Saathiya (2002)

A great directorial debut by Shaad Ali, and what can I say about the young Vivek Oberoi!!! He has bettered himself in every following movie. He is the future star to watch. Days of Hrithik Roshan (the dancing monkey as I like to call him) are long gone and forgotten. All great actors have said that the best way to act is not to act at all. Let yourself show through your character. And Vivek personifies this principle to perfection. He is a genuine actor. No boastful muscles, and no exceptional dancing skills, yet so effective. The key is his originality. He knows his limits, and doesn't try very hard to be the character that he is playing - in one word - effortless. He is the kind of guy you and I can relate to - typical desi neighborhood boy.

This movie will make you laugh, make you cry, and keep you glued to the screen. Music is excellent and songs seem appropriate to the occasions where they appear. Script is entertaining, realistic, and very tightly written. The movie is packed with genuine performances. Except Satish Shah, whose character wasn't given much leverage, all others leave an impact. Rani has done a wonderful job, and looks very sweet, as always - chubby & adorable. Direction is spotless. Shaad has done an excellent job keeping the film story from deviating off the theme.

Overall, a good entertainer. This one is going into my DVD collection. Oh yes, Sir! By all means!

Fmovies: The pre-release hype was huge, the soundtrack became the second best-selling soundtrack of 2002, and to add, it had names such as AR Rehman (music director), Gulzar (lyricst), and two actors with a huge fan following, Rani Mukherjee and Vivek Oberoi.

The film opened with an average opening in India, UK, and the USA, because it was released alongside the much-delayed star studded Kaante. Then, slowly and gradually, the films collections picked up, and the film managed to gross Rs. 15 crores in India, £288,004 in Great Britain, and $324,111 in America, becoming a hit.

Suhani and Aditya meet at a local wedding. Weeks later, Suhani moves to Mumbai to become a doctor. Aditya meets her at the train station, trying to woo her, but she won't give in. After Aditya's father disrespects Suhani's parents while coming for the alliance and Suhani going to training do they get married secretly. At Dina's (Suhani's sister) alliance, it breaks of Suhani's marriage, and the couple are kicked out of their houses, and move in with each other. Soon, their personalities clash, and an accident almost changes their lives drastically.

Vivek Oberoi delivers his third great performance (following Company and Road), which is amazing for a newcomer. He emotes so well, and has a great passion in his eyes. Rani Mukherjee gives it her all, and steals your heart. She's proved herself as a true actress here.

The music is amazing. All the picturisations are upto mark. The title track is best in audio and film, while other great songs 'Naina Milake', 'Chhalka Chhalka Re', and 'Chupke Se' stay with you. 'Aye Udi Udi's picturisation is perfect, and demonstrates the "shows and characters" they give each other in the bedroom!

If there is any fool: whether they are South Asian, Indo-Caribbean, gori, kali, Chinese, Arab, PLEASE SEE THIS FILM! We can all learn to live life, and stop all these small problems. Because when someone you love almost passes away or does pass away, everything doesn't matter anymore.

10 out of 10

I saw Saathiya on December 20 at Naz8 Cinemas and again on December 25 at the same venue.I liked it even more the second time and intend to see it many more times on the big screen before I finally own the original DVD of the movie. Vivek Oberoi is a talent to watch.After his triumph in Company, he is superb here.Rani Mukerji as Suhani will greatly increase her fan following with this movie. A.R. Rahman and Anil Mehta who were also part of last year's Lagaan are once again magnificent. Shah Rukh Khan and Tabu make brief appearances in guest roles, but they leave an impact and make a great pair.Someone should cast them together in lead roles in a great future movie.Gulzar's dialogues are the best he has ever written. His lyrics may not be outstanding but serve the score well. Above all Shaad Ali in his first directorial effort has surpassed many veterans. His is the most assured debut since Farhan Akhtar's in Dil Chahta Hai.2002 will be remembered for two movies: Devdas and Saathiya.

Saathiya fmovies. This is the best movie ever! Don't miss out on it! Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukherjee have done SUPERB EXCELLENT acting!! The story, its not really very special or unique but the way Vivek and Rani have acted, it seems even better. So if you haven't seen it yet, go see it right now. This isn't something to be missed!!!!!!!!!!!

When you come across a film like first-time director, Shaad Ali's offering, `Saathiya', you want to stand up and cheer. Now, Shaad Ali is the son of Muzaffar Ali who made the exquisite 1981 film `Umrao Jaan', so perhaps his sensibilities and instincts were genetically acquired! Amidst the dreck that is churned out relentlessly by the world's movie industries, a `Saathiya' is that rarity: a simple film, devoid of pretension, that quietly goes about its business and disarms the viewer with its honesty and intensity. `Saathiya', which translates into `partner', deals with every aspect of the partnership involved in marriage.

As the film opens, a young man, blissed out on the music from his earphones, weaves his way through the heavy Mumbai (formerly Bombay) traffic on his motorcycle. He is on his way to the train station to meet his wife, who commutes to her job as a pediatrician in the city. When she isn't on the first train, or the next one, or the next, we watch him, as the night wears on, go from mildly irritated to anxious to completely distraught.

