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Saaya - Bollywood Image

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86%
3.48 

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Saaya - Bollywood Reviews

Good Movie
Jul 25, 2023 04:58 PM207 Views (via Mobile)

I watched this movie many time on YouTube i love this movie and their song still my favourite first time I watched movie when the movies release


HORRAR
Mar 12, 2021 07:28 PM559 Views (via Android App)

Sir this movie is great. And so beautiful content. and the most of beautiful movie I very like it and beautiful CONTENT please more upload this tipe movie.


What is the exact location of song " O- Saathia "
Oct 10, 2019 10:12 AM872 Views

What is the exact location of song " O- Saathia "? I want to know as i'm visiting this place. kindly suggest the exact location. .


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Saaya - Bollywood
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jha1377MouthShut Verified Member
New Delhi India
Saaya-the love call can back the dead
Jul 19, 2017 05:33 PM1837 Views

Saaya is a supernatural fantasy film directed by Anurag basu released in 2003.the story is adopted from the 2002 movie dragonfly of hollywood. stars  of film "saaya" are john abraham, tara sharma and mahima chaudhry.


so the story goes like this akash(john abraham) is a doctor who loses his wife maya in an accident .unable to cope with his loss, he begins to see and hear things that convince him that his dead wife is trying to contact him.His friends tanya try to convince that his mind is getting affected  by the targedy and advice him to move on with him to move on with his life.nevertheless the strange happenings continue and eventually lead akash to what his wife was trying to tell him.


The  strong point of movie is that it is short running time and the end of the movie is awesome. Performance was pretty good and the song were all mindblowing, the script was good with a unique concept.


I give 3 star out of 5


Los Gatos USA
Not bad
Jan 03, 2004 11:35 PM3846 Views

Finally saw this movie after being recommended by a number of friends. I have not seen Dragonfly so it was my true first viewing of the movie :-)


Since I live in the US and do not watch cable TV, I had not seen any promos of the movie, so I pretty much went in uninitiated. To be very honest, I was not disappointed.


The plot of the movie may be found on other reviews on MS, and yes you have to stretch your belief system to trust most of it, but that is almost a requirement for watching any horror flick (e.g. The Sixth Sense, Signs etc.). I was looking for holes in the plot but only found a small one (more on it later), so that was fairly acceptable.


The acting was quite impressive. John Abraham impressed me in this one. I had hated 'Jism' and everyone associated with it, so this was a turnaround for him. Tara Sharma was OK. I found her fairly average looking but at least she was not the irritating type (take note Kareena, Preity). The supporting cast also acted competently.


The good thing about the movie was that it did not lose its focus throughout its running. There were no unnecessary side plots or comic relief to divert the attention and diminish the tension. I do not think that this is a true horror movie because even in the ghost scenes you know that the woman really loved her husband (and vice-versa) so she could not be trying to do him any harm.


I have to admit that I did not listen to most of the songs (thank God for the FF button), but since that did not take anything away from the overall story, I think they were put in purely for commercial purposes. Again, I am willing to give the director a pass on that because the end product was acceptable to me.


One plot-hole : Aakash tells the family of Maya that nobody called him 'Aki' except their daughter and that's how he trusted the children who came back from dead. However, in a later scene we see Tanya calling him 'Aki'.


So in conclusion, while this is no Mugal-E-Azam, it can be watched once without too much regret.


Souls and Ghouls run amok
Sep 03, 2003 05:44 PM3790 Views

''Hmm.. Do love stories sell ? Or should I provide a few thrills and chills ? How about a supernatural ? What the heck, lets mix it all up ! '' These must have been the thoughts of Anurag Basu when he decided he would start SAAYA. And so what we have as a final product doesn’t quite fit into any known genre..So if you haven’t seen Dragonfly like 98% of Indians , me included, then SAAYA is to quote Bollywood insiders ''HATKE''


The story (or whatever I could make of it)


John Abraham and Tara Sharma, both doctors by profession, are a happily married couple living in Delhi. Tragedy strikes when Tara who had left for Meghalaya to treat victims of a calamity (earthquake, landslide ??) meets an unexpected death. John breaks down completely and starts seeing Tara everywhere. Mahima, Tara's friend, herself recovering from a personal loss tries to help John out but fails. John leaves for Nagaland to seek answers to all his questions and what happens next is to be seen to believed.


The post mortem


To even attempt something as non formulaic as this needs courage and credit must be given to the Bhatts for continuing to follow the trend they set in Raaz(Non formulaic doesn’t always add up to GOOD) Anurag Basu who directed portions of KUCH THO HAI , a sorry rehash of ''I know...'' displays enough evidence that he knows how to handle a complex subject like SAAYA but the problem lies in the pace of the story. Sometimes things become so tedious that he resorts to songs which only serve to slacken the pace even more...However he comes up trumps in the hospital scenes where the dead communicate to John Abraham.


And yes, talking abt John, its amazing how someone can be as wooden and deadpan in one scene and emote brilliantly in another. Here is an inconsistent performance if ever there was one. And Mr. Abraham, you don’t look too good with those horrible specs, ragged beard and unkempt hair.. You could have suggested to the director that there are better ways of portraying a personal loss. Tara Sharma has a role as short as her Liril commercial outfit, the less said the better. Zora Segal is truly remarkable in an effective cameo and Mahima shows us finally that she can act after all.


Dialogues range from the ridiculous, funny to the somber. Background music by Raju Singh elevates proceedings to a higher place on many occasions (most effective score after ROAD by Amar Mohile , BHOOT included) and camerawork is effective. Anu Malik scores yet again with some lovely music (Shreya Ghoshal is one helluva find) but songs are fit into unrealistic situations. On the whole SAAYA does have its moments and is worth a dekho.


