Saathiya, a movie that i wanted to see because of its beautiful songs. I never expected that the story would be as enjoyable as the songs. This movie is made as simple as they could and yet made it look nice without any huge sets, or without of having characters in the story who are like supposely equivalent to Bill Gates. This is a movie which most of the people could relate to especially considering most of the indian population living in india lives through middle class values which is addressed in the movie. The romance is not overexaggerated. Basically, talking about the movie a viewer would not be disappointed. The direction was very veteran like considering it was Shaad Ali's first film. He did a fabulous job at the climax point. To bring out the performances worthy of awards and praises from the leading actors, Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukherjee. Rani Mukherjee has done her part better then her male counterpart but I would not dare take anything away from Vivek Oberoi. Vivek lends a good support but it is clear that movie's driving force was Rani Mukherjee, movie belonged to Rani Mukherjee arguably her best performance ever till date. Overall, it is a good heartwarming experience with good tunes to hummm in isolation. Characters will easily relate to you, it is that beautifully played out.
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GypsiB22 April 2020Aditya (Vivek Oberoi) falls in love with Suhani (Rani Mukerji) and, after some time, wins her. Both of their fathers are against the match, but they choose to marry anyway, sure that love will overcome all problems. Instead, they discover that marriage is a difficult game of give and take, and they struggle to keep faith with each other.
This romantic drama is a remake of the 2000 Tamil film, Alaipayuthey, which gives a realistic view of marriage. Oberoi and Mukerji have generally good chemistry, and make an attractive couple. Mukerji gives a convincing performance throughout, but Oberoi's emotions are not convincing in the end scenes. Shah Rukh Khan and Tabu give an extended cameo appearance, but their chemistry is decided lacking, and what should have been some of the most moving scenes fell rather flat. However, Tanuja, who plays Suhani's difficult mother, gave an excellent performance. The songs were mostly beautiful, with the incidental music being used quite effectively. Overall, I found the movie to be entertaining, but with an ending too abrupt to be fully satisfying. -
Sherazade4 August 2006Well, it's got a stellar cast, an okay story and it's a Yashraj production. I have to admit, when I first heard about this film, I hoped to watch it and rate it was perfect 10. But it's far from it. It's just an average film with a power punch packing cast!
Okay, Rani Mukherjee plays a young medical student who one day bumps into a mama's boy (played by Vivek Oberoi) at a wedding, and he instantly becomes smitten with her. Aboard two separate trains en route to different parts of the city of Mumbai, they spot each other again and a game of cat and mouse ensues daily until he musters up the courage to come and speak to her about his feelings. They slowly begin to warm up to each other and soon enough Oberoi's character sends his parents to go and check out his beloved's parents. His parents, wealthier than some get to the beat down shack where their son's beloved calls home with her parents and can hardly hide their resentment. It isn't too long that they begin to get on each other's nerves, and the meeting ends in a disaster.
When Rani's character meets with Vivek's again, she decides to end their relationship because his parents were rude to hers. Vivek pleads with her then proposes to her, and they secretly get marriage. Everything goes smoothly until it becomes time for Rani's younger sister to get married. The potential family comes in to meet theirs and naturally they wonder why the older one isn't married yet, so the propose that one of their other sons marries her, that is when Rani's character drops the bombshell on them all that she is already married. This causes her sister's marriage deal to be canceled and not to mention the fact that her parents disown her because of this. Rani's character then goes off to live with her husband (Vivek) and things go smoothly for a while until they start dealing with issues that surround every married couple. Rani becomes insecure about the marriage and herself that she begins to see things that aren't there. One afternoon, she spies her husband hugging a woman at a train stop and mistakes it for an affair, when she later finds out that the woman her husband was hugging was none other than her little sister, she races home to make things right with her husband again but meets a very bad accident.
That's when the Yashraj Peep whip out one of two people who probably brought Saathiya the crowd it did at the box office. The car that hit Rani's character was being driven by Tabu (in a special appearance) and she is married to Shah Rukh Khan (another special appearance) whom she races home to tell what she has done, after fleeing the scene of a crime, leaving Rani at her own mercy. SRK then races to the hospital to see if the woman is still alive, where he pretends to be her husband in order to save her life. That's Saathiya for you, yup! The much hyped Saathiya. The Best performance in the entire film belongs to Vivek Oberoi, he is just stellar and splendidly holds his own in the one powerful scene he has with the King Khan. Oh! blink and you'll miss an item number cameo by Shamita Shetty as she tries to steal Vivek away from Rani. There's also a wonderful song in the film called 'Chupke Se' performed in the film by Rani and Vivek. Listen to it and weep! Yes! it's that beautiful. -
jungleking28 August 2003With Mani Rathnam and A R Rehman linked to a project, one cannot be in to much doubt that if nothing else the music is going to be mind blowing.