Inter-cut with the scenes of his harried efforts to track her whereabouts, is the story of how they met, how he wooed her, their marriage and evolving, perhaps crumbling, relationship. Through the flashbacks you get to know them, and with rising apprehension, witness his frustration and fear at not being able to find out what has happened to her. Has she left him? Was she abducted? Is she lying wounded or, worse, dead, in some ditch?

As the film takes you back two years, you see him-young, brash, immature, but essentially good-hearted-meet the young woman for the first time. This first encounter takes place at a friend's wedding, where she snubs him. She is brainy, sensible, focused on her studies, and wants no part of a silly romance. Now this is nothing new: countless movies have begun in this manner, but where it takes you and how their story is told, is where this one differs from the rest.

The film worked for me on every level. That it is mesmerizing should come as no surprise: the screenplay is by Mani Ratnam, while the dialogue is by Gulzar. These masters take the commonplace and turn it into pure gold. With such superior writing, the characters spring into vivid, recognizable life, and give the director and actors so much to work with. The writers have kept everything grounded in a solid, everyday reality: the different social milieus from which the leads come are familiar to all of us. The young man is spoilt and comes from an upper middle-class family. But, his father's affluence is believable-he is a successful lawyer-in the manner of the everyday world. There is not a trace of `Devdas'-like excess in this film. The young woman's father is a railway employee, and they live in the railway staff housing. Her family, too, in their simple, unglamorous routines, is credible in the way of millions of people are the world over. At the only meeting between the two sets of parents, the lawyer carps that it was difficult to find the other man's house because all the dwellings in the area look alike. The girl's father takes no offence at this; he merely tells the lawyer that that's how the other half lives. Unfortunately, it's downhill from there: the visit ends with an impasse. The parents actively dislike each other, and an alliance between the two families looks unlikely.

Once their backgrounds are established in quick, broad strokes, we get down to the

Remakes, remakes and remakes. Some from Hollywood and some from South India. And the results at the box-office are mostly the same. FLOP! But why? Because these remakes can't achieve the status of the original versions (although good story, good performances or good music). Therefore directors are remaking their own films in Hindi but are failing, as well, because there is too much South Indian touch (Nayak – Mudhalvan; Rehna Tere Dil Main – Minnale; Dil Hi Dil Mein – Kadhal Dhinam; Doli Sajake Rakhna – Aniathiypravu etc.).

Saathiya, a Mani Ratnam creation, is a great movie. The film's strength is that it is suitable to North Indian milieu but fails to reach the quality that `Alai Payuthey' spread.

So where is its weakness then? Vivek Oberoi? Certainly not! It's a difficult job to top Madhavan's great performance in `Alai Payuthey'. Vivek won where Madhavan failed.

Rani Mukherji then? She portrayed her character, Suhani Sharma, completely different as her counterpart Shalini did in the original version. Both were great and for me difficult to say who was the better one.

So A.R. Rahman? He was the one who gave the wonderful scent to `Alai Payuthey' which you won't forget so easily. The songs and the background score which is filled with soulful tunes are absolutely great. It's one of Rahman's best works and he knows that he can't top it. As a result he didn't bring too many new songs which would destroy his early work. His new songs are nice to hear and fit to the North Indian milieu. The orchestra in the climax where Vivek apologizes to Rani is absolutely mind-blowing.

Gulzar then? I must admit that I don't understand Hindi and not much Tamil (thanks to English-subtitling) but the songs have good meanings and are as good as Vairamuthu's work for `Alai Payuthey'.

Perhaps Shah Rukh Khan and Tabu? Shah Rukh Khan is fantastic in his 10 minutes and portrayed the role differently as Arwind Swamy did. Tabu is unfortunately not as good as Khushboo who has done a superb job in Tamil.

But where is then the problem? It's certainly unfair to compare a youngster's work like Shaad Ali's with that one of a genius like Mani Ratnam's. Ali's direction is very good and is the best debutant director since Farhan Akhtar for Dil Chahta Hai. But small scenes which might be unnecessary are missing to achieve a very good quality. For example, in Saathiya `Aditya' has no one whom he can tell all his sorrows and lands up as a depressed husband. `Karthik' in Alai Payuthey talks with his Malayalee neighbour/houseowner (in Hindi Tinnu Anand) about love, marriage etc. and gets new hopes to set a new beginning in his marriage. The climax also in Tamil which has a more realistic look is better than in Hindi which is too filmy despite Vivek's performance and Rahman's orchestra. A clear parallel between Shah Rukh Khan/Tabu and Vivek Oberoi/Rani Mukherji could not been attained, as well.

But Ali has given the film a more youthful look than Mr Ratnam has done (more hanging out with friends, parties etc.) and like mentioned before, a suitable film to North Indian audiences and it is a film that is worth watching (though not as good as `Alai Payuthey').

Alai Payuthey 9.5/10; Saathiya 8.5/10