Saawariya
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Written by	Prakash Kapadia Vibhu Puri
Based on	White Nights byFyodor Dostoevsky
Produced by	Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring	Ranbir Kapoor Sonam Kapoor Rani Mukerji Salman Khan Zohra Sehgal
Narrated by	Rani Mukerji
Cinematography	Ravi K. Chandran
Edited by	Bela Sehgal
Music by	Monty Sharma
Production companies	Columbia Pictures[1] SPE Films India[1] Sanjay Leela Bhansali Films
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing International
Release date	9 November 2007 (2007-11-09) (India)
Running time	138 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹45 crore[2]
Box office	₹39.22 crore[2]

Saawariya (transl. Beloved) is a 2007 IndianHindi-languageromance film produced and directed bySanjay Leela Bhansali, based onFyodor Dostoevsky's 1848 short storyWhite Nights. The film marked the debut ofRanbir Kapoor andSonam Kapoor. It was the last film appearance of bothZohra Sehgal andBegum Para before their deaths. Co-produced bySony Pictures Entertainment, it is the firstBollywood film to receive aNorth American release by a Hollywood studio^[3] and is one of the first Bollywood films to be released onBlu-ray Disc.^[4]

Saawariya was released on 9 November 2007, and turned out to be acommercial disaster. It received mixed-to-negative reviews upon release, with praise for its soundtrack, production design, grand artistic approach and performances of the cast; however, its story, screenplay and pacing received sharp criticism.

At the53rd Filmfare Awards,Saawariya received 6 nominations, includingBest Supporting Actress (Rani Mukerji) andBest Music Director (Monty Sharma), and wonBest Male Debut (Ranbir Kapoor) andBest Male Playback Singer (Shaan for "Jab Se Tere Naina").

The story is narrated by Gulabji, aprostitute who frequents RK Bar, the town's most luxurious club. The bar's lead singer, Raj, whom she affectionately calls "Saawariya" ("beloved"), is a free-spirited and kindhearted man. Despite knowing what Gulab does, Raj is friendly to her, and unlike other men, is kind to the other prostitutes, trying to brighten their sad lives. When he tells Gulab that he needs a job and somewhere to stay, she tells him that there is only one woman who'll give him a place to stay: Lillian – but she allows only those she likes.

Raj meets Lillian and they have an emotional conversation, during which Lillian reveals she had a son who left her many years ago to join the army and never returned. She lets Raj stay with her because he reminds her of her long-lost son. That night, Raj meets a mysterious girl. He tries to talk to her, but under the wrong impression, she shouts at him to go away. Raj tells her that he will, on the condition that he would escort her to safety, lest someone with bad intentions trouble her. As predicted by Raj, a drunkard begins following her and Raj saves her from him. After that, she allows him to escort her home. Raj discovers her name is Sakina and falls in love with her.

Raj decides to confess his feelings to Sakina. He resigns from his job to meet her and calls her but she ignores him. He gets angry with her but the pair reconcile. He takes her to his favourite place, on the top of theclock tower. There, Sakina reveals that she is in love with a man named Imaan. Imaan had left but promised to return for Sakina onEid. It has been a while but she is still waiting for him faithfully. Hearing this, Raj becomes heartbroken and does not confess. However, he refuses to believe that there is an Imaan. He asks Gulab for advice, who advises him to tell Sakina how he feels. With the entire neighbourhood cheering him on, Raj decides to propose to Sakina on the night ofEid.

He takes Sakina to RK Bar and sings his favourite song for her: "Saawariya". Sakina remembers that it is time to meet Imaan and leaves. Following her, Raj tells her that he has discovered that there is no Imaan. Sakina tells him to let her go. Hurt, Raj goes to Gulab, saying he wants to sleep with her. Gulab, who loves Raj, is deeply hurt and gets Raj thrown out onto the street, where he is beaten up by a few of Gulab's henchmen. He returns to where Sakina is waiting. Imaan has still not arrived. Sakina, heartbroken, becomes sure that Imaan will not come back so she decides to be with Raj. Raj tries to make Sakina happy and succeeds. When they are returning home, they pass the bridge where they first met and see Imaan waiting for Sakina. Sakina hesitates as she steps toward Raj. Raj however tells her to go with happiness and Sakina reunites with Imaan. Imaan asks her if she is willing to accept a sad life with him to which she says yes and they both walk away together.

The movie ends with Raj walking away while reminiscing about the sweet moments he spent with Sakina in a style similar toRaj Kapoor from the filmShree 420 (1955).

• Ranbir Kapoor as Ranbir Raj Malhotra
• Sonam Kapoor as Sakina Khan
• Rani Mukerji as Gulabji
• Salman Khan as Imaan Pirzada
• Zohra Sehgal as Lillian a.k.a. Lillipop
• Begum Para as Nabila/Badi Ammi
• Vibha Chibber as Naseeban
• Atheya Chaudhri as Jhumri Aapa
• Kenny Desai as Mr. D'Costa

Bhansali initially wantedRani Mukerji andSalman Khan's extended guest appearances to be hidden from the public,^[5] but later announced that they would appear in the film in supporting roles.^[6]

Elaborate sets for the film's imaginary city, complete with lakes, streets, shops, signages and a clock tower, were designed by the production designerOmung Kumar, who had previously worked with Bhansali onBlack (2005).^[7]

The first official teaser of the film was accessed byNew York Times on 25 August 2007.^[8] The first screening was held on 28 October 2007, though only for those associated with the film.^[9]

This film was released on 9 November 2007, clashing with another Bollywood filmOm Shanti Om, starringShahrukh Khan, andDeepika Padukone.

The soundtrack album of the film is composed byMonty Sharma and lyrics were written bySameer. 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."^[10] According to the Indian trade websiteBox Office India, with around 10,00,000 units sold, the film's soundtrack album was the year's fourteenth highest-selling.^[11]

On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 38% of 21 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5/10. The website's consensus reads: "It's pleasing to the eye, butSaawariya struggles to fill its runtime with a story whose clichés unfortunately outnumber its points of interest."^[12]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 44 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.^[13]

Shubhra Gupta ofThe Indian Express criticized the screenplay of the film calling it "static", adding that "Saawariya is an act of supreme self-indulgence".^[14] Jaspreet Pandohar ofBBC 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."^[15]

• Saawariya atIMDb

• 2007 films
• Sony Pictures Networks India films
• 2000s Hindi-language films
• Indian romantic musical films
• Columbia Pictures films
• Films directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali
• Films based on White Nights (short story)
• Films shot in Maharashtra
• Sony Pictures films
• Films involved in plagiarism controversies
• Films about prostitution in India
• Indian intellectual property law
• Indian romantic drama films
• Indian interfaith romance films
• 2007 controversies

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