But that was not the case with Saathiya. It not only had mind-blowing music and score it was one of the best movies of 2002.
The music and the respective picturisations are excellent, especially in the case of the title song Saathiya'. My other favorite song is the tongue in cheek song Choori pe Choori'. However all the other songs are very pleasurable as well. The main question was how would first time director Shaad Ali perform on this story, that would be a remake of Mani Rathnam South-Indian movie be as good as the original? Would he produce an art movie piece as his father (Muzaffar Ali) has done with movies like Umrao Jaan, or would he deliver a commercial piece? What one can be sure of is that Shaad has taken the craftsman of his fathers art movies and put them to commercial use, and delivered a movie that is unique, professional, modern and outstanding.
The acting is excellent as is the story line. Having liked Rani from Ghulam to K3G, is wonderful to see her finally taking the lead in a role that does her justice. Her realistic portrayal of Suhani, a modern genre women dealing with the trials and tribulations of married life is excellent. Having not seen anything of Viveks before, is was a surprise to see an actor of his young caliber holding such presence on screen, that it overshadowed SRK. It is evident that this actor will reach high strides in his coming career.
For a change this movie actually delivers a subconscious message, something not commonly done in bollywood movies. The message is lifes to short, tell those around you how much they really mean to you'. Taking this to heart, I can truly say that I loved Saathiya. -
CAMKG22 January 2003*Spoiler Warning*
Saathiya is a film about a couple who have the courage to follow their heart but discover themselves and each other - that is they mature - as they go along. The film itself has a lot of maturity in how it deals with the subject and for once young adults are shown as intelligent human beings rather than the DTPH, KKHH or DDLJ type plot-driven puppets.
But the film's director Shaad Ali lacks the courage to make a really honest film down to the last reel. The script is an original, the acting is superb and Rahman's music fits in very well with the narrative. Rani Mukherjee's performance in the film reminded me of what she did in Hey Ram. You give this lady a role of substance and she knows how to portray it beautifully. And I am really impressed by Vivek Oberoi as a very secure and mature actor. In Road as well as this film, he very subtly takes a backseat to the more high profile Bajpai and Mukherjee and gives them a chance to feed off of him.
One thing that had me a little ticked off was why couldn't the songs be picturised in continuation with the narrative instead of some fantasy costumes, backup dancers and abstract movements that seemed out of place. Also the Shamita Shetty song was totally out of place and unrequired. But inspite of that, the way the Adi-Suhaani relationship unfolds had me totally glued until the last twenty minutes.
I didn't mind when they used Suhaani's accident as a plot device for the ending. Although they could have done with a 5 minute scene involving some more of the beautiful dialogue of Gulzar and Vivek and Rani's superb chemistry onscreen. Anyways, even if you go along with the accident, why the heck did we need Shahrukh and Tabu all of a sudden. To me it showed that Mr. Shaad Ali was not confident enough of his film standing on its own merit and therefore he needed to add some solid starpower to draw in the audience. Or maybe it was pressure from Yash Chopra or Mani Ratnam. In any case I totally felt betrayed on what had been an almost brilliant film till the last 20 minutes. To Ali's credit though, his use of flashbacks was very well-done.
From seeming like one of the best Bollywood films of the year, Saathiya ends up being an average entertainer. On my part, I will try to delete the last 20 minutes from my memory of the film. 7/10. -
Saathiya is a romantic drama film directed by Shaad Ali. The film stars Rani Mukerji and Vivek Oberoi with Tanuja, Sharat Saxena, Sandhya Mridul, Satish Shah, Swaroop Sampat in the supporting roles and Cameos by Shahrukh Khan and Tabu.
Aditya and Suhani runs away and get married as they weren't supported by their parents. However, cracks soon begin to develop in their fairy-tale romance.
There is no doubt that Hindi film industry specially big giants like Yashraj films and Dharma production has a long obsession with romantic films and they have even gave some of the memorable films to Hindi cinema such as Kabhi Kabhie, Silsila, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Veer Zaara from Yashraj films with Kuch Kuch Hota hai, Kal Ho Na Ho from Dharma prodution and in 2002 Yashraj Films comes with another romantic film Saathiya which might not be in the league in these class films but still has a cult following and often considered as one of the good romantic films if not best.
