Richard Gallagher

HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: Saawariya

Saawariya

Studio: Sony/Columbia Year: 2007 Rated: PG Program Length: 138 minutes Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 1080p AVC/MPEG-4 codec Languages: Hindi Dolby TrueHD 5.1, English Descriptive Audio 5.1 Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish (Latin American), Spanish (Castilian), Portuguese (Brazilian), Korean, Thai, Chinese, Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hindi, German, Turkish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, Bulgarian, Portuguese (Classic)

The Program

Said to be the first Bollywood musical to be financed by a major Hollywood studio, Saawariya also has the distinction of being adapted from a work by Dostoevevsky (a short story entitled “White Nights”). Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, it is essentially a fairly simple love story about a woman who is betrothed to one man but finds herself attracted to another.

The beginning of the film is narrated by Gulabji (Rani Mukherjee), a beautiful woman who “trades in false romance” and who “when business is good” patronizes the magnificent RK Bar. One night at the bar she meets Raj (Ranbir Kapoor), a free-spirited wanderer, who arrives in town with little more than his guitar. She laughs when he orders a glass of milk, but then he explains that he is a singer and, of course, he then breaks into song for her.

Raj later meets Sakina (Sonam Kapoor), another gorgeous woman, who waits on a bridge every night for the return of the man she loves, Imaan (Salman Khan). Raj immediately falls for Sakina, and she finds herself becoming enamored with him. Will Sakina reciprocate the feelings which Raj has for her, or will she continue to wait for Imaan? Is Imaan ever going to return to her? That, in a nutshell, is the plot, and it takes more than two hours for it to play out.

The viewer’s patience may well depend upon one’s interest in Bollywood musicals. While the plot is paper-thin, the visuals are pretty spectacular, with bright and vivid costumes, imaginative sets, and musical numbers which are energetic and plentiful. It is also very wholesome, although one piece that I saw cautions that the film contains “exposed bellybuttons.” Consider yourselves warned.

The Video

The 1080p Blu-ray widescreen transfer is terrific. There are some bright primary colors in this film and they appear to be solid and accurate. The picture is extremely sharp and free of grain. Much of the film takes place at night, so the excellent black levels and superb shadow detail really help to make this disc a pleasure to watch. Some of the scenes are positively stunning, so those looking for a demo disc to impress friends and family may want to consider this one. Bravo to Sony for an outstanding Blu-ray release.

The Audio

The Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1 audio is in Hindi, supported by more subtitle options than I have ever seen on a single disc. The audio is excellent and does a fine job of creating a pleasing soundstage for the musical numbers. The film’s aspect ratio is 2.40:1, so the subtitles are mostly below the picture. One minor annoyance is that there is some English dialogue in the film, but even those lines are subtitled. When I have the time I will have to try watching the film with Icelandic subtitles.

The Supplements

The extras are rather skimpy, and to boot they are in non-anamorphic standard definition.

First up is a featurette entitled “Making of the Music,” which essentially is a 20-minute paean to director Sanjary Leela Bhansali. Also included is a 22-minute featurette with the self-explanatory title “Premiere Night.” Oddly enough, much of the same footage appears in both featurettes.

Also included for some inexplicable reason are two television commercials for Citibank’s Rupee Checking Account. If you are planning to send money to India, Citibank may be the way to go, but why the commercials are listed as Trailers on the menu is anyone’s guess.

The Packaging

The single disc comes in a standard Blu-ray keepcase.

The Final Analysis

I certainly do not claim to be an expert on Bollywood musicals, so I cannot say how representative Saawariya is of the genre. The plot is simplistic and the film is much longer than it needs to be, but the Blu-ray disc looks and sounds great and the actors are attractive and personable.

Incidentally, I searched online to see if I could find a translation of “Saawariya.” I have not found a literal translation, but some sources say that it means “beloved” or “eternal soul mate.” Perhaps some reader can give us a definitive answer?

Equipment used for this review:

Panasonic DMP-BD10A DVD Player
Sharp LC-42D62U LCD display
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable

Release Date: May 6, 2008

Mike Frezon

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: Saawariya

Richard: Thanks very much for your review of this title.

Ever since I posted the title in this week's RoundUp I've been wondering what it was all about. Your description satisfied my curiosity quite nicely. While it doesn't sound like my cup of tea, it does peak my interest. Maybe a rental sometime if I'm in the mood for something different.

There's Jessie the yodeling cowgirl. Bullseye, he's Woody's horse. Pete the old prospector. And, Woody, the man himself. Of course, it's time for Woody's RoundUp. He's the very best! He's the rootinest, tootinest cowboy in the wild, wild west!

BrettB

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: Saawariya

I saw Taal (1999) at Ebertfest a few years ago and that's the extent of my Bollywood experience. Assuming that's typ. BW fare it's sort of like stepping into a time machine.

This is the second review I've seen calling it demo material so I'll rent this sucker and check it out.

Ennsio

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: Saawariya

If you're going to demo it to others, make sure you warn them ahead of time about the exposed bellybuttons.

Sanjay Gupta

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: Saawariya

Its sad that such a great Blu-Ray disc is wasted on a very mediocre, at best, film. Wish Sony would release Lagaan & Mission Kashmir soon witht he same quality.