PS: The circumstances under which I saw the movie are far more interesting than the movie itself. My landlady's son had been growing a crazy kinda hair get-up for the last month. When quizzed if he was aping Sallu(TERE NAAM), he seemed offended and insisted that I watch SAAYA ''to discover the truth myself''. Maybe I should just keep my ''mouthshut'' :-)


|| cognitive but may be esoteric ||
Aug 11, 2003 04:26 PM4184 Views

Life is a matrix. We are gifted life by God. We are entangled rather too deeply in solving the matrix that sometimes due to the inherent complexity of life shows us certain unreal instances and such circumstances are disregarded by us due to our immobile paradigm. Most of us bind ourselves to think within a certain boundary and any occurrences that seems unanswerable & that exists outside our scope is termed as supernatural or say even insanity for few persons.


Director Anurag Basuhas a wider paradigm as far as matters concerning Life & Death are concerned. In his movie, Basu projects his ray of thought in a mystical yet arguable zone of thought. Basu affirms his outlook in depicting that the transition of a person from life to death may consist of several successions and each succession may either act as a hindrance or gateway for entering into another successions. While most of people pass away from each level quite smoothly (may be), there are some souls that have a purpose to solve before they get mingled with the unknown powers of the universe.


Basu employs two characters in the form of Aakash played by John Abraham & Maya enacted by Tara Sharma. To give you a brief about the movie, Maya makes her way to heaven (?) owing to a tragic accident of the bus she was travelling in with her 5 months baby. She died but her soul took aid from many other people to exhibit Maya's presence in front of Aakash, who hitherto had gone intensely sorrowful & frustrated. One of the most found concomitant was the falling of water drops ever now & then suggesting that Maya was alive or rather her soul was alive and wanted to convey some message to Aakash.


Background Music plays an indispensable role in movies having thrill & chill as a part of their sequences. Background Music was one of the best ever and this appends to an already meaningful set up ambiance. Talking about environs, It was bleak rather dipped in the syrups of sorrow and why not? The theme of the movie was about grief & most of the movie was shot in the absence of daylight. If not for anything else, watch Saaya for its background music & the ambiance. Shot intensively in locations of Delhi & Nagaland, the cinematography was just about perfect with exotic shots of Nagaland and the scenery around.


The Acting Department headed by John Abraham was laudable. Tara Sharma didn't have much to do. While she did well in whatever was given to her, her presence was felt throughout the length of the movie mostly so because of the story and her snaps that were shown in the entire movie. Mahima Chaudharyhad been as urgent as ever in her dialogue delivery & gave Abraham the much needed support & rapport in the role of a friend. Raj Zutshi in his role of a local driver (?) was good as he juxtaposed his acting with impeccable dialogue delivery. (Pun intended)


Thoroughgoing editing supported the sequences to be brought out in the perfect manner & saved much time. Songs composed by Anu Mallik were very canorous, slick & hitting the right note for the right ask at the right moment. In deed the direction was superb and songs were fed just when they were needed.


Some after thoughts.


The movie was slick, and the story line was different. There were doubts by some as to whether Mahima got Abraham at the end. What I understood was Mahima never had the intention to get Abraham and so the question raised above should not arise. The movie was very realistic and thus it can go jejune sometimes. It was not dead but it was just >consciously unconscious.


Yes! It was just a journey that shows us that there are certain things not controlled by humans but the bond that exist between human beings are strong enough to make their way from the deepest tragedies or the farthest mountains.


The feelings are indelible, inordinate & very true. They are unmaterialistic, careless about the travel of humans (physical form) in the maze of life. Feelings may seem ephemeral yet they are eternal & provide the much-needed answers at the time of unbearable suffering. Saaya (shadow) of the true feelings live forever and guide us to the path of truce & happiness.


:.*.:Tu Jaha Chalega _ Mera Saya Saath Hoga:.*.:
Aug 04, 2003 10:23 AM4528 Views

Finally got to see this desi version of “DragonFly” (never saw that film)


Movie is by T.v Serial director turn movie director, Anuraj Basu


Starring ::*:: John Abraham, Tara Sharma, Mahima Chodary.


Music ::*:: Anu Malik


Lyrics ::*:: Sayeed Quadri


So whose “saya” is haunting who?


Akki & Maya are happily married couple


“Ooo..Saathiya….Rut Mast Mast Yeh Din…..”


Both are doctors…Tara is pregnant, she being in this condition-she still goes to Burma to help out in a gaon ( I think!)


But she dies there in a storm….so now CAN TRUE LOVE COME BACK?


“Kabhi Khushboo…”


Akki has a hard time believing that he has lost his love forever….So he starts seeing things, he hears voices, he believes that Maya is trying to call him…


While he is going through this weird phase….Mahima tries to make him forget Maya.


Akki meets Zora Sehgal, who tells him “There are many stairs between life and death….so maya might be stuck in one of the stairs.” (Basically that’s what she said)


Akki goes back to the village where the accident happened….he finally gets his answer…now watch the movie to get that answer…is she alive?


Movie on the whole is an alright movie, Direction is good, Music is hummable(some)…


Acting by Tara Sharma got better then the debut movie, Om Jai Jagdish.


Mahimamakes a nice guest appearance…she is good!


Zora Sehgal….she surprises….the old women is still going…hats off to her!


Now, John Abraham, I go watcha movie expecting I won’t like him…but he proves me wrong…same happened with Jism. I thought he was just again another cute model boy…who is trying his hands @ bollywood….but he is good. He can play a damn good role of a hurt, lonely lover.


He looks wonderful!