The good or bad with any romantic film is that the films are very predictable and almost all the films have happy ending as none of the film maker wants to take risks by trying any unconventional method of film making in this genre and Saathiya is no exception. The film has some good twists and turns but soon gets into the conventional method of film making and will surely be liked by the set of viewers who likes romantic films but for the rest this will be other predictable cliched drama.
The screenplay of the film is good with a superb climax but the end of the film might pinch to few of the viewers as though the film ends on a happy note but ends abruptly and off course we would've loved to see Shahrukh and Tabu little more on screen.
The acting in the film is top notch and all the characters were superb with Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukerji the most impressive of them all. Vivek Oberoi is one of the most underutilized talent of Indian Cinema and the true lovers of Hindi cinema will never forgive Salman Khan for ruining the career of this supremely talented actor. Supporting cast like Sandhya Mridul, Satish Shah, Sharat Saxena, Tanuja and Swaroop Sampat were also very impressive.
Music and BGM were good. The title track of the film along with Chalka Re, Aye Udi Udi Udi and O Humdun Suniyo re are treat for ears. Thanks to the music maestro A. R. Rahman for such mind blowing music and the wizard with pen Gulzar Sahab for such mesmerizing lyrics.
For the typical romantic films fan they will surely like the film but for the others this will be another one time watch predictable film. -
kliq19 January 2003Yes, the film is almost like any other hindi film and yes its unbelievable how far better it is, than any of its contenders. A fabulous love story of a boy and a girl who marry each other against the wishes of their parents and society, 'Saathiya' shows the human side of love, stressing on the problems human beings deal with and work through in order to maintain a relationship.
The songs are amazing and their picturization magnificent. The movie has good doses of fun, emotion and tragedy. Rani Mukherjee looks ravishing and will take your breath away, she almost looks and acts like the perfect wife for any young man. Vivek Oberoi, who is very clearly the find of 2002 as far as the Hindi Film industry is concerned, turns in another great performance, he is absolutely flawless in the film, portraying the many emotional facets of his character 'Aditya Sehgal', with an almost unrecognizable ease. Shaad Ali puts in a fantastic effort for his first film, picking the perfect actors with the perfect locales to create a near perfect film. I cannot yet comment on the replayability of this film as I have only seen it once, but it is almost a surity that the movie would be as good on the second watch. A 10/10 film, and a must watch. -
Shaad Ali's Saathiya is one of the best films of 2002. Everything about it -- from the story line, the cinematography, locations, emotions, performances to A.R. Rahman's beautiful soundtrack -- makes it a worthy film. The film marks the directorial debut of Shaad Ali, and it shows he has not gone far from his father (the great Muzaffar Ali) in terms of talent and imagination. He extracts good performances from his actors, he has a sense and understanding of emotion and clearly has a knack for capturing the complexity of marriage and relationships, which are infused with impressive lifelike sensibility in this film. Basically the story's success boils down to the fact that Ali portrays it with authenticity. This is a fantastic directorial debut (although he would ruin that image in his future projects BAB and JBJ). Rani Mukherjee is the main highlight of the show, the soul of the entire film. This is her career-best performance. She is simply flawless in every single scene - beautiful, vibrant, natural and convincing. Vivek Oberoi is a talented actor and acts very well, though he is not as good as his female costar. He does have to work on the more emotional expressions, but otherwise gives a complete performance. Gulzar and A.R. Rahman give life to the film with a superb list of songs, each of which is a gem. My favourite songs include "Saathiya", "Aye Udi Udi", "Chhalka Chhalka Re", "Chupke Se" and "O Humdum Soniyo Re". To sum it up, Saathiya is a very impressive, entertaining and realistic picture on relationships and marriage. I highly recommend you to see it.
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ksr_reem20 November 2005The idea behind Saathiya is definitely a new one - what happens after the lovebirds marry? This has made the movie a success with nearly everyone. The stars' good looks helped make the movie popular with the young.
The reason I find Saathiya lacking is that it simply does not come anywhere near the level of the original Tamil movie - Alaipayuthey (2000). I watched Alaipayuthey more than 10 times and remembered every scene and dialog in it after the first viewing. In comparison, Saathiya was a forgettable movie. I was very disappointed by its quality because I am a big fan of Hindi movies and had been eagerly awaiting Saathiya's release.
