'Saawariya' is a love story between two youngsters - a Hindu boy and a Muslim girl. The film's tagline says: “Her world was the wait for love. His was the wait for her love. What echoed was...Saawariya.”
Two years after enthralling the movie world with his highly acclaimed movie 'Black', filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali returns with 'Saawariya'. The film is said to be inspired from Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story 'White Nights'.
'Saawariya' is a timeless story of two young star-crossed lovers whose passions almost consume their will to the brink of self-destruction. In this eternal tale of an ode to romance, stand two lonely souls whose childlike innocence and candour only obscures their inner turmoil, anger, anxiety and desperate wait for love.
An artist, a free spirit, an idealist and dreamer, Raj is certain that he has found his ultimate dream when he arrives at a quaint picturesque town. A place surrounded by mountains, shrouded in mist and enveloped in beauty, mythical enough to be a painter's vision or a poet's memory.
However, destiny paints a different picture for Raj... One silent bright and starry night, he spots a mysterious girl draped in black, standing alone at a bridge.
This chance encounter introduces him to Sakina, a shy and quiet, melancholic and enigmatic girl who continues to intrigue him. Thus follows the beginning of a new friendship, where Raj, with his most charming ways and an undying spirit, tries to win Sakina's heart.
Raj is unable to accept her haunting past and their friendship pulls him into a whirlwind of desire, madness and romance.
Through Raj and Sakina's journey together, we are reminded of the fragility of the human heart. In the couple's anguish and test of faith, is revealed the power of unconditional love through a thousand layers of tumultuous emotions.
The film has Salman Khan in a brief role. He plays a romantic and flirtatious character named Iman. He speaks crassly but has a sense of humour about everything.
Rani Mukherjee, another one of Bhansali's favourites, also plays a cameo. Reportedly, she plays a prostitute.
After making Black , Bhansali says he was left wondering what to do next. He had already worked with the best talents in the industry. Now he needed a new challenge.
“I decided to do a fresh, simple love story with newcomers. I didn't want big stars. This was the challenge I undertook,” says Bhansali.
The two newcomers Bhansali chose were Ranbir and Sonam. Both had assisted him during the making of 'Black'. Back then, Sonam was a plump girl who weighed 90 kgs. When Bhansali told her that she would be the heroine of his next film, she couldn't believe it. Bhansali told her to work on her body to get back in shape to play the leading lady in 'Saawariya'. Sonam worked hard and within a few months she lost 30 kgs.
Ranbir, on the other hand, was told not to build his physique. Bhansali wanted a lean-looking hero. Ranbir has also revealed his bare torso in a song in the film. In the song, a love-struck Ranbir is showing singing and dancing with just a towel on.
In 'Saawariya' Bhansali has banked on new music director Monty Sharma, who did the background score for 'Black'. The film's music album has 11 songs, of which one number has been composed by Bhansali himself. It is a tune that Bhansali had been humming for many years. He gave the tune to Monty who changed it to musical notations and came up with the song Thode Badmash Ho Tum.
Going by the movie's promos, 'Saawariya' will be rich in visual imagery typical of Bhansali's style. The film's cinematography is by Ravi K Chandran who has given a blue and green hue to the film.
Most of the movie has been shot in the misty night-light that was artificially created in the studios. Before the shooting commenced, Bhansali reportedly asked Chandran to give a surrealistic shade to the visuals. And Chandran seems to have done a good job.
'Saawariya' is set to release on November 9, which is also the day when Shah Rukh Khan's much-awaited Om Shanti Om hits the screens.
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