I only have one question…why some critics said, it scares you…I didn’t find anything in the movie that scared me…


Overall, I would say that movie is ok ok! Worth a watch once…I guess…but it is really slow…


__Bhumi__


SHADOWS IN THE WIND...
Aug 03, 2003 08:53 PM4492 Views

He:


Restless, turbulent is my heart


Soothing answers do I seek


Oh my love, how could you part


Leaving me so angry and weak .


She:


I have not abandoned you my dear


For I have a few things left to say


Come to me, love, have no fear


I wait for you not far away.


He:


Raindrops on my face they fall


Shadows on the walls I see


Voices do I hear from all


What do you want to say to me?!!


She:


Our love is waiting at a far far place


Where troubled memories drowning lie


To remove the worries from your face


You would need to trust me enough to die.


ME:


A beautiful story nicely told


No creases in the direction lay


The acting seemed mature and bold


And flawless was the adapted screenplay.


The cinematography is the hallmark for sure


To show scary nights 'n beautiful days.


Trust your heart and face the fear


This movie will haunt you - ''Watch It'', I say.


But before you do that, please do me a favour


Please add your comments and your ratings for this reviewer.


Thanks,


Prodi.


SAAYA
Aug 03, 2003 06:28 PM3801 Views

Well, to be totally honest.....I haven't even seen ths movie as i'm not into bollywood flicks BUT the reason for writing this is yesterday at a party....me and my cousins were talking about horror movies. It all started with ''The Ring''. We all agreed that it was ''BLOODY SCARY''. Anyways, then I said have ''have you's watched ''Dragon fly'' and my cuz goes Nah! I started telling him about it...and everyone listened. I said..Well, the scariest part was when this pet parrot goes ''Honey, I'm home..in the middle of the night''and my cuz goes..Really!! I saw this flick called ''Saaya'' and there was this parrot saying the same stuff. Then I went on about how Kevin Costner packs his bag and in few secs..it's unpacked. My cuz continued the story word by word..and we were talking about the same movie..except for in two diff. languages. I found it really funny esp...that the producers copied it word by word.


norfolk usa
A well-made film
Jul 22, 2003 10:30 PM3782 Views

Saaya is one of those few movies that I have watched without taking a peek at the reviews. I have various reasons for that. One, I like John abraham. Two, I find that Mukesh Bhatt's movies are different from the rest - though many of them are inspired or a direct lift from a hollywood film. When I started watching it, I wasn't expecting much. But to be honest, the film was engrossing. I was pleasantly surprised with John's acting. He is the surprise package of the film. He convinces you and has underplayed his role quite well and never for even one moment do we feel that he could have done any better. He transforms into Aakash, the hair, the dressing style and all...He has blended so well with the character.


Tara Sharma was a disappointment. One look at her and anyone can guess her profile as a model. Zohra Sehgal & Mahima Chowdary don't let us down. Mahima was excellent as John's sympathetic friend and she shines in the scenes where she tries to shake John out of his grief and ask him to move on with his life.


A special mention for the songs. As with all Mukhesh Bhatt movies, the songs were picturized in India and the photography is excellent.


Overall, I would recommend watching this well-made movie and wonder why some of the critics dismissed it so easily.


---Frost


.::Its all about immortalised love::.
Jul 19, 2003 02:54 AM7838 Views

With visible emptiness in my eyes as I scrolled through the DVD rack, came a shrilling voice from behind. “Sahabji, take this one na...too good, sachi mein, too good!!”. “You’ll always say that Rajji...last time also you destroyed my evening by renting me Hawa.” I retorted. In a hysterical mood, this DVD-renter of mine took out his slippers and started howling “If you don’t find this movie any good, beat me blue with these very slippers.” Irritated by his histrionics I snatched Saaya’s DVD and exited as fast as my two hind-limbs could carry me. So how bad or good was Saaya? Read on to find out.


.::The Plot::.


Saaya actually tells the story of Dr. Akash Bhatnagar a.k.a Akki (John Abraham) who has recently lost his wife Dr. Maya (Tara Sharma) to a landslide which occurred as she was returning from a flood relief camp in Nagaland. Akash takes to round-the-clock work to overcome the calamitous loss but strange and peculiar incidents soon start happening (like drops falling from his roof, his getting drowned in his own house, a dead-child suddenly getting up and claiming to have met Maya, the strange drawings by another child-patient) and Akki becomes dead-sure that Maya is trying to make contact with him.


However, his experiences are taken to be imaginations by his in-laws and friends alike. In fact his (and Maya’s) best friend Tanya (Mahima Chaudhary) thinks he’s losing it, and needs to remove himself from everything that reminds him of Maya. In a state of confusion, Akki comes across Sister Martha (Zohra Sehgal) who supports and encourages Akki to piece together his experiences and search for any clues that Maya is giving him.


Does Akki get the clue? If he does, what is it? Is Maya still alive? If she isn’t, then why in her super-natural incarnate does she try to come in contact with Akki, again and again? Watch the flick for the answers.


.::The Analysis of script: ::.


On a personal note, I must add that even though the subject of life after death is amusing and confusing, I still believe in it. And no, that isn’t a result of countless rumours and hearsays, but of a jarring personal experience with one of my aunts.


Coming back to the film, classifying Saaya as a horror flick will be an insult both to the genre and the film itself. Though the film undeniably carries a supernatural theme, the theme is slipped in to reinforce the belief of immortality of love. The cohesiveness of the plot is realised in the second half, when the viewer realises that all of Akki’s experiences are actually tender messages of love pointing to something interesting that Maya wants Akki to take with him. Maybe, it is just this one factor that is behind all the suspense of the flick and makes it worth a watch.


