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As I left the film theater, after watching ‘Saawariya’ the first thing that came to my mind was not “…and the winner between ‘Om Shanti Om’ and ‘Saawariya’ is…”, but the obvious similarities between the two films.
Yes, I found both of them quite alike in various respects. No, forget the fact that in both the films new faces have been launched. Am not talking about such facile similarities.

Both the films deal with ‘waiting for one’s love’ – yes, the time period differs, I agree; one is an ode to Manmohan Desai, the baap of Hindi entertainers; the other an equally unabashed tribute to the showman himself – Raj Kapoor. Even the dialogues sound the same – “I likes” anyone? A thread from Deepika Padukone’s dress gets stuck in Shahrukh Khan’s wrist; Sonam Kapoor finds her dress pinned to the bed where Salman Khan lies; OSO begins with the song “Om Shanti Om” from Karz; here Ranbir sings the first few lines from the same song…

So, what am I trying to prove here? Am I giving an entirely new spin to the now famous “rivalry” between the directors-producers-filmmakers by saying “Hello? There is a plagiarism suit opportunity right in front of you?”

No!

These similarities just go to prove that there are certain common threads (pun intended) running through both the films even though Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Farah Khan are two entirely different kinds of directors. And their recent releases stand testament to that fact.

Firstly, I could never quite understand the so-called rivalry bit between the two films. I distinctly remember ‘Dil’ and ‘Ghayal’ were released on the same day. Both went on to become huge money earners. There was then not even a hint of the verbal fisticuffs that we all have been witness to in the past few months.

Let’s face it. The two films are different. While Farah seems to have firmly settled herself on the mantle of being the protégé of Manmohan Desai; SLB, on the other hand, has gone the “painting by light” way. Instead of playing partisan to either, I think I can safely declare that in the end,irrespective of who wins at the box office, cinema has won. While one hits the bull’s eye when it comes to cinema as ‘entertainment’, the other will be quoted as an example of the art that cinema is. One is a master of the craft, the other of the art – no argument on that. So, is this that eternal debate of art film and commercial film in a new avatar? Is that what I am trying to propose?

No, again!

I have never ever subscribed to this view. I firmly hold that there are only two kinds of cinema – good and bad. An individual makes a film so that more and more people can see and appreciate it. Hence, film making is a commercial activity. Because not all of us can make a successful film, hence film is an art. But, I digress.

Coming back to ‘Saawariya’, after watching an out-and-out entertainer yesterday in ‘Om Shanti Om’ I knew I had to go with a fresh mind. And to be frank, I did not dislike ‘Saawariya’. Considering the fact that four people seated beside me at the Premier Stall of an upmarket cinema theater in Delhi left when the interval lights came on, I know I am in the minority. In this regard, I remember a particular conversation between a twenty-odd girl and her friends who had just come out after watching “OSO” – I overheard them when I was entering the theater to watch ‘Saawariya’. They were complaining about Farah Khan and the kind of films she makes – “preposterous” is the word they used.

I wonder if there is an error in judgment on our, the audience’s part, when we are going to watch either of these films. Is that the reason most of us are getting dejected, let down and disappointed?

I knew what to expect when I went to watch an SLB film. I knew I shall watch gorgeous sets, an eye for detail, spellbinding cinematography and brilliantly picturized songs. Brickbats are welcome, but after Guru Dutt, I have not seen many people picturize songs as beautifully as SLB does. But SLB, curiously enough decided to pay homage to Raj Kapoor, instead. From as in-your-face as naming his protagonist Ranbir Raj Kapoor to the huge RK neon, the bowler hat that Ranbir wears, the raising of the right hand, the usage of an umbrella, Sonam gradually arching backwards as she lay in Ranbir’s arms a la the famous RK logo, the tune of “Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi”…the showman is ubiquitous in the film.

This is a film that any aspiring cinematographer should buy a copy of and watch again and again. Ravi K Chandran has done with the camera what Omung Kumar has accomplished with the sets. Like OSO’s first half effortlessly transports you to the 1970s, ‘Saawariya’ takes you to a land which is dreamy, ethereal and simply, magnificent. This is a place where you want fire to float on water, and it does!

The male lead has a boyish charm, the female lead has pellucid eyes—a rarity in today’s cinema—but the film falters, and how! While others pointed out that the songs were too many and not too far between, I blame the story. There is not much to it, really! ‘So, what?’ as some might say. “Did OSO have a solid story line?’ (since the comparison, it seems, is inevitable, no matter how much I try to avoid it). No, OSO didn’t. But it was a different kind of film. I am a Manmohan Desai fan myself, but I, too, admit, there was never much of a story in any of his films. The problem lies in the fact that ‘Saawariya’ needed a better etched story line. Granted, it’s a tale of just four nights, but so much can happen during that time span.

I own Visconti’s ‘White Nights’. But that film ran a whole of 92 mins. This, on the other hand has a running time of 142mins. Same story, but a difference of around an hour. So much could have happened. The sets, the props, the actors – they were all there.
But brilliant cinematography does not make a film. Filmmaking after all is storytelling and I need not remind a veteran like SLB that a good film is a good story well told. You had the story, but somewhere amidst the sets and props and detailing, I think it got lost. And unlike the letter that your protagonist burnt and set sail on water, your story, respected SLB, just might not float.