Saawariya () 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 studioChhabra, Aseem, "From Bollywood to Chinatown: Warner Bros. teams with India for 'Chandni Chowk' martial-arts musical", Film Journal International, 14 January 2009 and is one of the first Indian films to be released on Blu-ray Disc.
Saawariya was released on 9 November 2007 and 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, and emerged as a commercial disaster. Despite the film's underperformance, the film has become a cult classic over the years.
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 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 Ranbir Kapoor as Ranbir Raj Malhotra Sonam Kapoor as Sakina Khan Rani Mukerji as Gulabji Salman Khan as Imaan Pirzada Zohra Sehgal as Lillian "Lillipop" Begum Para as Nabila / Badi Ammi Vibha Chibber as Naseeban Atheya Chaudhri as Jhumri Aapa Kenny Desai as Mr. D' Costa
Production Bhansali initially wanted Rani Mukerji and Salman Khan's extended guest appearances to be hidden from the public, but later announced that they would appear in the film in supporting roles.
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).
Release The first official teaser of the film was accessed by New York Times on 25 August 2007. The first screening was held on 28 October 2007, though only for those associated with the film.
This film was released on 9 November 2007, clashing with Om Shanti Om, starring Shahrukh Khan, and Deepika Padukone.
Soundtrack
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." 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.
Reception Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the a score of 44 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
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". 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."
Accolades Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Filmfare Awards 16 February 2008 Best Supporting Actress Best Male Debut Best Female Debut Best Music Director Best Lyricist – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Best Male Playback Singer – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") International Indian Film Academy Awards6–8 June 2008 Best Supporting Actress Best Male Debut Best Music Director Best Lyricist – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Best Male Playback Singer – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Best Female Playback Singer – ("Thode Badmash") Producers Guild Film Awards 30 March 2008 Best Male Debut Best Music Director Best Lyricist – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") – ("Yun Shabnami") Best Male Playback Singer – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Best Art Direction , Best Choreography & – ("Yun Shabnami") Best Sound Recording Screen Awards 10 January 2008 Best Male Debut Best Female Debut Best Music Director Best Lyricist – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Best Male Playback Singer – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Best Cinematography Best Art Direction Best Choreography & – ("Yun Shabnami") Stardust Awards 25 January 2008 Dream Director Best Supporting Actress Superstar of Tomorrow – Male Superstar of Tomorrow – Female Standout Performance by a Music Director Standout Performance by a Lyricist – ("Yun Shabnami") New Musical Sensation – Male – ("Saawariya") Zee Cine Awards 26 April 2008 Best Male Debut Best Female Debut Best Lyricist – ("Jab Se Tere Naina") Best Male Playback Singer – ("Jab Se Tere Naina")
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