On the other hand, the deep-sunken flaws are also visible. For once, the outland-ish spooky moments in the first half of the flick (barring the hospital ones) seem to be pushed a bit too far. There are particularly two sequences like the one where Akki’s drowning in one moment, but in the next moment when Tanya comes, the house is barren-dry and another where Akki packs all his belongings in a carton, and after a moment of stroll, when he comes back, all the things are religiously put back in place! The writers haven’t incorporated any sensible conclusions to these obscure sequences, which somewhat confuses an average viewer if all this was Akki’s imagination (when actually it isn’t!)


Moreover, I would have loved Akki’s and Maya’s romantic angle to be more developed and realised than it actually was. The screenplay has mainly developed their relationship through flashbacks, which though come successful in invoking sympathy for Akki, somehow doesn’t raise any sighs for Maya’s demise.


.::The direction and the technicalities: ::.


If Saaya boasts of a good script, then the subtle treatment by Anurag Basu is something to vouch for. The director has marvellously canned the emotional and frightening sequences (of special mention are the very first scene where Akki is talking to a flood-stricken half-drowned Maya, the emotional outbursts of Tanya who wants Akki to forget Maya, the tribal sequences towards the climax and lastly the chilling hospital moments which are sure to make you gasp!).


On the technical front, Saaya again comes up trumps (quite an achievement this, taking into account the shoe-string budget it was mounted!) Fuwad Khan’s camerawork is awesome brilliantly capturing the constraints of Delhi and the scenic beauty of Nagaland’s forests. One of the best thing about the cinematography is the generous use of water (through never-ending rains, waterfalls, rivers) on-screen, which automatically lends a cold and eerie look to the film. The spirit of Maya (whose body got drowned in a river) communicating through water and rain-drops was indeed a deft touch. Editing is routine and so are the dialogues. Background music is as required.


Music (by Anu Malik-M.M.Kreem) is one of the USPs of Saaya, with practically all the tunes registering a strong impact either through their sensitive picturisation or the haunting tunes. Instantly likeable are “O Saathiya” and “Aye Meri Zindagi” which are more of flashback vehicles. Shreya Ghosal seems to be in her full form everywhere and even makes a fleeting appearance as a choir girl with another fab ditty “Har Taraf”. “Kabhi Khushboo” is another wonderful tune but somewhat slows down the film’s tempo.


.::The performances: ::.


John Abraham puts in a heart-felt, understated performance and is one of the strengths of Saaya. Practically sailing through a gamut of emotions like depression, shock, and finally solace, he demonstrates a deadly combination of good looks and commendable acting prowess. Though the female leads don’t have much to do, Mahima Chaudhary still leaves an impact with a mature performance proving that a seasoned performer doesn’t need a lengthy role to impress.


Tara Sharma, on the other hand looks wholesomely stunning, though could do with just a bit more improvisation in the dialogue-delivery. Zohra Sehgal is another performer who rises well above the script and turns an otherwise caricatured character into a believable one (Watch her uttering those words on faith and spirits—simply mindblowing!). The two kids (who have had near-death experiences) and the Naga tribes are again masterfully hand-picked to lend a novel touch to the film. There isn’t much left to do for rest of the cast, but you are sure to detest Raj Zutshi’s (passing off as a Nagaland-native driver) hamming.


.::Wanna see Saaya?::.


Supernatural films seldom come across as convincing, but the writers here (even though inspired by Dragonfly) have beautifully weaved a love angle to this paranormal plot making it a treat for the sensitive audience. It might not educate the viewers on life-after-death, but it is this hint of love and positivism that it carries subtly till the very end, that is sure to leave a pensive you moderately satisfied.


Probably, a bit more emotion would have made it much more memorable, but as of now, it remains a mature piece of film-making recommended for viewing once.


.....Hope you liked the review....Do comment if time permits....


©Karan 2003


P.S.: Don’t ask me how my DVD-renter reacted when I went back!!


3 different opinions on Saaya
Jul 16, 2003 01:36 AM4290 Views

As I was lazily standing in the balcony at about 5 in the evening sipping tea and wondering what to do I saw Mr Ghansyam patel and Mr Venkat Vaidhyanathan standing below. Both were discussing about Saaya. Apparently both had seen it in the theatre the previous night. My humble self also had the good fortune of seeing the movie at home, and so out of curiosity, I started eves dropping to hear their comments.


patel : its a gret tame haanke ...to come to de america. I am phully enjoying here with daughter hetal and her hujband pares.


venkat : myself aallso. infact ... we aaall saw ya movie called Saayaa yesterday in the theatre, It vaas scary, I say....


patel : wot ??? but Where you all were Shitting ? we never shaw you honnn... or we would have joined ne ???


but it was fantashtic phillum. how the ghosht appears ne when water drops phall on sopha shet ????


venkat : nothing great I say, in south our dark eeros look more scary than this tin, young gurrl of ya ghost.


patel : yes no schoop phor heroine to perphorm.


See was only coming and going. but Hero was saras (good) honke ? besht looking and besht acting.


venkat : I yagree !!! Jaan Abraham waas really gooda.


He looked verrry saad and disllusioned after loosing his wife.


patel : dis-ellu-sioned means ke what ??


venkat : means.... aaa totally gone, infact gone completely, sorrry, cant yaxplain, Hmmm voke (ok)..... Imagine you loosing Mrs patel.


patel : aree watt ur r saying ? pachi to majaa padi jashe ne :) (if that happens, it will be fun)


venkat: voke, we are deviating from the topic, so I waas saying, very gripping story and haunting aalso. parrot screaming and the dead man holding yabaram's hand waas scarry..... appa !!!


patel : shu tame, u get scared haanke... on shilly things. by the way mahima was good ne ? she was good shapport to John.


venkat: waat saporrt mr patel ??? she was aaall the time screaming and shouting without yanny reason.


patel : but it was exshellant movie haan.


our indian phillums are improving day by day.


