident in its colors, its melodrama, its essential love story, and its song-and-dance numbers. Directed by the man whose name is synonymous with Bollywood extravaganza, Saawariya is a collaborative effort to represent the rich, colorful culture and creative vision of India, a land forever remembered for its symbolic Taj Mahal, and its thousands of films per year that celebrate and examine the human experience. At the same time, from the statue of Buddha to the European architecture to the Moulin Rouge feel to the Russian origins of the story, Saawariya is a genuine attempt to appeal and connect to a larger international audience. This collaboration is another feather in Bhansali’s cap after the highly successful Devdas, the first Indian film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival, in 2002. His Devdas remains a highpoint in Indian cinematic history as it has brought more worldwide attention to mainstream Indian cinema. “We are reaping the fruits off the tree he sowed,”says filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. With a record high of 1,450 trailers releasing globally in around 73 countries, Saawariya is destined to be another highpoint in Indian cinematic history. Sony Pictures has firm belief in Bhansali’s work. “Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s body of work has been in a class of its own,”quotes Amy Pascal, Vice-Chairman of the company. Saawariya is an invitation to Bollywood, and for some non-Indian people, it will be their first Bollywood experience! Though Bhansali may be one of the better known contemporary filmmakers, the Indian film industry has existed for a long time and has a very large pool of talented filmmakers that makes all types of films, including less glamorous ones. One hopes that Bhansali’s Saawariya will be successfully received by the rest of the world and will further open interest and other collaborative international investment opportunities in the Indian film industry. In this regard, Saawariya is this year’s most important Bollywood film. One wishes Sony Pictures, Bhansali, and the two newcomers the very best this November 9, 2007!