Enters Bhattacharyaji who has also come to spend the summers in the USA with his son


patel : hellllluuuu... Bhattaji, did u saw the saaya ?


ekdam mast haan... you must see, wonderphuull ideas all original that too from mahes Bhatt, aaapdo mahes (our very own mahes).


bhattaji(not very friendly and also doesnt indulge in useless talks) yells:


'''''' It was fool of Gorbage !!!''''''


dont you know that it was remake of english movie ''Dragoon floy ???? (Dragon fly). Dont waste time discussing movies, take a wok or read books.


Suddenly his head turns up and he looks up at me and says ''Am I right Laabonna'' ???? and walks away.


Now its a time for some embarassment for all the three of us.


Mr Patel and Venkat feel foolish that they have been praising saayaleft and right when it was a blatant copy of and English movie. They also realize that I was all the time listening to them. And I feel odd that I have been caught eves dropping. After minutes of blank starring, I manage a:''But I also liked the movie, infact if it was original script, it would hav been truly good, isnt it'''''' ?


Patel and Venkat look relieved and mutter somethings.


patel : Yes ne, we didnt knew dhat it was re-mix ne. I feel so phoolish .....and guffaws : hee heeh eheee.


venkat: Aiiyo !! Not re-mix, you mean remake. Waatever it is, I say, it was sheear waste of time simbly discussing it, now lets take ya walk and do something useful.


patel : yessh... lets go.


As they walk some distance, I hear distinct murmurs and they start : did you see Khwahish ??? ek dam original plot hann..and the new heroine acted well ne....??? Mr Venkat also agrees and they walk off spinning a new thread of conversation.


This was the movie's review from the view point of Mr Venkat and Mr Patel. I personally didnt like the movie very much, It was very slow and repetitive. But John Abraham did a good job on the whole.Tara sharma had a constant smile pasted on her lips like her previous film. Mahima was passable in a supporting role. Overall not a very good movie to recommend.


Comments and suggestions are welcome.


Abraham rules...
Jul 14, 2003 11:52 PM4047 Views

So now I finally know what the huplah about John Abraham is really all about. Since I had missed watching his first film Jism in the theatres… I thought I should at least watch Saaya.


It is nice to see an actor who so early in his career is so open to doing cinema that is different. And not just the story or the making of the film the effort he has put in to look his character is admirable.


John plays a 30-something doctor in the film who is married to Tara Sharma – who is also a doctor – and consistently throughout the film he is in the look of his character. Nor once does he attempt to look sexy or flex his biceps or sway his curly locks. In fact his hair is all gelled in most parts of the films. He is wearing reading glasses all the time and is dressed in either jackets or over-coats.


The entire film revolves around John and he does a decent job to keep you engaged throughout. Tara Sharma is reduced to singing songs and whispering in the background. Wonder why they had to replace Katrina Kaif (who couldn’t speak Hindi then) all Tara says is Akki…….


And sadly she shares no chemistry with John at all. All she does is smile like she is shooting for an ad film after another. Someone needs to tell her to grow up and smell the acting….


Exit Tara and walk in Mahima Chowdhury. She is Tara’s friend who instead of helping John grieve and get over the death of his wife … calls him insane and tries to drill sense into him by shouting at him. Mahima looks old and disinterested and disgustingly dressed in most scenes.


So the entire burden of the film actually lies on the shoulders of John and like said earlier he carries it off quite well. Couldn’t imagine another actor doing justice to the role as he did.


The music is another engaging factor. It is soft, soothing and quite romantic.


But that apart the hero of the film could also be the cinematography. Fuwad does a brilliant job and each shot is well planned and executed.


The climax of the film which was shot under-water with experts and the works seems kind of loose. But in this case all’s well that ends.


Can the Dead Communicate ?
Jul 12, 2003 12:18 PM3804 Views

Saaya is a movie said to be inspired by the Kevin Costner flick dragonfly. I haven’t seen dragonfly and now after watching Saaya I have an urge to see dragonfly.


Views this movie as a bollywood effort and this movie will catch your attention if not outright impress you.


The movie basically deals with the story of a husband and wife doctor duo (John Abraham and Tara Sharma). The wife, who is pregnant, dies on relief duty somewhere in the northeastern Indian State of Nagaland where she is on relief duty. The husband can’t get over the fact that his beloved is gone and he starts working in the hospital continuously. He also gets himself shifted to the same ward where his wife used to work and then he starts hearing her voice and strange things happen to him. Water starts falling from the ceiling; dead children come alive and tell him they have met his wife. His home starts turning into a waterfall cum swimming pool but only he can see this and feel this. All other people find this strange and think that he has lost his mind and gone crazy due to his wife’s death.


But an encounter with a former nurse turned nun who believes in life after death, the doctor starts to believe the his wife wants to communicate to him something. He starts of to find out what really happened to his wife and the climax of the movie is good, not quite what I expected.


Let’s examine the various aspects,


1) Actors – John Abraham is good but he needs to improve faster in the expressions department. Tara Sharma looks cute and doesn’t have much of acting to do but she is adequate. Of the supporting cast Mahima Choudhary as the friend, looks and acts well and the rest of the cast is ok.


2) The music – the song of the movie are slow, love songs and they gel with the movie. The background score is good too. The picturisation of songs is good and Kerela looks oh so inviting in the first song itself.


3) The Director – Anurag Basu is a new director and he has impressed in his first movie. Certain scenes like the dead child waking up suddenly to stare in the doctor’s eyes are well done, handled well. The producers have another small budget movie that I think should do better than what people are expecting.


Overall it’s a 2-hour movie that will keep you interested without boring you. I think this movie is worth seeing, though people may tend to disagree.


Dead
Jul 09, 2003 05:15 PM5690 Views

Some movies are so very ordinary one doenst even know whether to like or dislike them. Mahesh Bhatt’s Saaya falls in this category.


One cannot really dislike the movie. Though a copy of Dragonfly, its intentions are honorable. It is indeed an attempt to provide a different movie by director Anuraag Basu. Short length, great cinematography, nice theme of the main protagonist trying to cope with the loss of his wife, but sensing her presence even after her death. But at the same time there is nothing worth raving about either.


Akki and Maya, doctors in Delhi are about to become parents when Maya has to rush to Burma border (?) to treat victims of a calamity. She dies there and back in Delhi her ghost pays visits to Akki. She chooses an array of media to communicate with him. Water drops (there is this tacky sequence where his residence starts sinking like the Titanic), kids in the pediatric ward that are near death, and a dead kidney transplant case. Akki has to rush to Burma border to get to know what his dead wife is trying to convey.


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What works for Saaya


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The theme itself is pretty sweet - love surpassing even death. Thankfully it is done minus melodrama.


Delhi and Nagaland have been captured beautifully on camera. Especially Delhi, I shall see this city with new eyes now.


John Abraham as Akki, though has a fixed expression throughout - is earnest and much better than the star-kids who unfalteringly mess up any movie. ( I just saw some clods in MPKDH, that's why)


Mahima Chaudhary as Akki’s neighbor Tanya is her usual exasperated self, but does a good job nevertheless.


Tara Sharma as Maya: I’m going to be awfully biased, but I like this pretty, cute, petite, fragile woman (love her in the Liril Icy Blue ad too) Anyway in the large part of the movie she is dead, so acting can be given a pass.


The first song in the movie, “Dil Chura Liya O Saathiya”, has a largely Carnatic music tune and sounds beautiful. “Seena pada” is another good tune.


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What works against Saaya


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The promos: for some strange reason the promos try to portray Saaya as a Horror thriller, which it even remotely isn’t. It is much of a romantic movie. And a cute one too. So me who went expecting something spooky was let down.


Despite its short running time, it doesn’t really bind your attention. Saaya is like that good employee that need not be chucked out, is innately a fair worker, but is too sluggish to give results.


I’ve never been to Nagaland. Nor have I ever spoken to a Naga person. But I’m dead sure they don’t talk the way Raj Zutshi does in the movie. As a Naga tour guide, within the few minutes of his screen time, this person provides unintentional comic relief. Or was it intentional? With Raj Zutshi, you can never tell.


I have a question. Exactly what is it with Hindi movies and parrots off late? While not as cacophonously calamitous as the MPKDH parrot, this parrot screeches “Maya aa gayi, Maya aa gayi” whenever he senses Maya.


Mahima has always lost in love in movies. (I know this is horribly off topic but I remember her at the end of a movie named ‘Deewane’ when she gets jilted, she tells a similarly jilted Ajay Devgan, “Chalo hum sab milke ek tute hue dil ki association shuru karte hain.”) In Saaya, I was expecting her to get the guy at least this once, because according to the unwritten rules of our movies a living woman always has a better chance of retaining her man coveted by a ghost. Unfortunately for Mahima even that is not clarified in the end. Does she finally get Akki or not.


Maybe Saaya is too esoteric, so conclusive details were avoided and shouldn’t be questioned, silly me. Plus there is another unanswered question. Was there really Maya’s ghost or was it only John’s imagination?


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It is movie for those lovey-dovey couples who love to talk and speculate about what will happen if one of them died, then start bawling and necking simultaneously. Unfortunately, I know many such and am recommending this movie to all of them.


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A strictly ordinary movie. Nothing missed if you skip it, no harm if you watch it. But somehow I found the movie pretty much, ..how should I put it…Dead!


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Empathy at work
Jul 08, 2003 01:46 PM3952 Views

Prologue


It was July 1992. I was an undergraduate student, preparing for my first year exams. For three consecutive nights, I got this recurrent dream. My nana (maternal grandfather), who was suffering from Parkinson’s declared to me that he was fully fit and no longer required medicines. A few days later I learned that he had passed away. The news of his demise was kept hidden from me as my exams were on and nobody wanted to disturb me. That means he passed away around the same time I got those dreams.


In 1984, I lost Astha didi. She was a friend of my khala (my maternal aunt) – my mother’s youngest sister. She committed suicide – hanged herself mercilessly. I will not get into the details of her death as any recollection of those days puts me through a lot of agony. I was very close to Astha didi, and hence refused to believe that she was no more and was reduced to ashes that were finally immersed in the Sangam in Allahabad. I kept on telling Ammi (my mother) that Astha didi did not die, and due to certain circumstances her family had hidden her away and spread the news of her death.


Time passed by. At the conscious level, I accepted that Astha didi was dead, but something within me stubbornly refused to believe this. It was 1996, a good 12 years after her death. I was suffering from acute acidity and would find it extremely difficult to sleep. Once I managed to doze off with great difficulty. Soon, I was into dreamland once again. I found myself in a house, crowded with all my family members who were no more. There was a party of sorts and everyone was celebrating something I do not recall now. My mother and I were the only living people in that house. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. A postman comes in with a letter. I open the envelope and am too glad to see a message from Aastha Didi, “I’m alive and fine. Do not worry about me. – Aastha Didi.”


After my post-graduation, I left the university and started my career as a journalist. During my stint as a journo, I interviewed a lot of tantriks, faqirs, and psychologists. After all the official chitchat, I explained to each one of them the two dreams. Each had an explanation (“She is sending a message that she is fine …. “You see, according to Freud …). I accepted none. Friends, I am a disbeliever, a man with no faith. My only association with religion is at the level of aesthetics. Apart from that I stay as far away as possible from religion. And I also believe that science, and psychology will never ever find an answer to these dreams of mine. But as long as I am alive, these dreams will manifest themselves, time and again, either through my plays, poems, or articles/reviews such as these.


Saaya – the movie


I went to see Saaya with a lot of preconceived notions. “Boss, I hope its not another Bhoot,” I told my wife. Bollywood, as we all know is a victim of the herd mentality. One successful Bhoot and the entire industry would try and revisit the ghost (Hawa). But I was in for a nice little surprise.


Saaya (Shadow) is the story of a doctor (John Abraham) who has lost his wife in an accident in Nagaland. He goes into a state of mourning, but soon begins experiencing strange happenings around him. A few reels later we discover that it is his wife (Tara Sharma) trying to desperately get in touch with him. She uses various methods – tries to reach him personally and when that doesn’t work, she tries to establish contact with him through some ailing children. Ultimately, John manages to reach the place where Tara had died. The audience, like John in the movie is in for a surprise – a surprise that proves the largesse of life.


Performances


People are raving about John Abraham. I think he was fair enough – at least he’s better than the star sons abounding Bollywood. Here’s he’s gone a notch or two above his performance in Jism. It is said that Tara Sharma had graduated from the London School of Economics. I suggest that she gives Economics another try, for her stint in Bollywood is not going to be an affair to remember. She is bad, probably as bad as she was in ‘Om Jai Jagdish’. Mahima was good in an itsy-bitsy role. However, the best performance came from Zohra Sehgal, the veteran actress. As Sister Martha, she gave the movie its required punch.


Music


The music by MM Kreem and Anu Malik was nothing to take home. The only song that I liked was “Kabhi Khushboo ..”. A word for Anu Malik – “why don’t you hang your boots boss?”


Script, Direction, Cinematography


Amol Shetge’s script was tight (so what if it was ‘inspired’?), the cinematography is great – Delhi has never been captured so beautifully ever before on celluloid. I would give Anurag Basu high marks for his direction. The film is sensitive, tugs at your heartsrings and does make you think – after death, what?


My verdict


I loved Saaya. It may not bring in truck loads of money to its producers, but at least it’s a good effort. Above all, it’s a slick product. Maybe, empathy was on full show here. The entire night was spent with my wife and myself furiously discussing my dreams.


I post this review on the eleventh death anniversary of my grandfather, immediately after calling up my mother. Some catharsis is this.


Sensationally Emotional
Jul 07, 2003 01:57 PM6117 Views

Yet another movie review from RJ! Why the heck she's watching such pathetic movies lately and more so, writing about them in such excruciating details?


Do I hear you all saying this? For answers, take your pick:




  1. The weather was simply great after first rains of monsoon and I needed an excuse to go out (now Saaya turned out lame, but that's a different story)




  2. It was my turn treating my pals and I wanted it to be 'truly memorable' in the real sense (hehehehe.. suckers them & evil me!)




  3. No tickets were available for Charlie's Angels (What with all guys getting sleeplessly drooling over a sizzling Demi <Is someone reading this? ;-)>)




  4. Paench Dhila hein (Err.. the literal translation will sound gross, but it means 'I am crazy')






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Saaya is supposedly a spooky movie of the horror genre. The promos promise full of suspense, chills and thrills. But in reality the movie is an Emotional roller coaster! I have never ever been so highly overcome with whirlpool of fleeting emotions, that too, all within a span of just 2 hours. Amazing! Let me tell you about each of these feelings and the strange way in which they affect you through the movie.


~~ Story ~~


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Maya (Tara Sharma) and Akash(John Abraham) are doctors and a very lovey-dovey couple. They work in Delhi but sing duets on the beaches of Kerala. And then, Maya goes to Nagaland for some rehabilitation camp and dies there in a tragic landslide. Akash aka Akki is devastated but tries to carry on with his life. However, Maya, now known as Saaya, starts haunting Akki or rather Saaya aka Maya tries to connect to Akki thru leaking roofs and children in the Pediatrics section of the hospital and sometimes as Maya's saaya in the mirror, windowpane etc. Err.. did I confuse you all? Well, that's the first feeling. That of Total Confusion, trying to figure out what the hell is the ghost or saaya or whatever it is, is trying to do, say or convey, where or what is the story etc. Sadly, the makers of this movie want us to mistake this feeling of confusion for that of suspense. And all you can feel for them is very Sorry.


~~ Chill thrills ~~


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The elements of chill here are few droplets of water falling over the spectacles, bald kid, weird drawings and a parakeet. And believe me, each of them is extremely funny. Yes, I said funny not scary. During the supposedly chilling moments, say when the dead bald kid or kidney patient comes back to life suddenly, you laugh your guts out since it seems so extremely hilarious. Now, how good is it for a horror movie if scary scenes summon giggles? And then, there is this repeated shots of the pet Parrot who keeps twisting his heads in all obtuse angles and at times screeching ''Maya, aa gayee'', which is also supposedly scary. But every time that wretched bird is on screen, all you feel is highly annoyed. If all parakeets are as irritating as the ones shown in this movie or that in MPKDH then this class of avian is in the endangered species list and will surely be extinct at the hands of outraged people shortly.


~~ Acting ~~


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The next is a feeling of disappointment, to see John Abraham fully clothed all the time and that too in Polo necked full-sleeved T-shirts! Sigh!! Also, the poor darling seems to believe that applying lots of Mousse and wearing glasses will pass him off as a serious actor. You have a long way to go John and please let your hair loose next time! However, you can't help appreciating his sincere efforts at giving a commendable performance. Miles and leagues apart from the crappy, overly hamming star kids and super stars, he makes it not only tolerable but also a pleasurable experience at times.


Mahima Chaudhary in an itsy-bitsy role of an understanding friend plucks a chord of pity in your heart. You sincerely sympathize for her break-up with Paes. No, Leander has nothing to do in this movie, but Mahima's puffy cheeks and swollen eyes are sure indication of stoic alcoholism that happens after usual heartbreaks. And about Tara Sharma, wish she becomes a real ghost soon enough.


~~ Location ~~


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The movie has been shot in Delhi during the fogs of December, which tickles nostalgia or a sense of déjà vu, whatever the case may be. Apollo hospital, Gole Market, CP, Noida flyover all look so splendid but any Delhi-ite can vouch for the fact that it doesn't rain so consistently during winters. Technical glitch.. eh, Mr. Director? You shall also admire the backwaters of Kerala and the serene hilly terrains of Nagaland that are more magnificent than any of the trendy foreign locales.


~~ Music ~~


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But all your good feelings last only until you hear Anu Malik's music. Most boring tunes ever, heavily inspired by Nadeem Shravan and only two hummable songs actually lifted from Telugu. The songs in this movie stick out like sore thumb. For every typical situation there are two songs and both shot identically. But the songs satisfy your Basic instincts.. I mean that of hunger and thirst! You can keep going out at regular intervals and buy any number of munchies and Pepsi. Also, the song that is supposed to invoke feeling of love ends up enraging you and while the one supposed to be Pathos, evokes Nature's call. So your toilet visits too are taken care off.


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The movie is short, lasts only 2 hours. But these 2 hours itself have been stretched to no end. So finally when the movie is over, sense of relief overwhelms you. But if you ask me whether I regret seeing this flick, my answer is no. I may be feeling stupid but I definitely don't regret because the alternate option my friends had was Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon! Yikes! And so my final feelings are that of gratitude and thank God for Saaya happening in my life than MPKDH!


Edgware United Kingdom
Something New
Jul 05, 2003 08:50 PM4219 Views

When Aakash met Maya, love soon blossomed and their perfect romance led to a blissful marriage. The couple's carefree existence suddenly comes to a halt when Maya is taken away from Aakash in a fatal accident.


Aakash is distraught, Maya had been his love, his life, and now she would be with him no longer. Wallowing in his grief, Aakash finds life increasingly difficult, then he starts to hear something he cannot explain.


Maya's parents are confronted by Aakash, now claiming to be hearing their daughter's voice from beyond the grave. Believing him to be suffering from the shock of Maya's death, they seek psychiatric help for Aakash, but before he can make sense of his situation something extraordinary happens!


SHADOWS LURKING WANT TO ???
Jul 05, 2003 03:49 PM3753 Views

Review : This Friday saw two movies where the Bhoot or Atma or Saaya following you is not going to terrify you but wants to mate/ love you. I have not seen Hawa, but Iam told it is more a thrill the hell outta audience type of movie. But Saaya is different. Well almost if you have not accidently seen Dragonfly or Ghost before. The theme of unrequited soul which tries and contacts the living being has been done to death. Here the unrequited soul is played by Tara Sharma, fresh as a dew. So the next question why on earth (yes earth not heaven or hell where she is supposed to be) is this soul unrequited. Obviously something is mysterious other than the love she wishes to communicate to her beau played by John Abraham. The story is unique for Hindi lovers and even the way it is narrated on the screen is different but the impact is not what should have been. But nevertheless it is a decent effort.


That love conquers all and beats even death is shown here. The big problem however is that viewers are left with no clue what so ever of this undying love (literally). All it takes is some minutes flat for the love, sweet somethings, songs, journey and then the death and believe it or not even the mourning. Before you can say hello! just a minute let me catch with what is going on, one is treated to the spectre of John Abraham brooding extra worldly thoughts. And from then on one is treated to a display of sombre scenes, emotional scenes, doctor scenes, feary scenes, philosophical scenes, all strictly in random order. Still all fine but in attaining some pseudo philosophical tones the film looses most of the punch post interval. After a while things really get too heavy and on top of that a completely bewildering climax adds to unease. The climax was however the only touching part of the movie, too bad that the person sitting in front had been screaming it out from first reel it self. I dont know if the aim was to make viewers uneasy because that is exactly what is done. There is no sympathy for anyone and neither is one frightened nor moistened. That is perhaps going to make things tight for the movie. Could they have shown the Live Tara Sharma more, the love angle would have got a more poignant touch. However, the movie is wonderful since it is understated effort compared to usual brow beating in Indian cinema. Everyone behaves normally in a highly abnormal situation. The theme of a shadow which you feel of someone whom you love is a really good one and that alone brings a certain sense of calmness in theater though that does not translate one level up to making it sombre.


Performances are alright with Abraham growing up rather well and giving a very understated performance which comes as a relief over the Langoor act of Hrithik is MPKDH. Tara Sharma is pretty and she should stick to being that till she learns a bit more acting. Mahima Choudhary was fine and understated as well. Zohra Sehgal looks regal and acts with an ease that tells her experience.


Dialogues and lyrics are wonderful and so is some of the music. Special Effects are alright and well blended in the screenplay. This one is a case of tight editing in first half and loose in the second. Photography is splendid and the blue color is well used. Direction overall is decent but director obviously left everyone confused in the end. Decent flick and should sail at box office due to low costs but other than ABRAHAM may find going tough at critical level.


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