Firstly, the chemistry between the stars - what chemistry??? Rani seemed so old compared to Vivek. If you saw Madhavan and Shalini in Alaipayuthey, you would think they were a real couple. Despite a 10-year age gap between the Tamil stars, there was no hint of that. 30 years old then, Madhavan was so realistic in his portrayal of a love-struck young guy - physically and emotionally. Shalini, being only 20 then, could easily showcase the role of a college student. Rani and Vivek might have played their roles with conviction but a significant portion of the movie depended on the chemistry between them, which was lacking. A number of the scenes in Alaipayuthey brought a smile to your lips because of the interaction between the lovers.
My second grouse with Saathiya is the story. The incidents in Saathiya seemed so fake. I got the feeling that Shaad Ali changed the incidents in an attempt to differentiate Saathiya from Alaipayuthey. But everyone should know one thing by now - no one should distort a Mani Ratnam product. He is, after all, the best movie maker.
I did not like the supporting characters either. They failed to play their roles with 100% conviction. Rani's reel mother and sister did not look or act like middle-class people who were financially struggling. The mother wore expensive-looking saris, while the sister acted more like a rich party animal.
I am an Indian living overseas who might have outdated views on the traditional Indian qualities. But, surely there is not much of a difference between a Tamil and a Hindi traditional family. How is it that in Saathiya, love is looked down on by the parents but Rani is allowed to wear clothes (shorts) that should seem objectionable to such traditional parents?
All these factors combined diluted the reality of the movie. For those of you who disagree with me, watch Alaipayuthey. -
yoshielavumkal1 February 2003Remakes, 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 -
johnshay3 January 2003This film -- which I had heard almost nothing about before seeing it -- turned out to be a powerful, moving, and important love story. Rani Mukherjee's performance as Suhani -- the young M.D. and wife struggling to reach out to her husband after they elope -- is top notch and clearly deserving of an Oscar. Likewise, Vivek Oberoi does a wonderful job portraying her husband Aditya as he oscillates between playfulness and workaholism. Ali and Rathnam's story is superb -- combining drama and social commentary in a complex and satisfying tapestry. As always, Anil Mehta does a fabulous job lensing the story -- his cinematography captures a wide range of urban landscapes that subtly adds depth and context to the story (and be on the lookout for an in-joke concerning his name in the film). And, of course, A. R. Rahman's score is terrific -- particularly when pouring out of a theater's surround-sound system! Not to be missed!
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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.
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ilpintl6 June 2003When 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 business of seeing the lead characters evolve. His ardour melts her resolve; they encounter resistance from their parents, they elope and set up house on their own. We watch them go from young, hopeful lovers to stressed-out, bickering married people. Life in the big city is not easy, as they find out, and neither is marriage. `Poor dears, come join the club!' you think, as they take faltering, tentative steps toward adulthood. Just like the rest of us, they are trying to muddle through. You root for them and get genuinely caught up in their lives.
The young leads are perfect. Rani Mukherjee has always struck me as an actress with potential. Though most of her films only require her to look good, something she accomplishes with ease, she has impressed in films like `Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' and Kamalahasan's self-indulgent yet brilliant-in-patches `Hey Ram'. Rani fleshes out the character of Suhani Sharma beautifully and makes her someone you care about deeply. Likewise, the new actor Vivek Oberoi, invests his character Aditya with poignancy and great feeling. Though Aditya is callow, even silly, you see his passion; despite his posturing, you glimpse his insecurities and vulnerability. This young man is a fine new addition to the ranks of Indian actors. The supporting cast does not have much to do, as the film focuses entirely on the lead pair, but Sandhya Mridul, as Suhani's older sister, Dina, is quite lovely. Tanuja, who plays Suhani's mother, perhaps defines what is meant by the term `working actor': someone who takes an acting gig to either pay the bills, keep busy, or just wishes to be involved in any way at all with a quality project. I'm hoping that it's for the last reason that she took this job. The part offers no scope for her talent and could have been played by an actress of far lesser skills. Sharat Saxena, who plays Suhani's father, has come a long way from the inconsequential thuggish roles he played in the eighties, and displays an unexpected gravitas (and a full head of silver hair!) here.
At the risk of sounding sacrilegious, I'd like to say that this was a film that could have been made without songs. It needed no embellishment, and the songs don't further the story or offer any expository detail. Having said that, A. R. Rahman's music is pretty and a couple of the songs linger in the memory. I recall a quote from either Gulzar or Javed Akhtar that A. R. Rahman is the only contemporary film composer who is not daunted by lyrics in blank verse. May his tribe increase! Gulzar's lyrics, as usual, are sublime, so I suppose it's good that songs were included. I can barely believe my luck that within a 24-hour period, I saw TWO excellent films: `Saathiya' and the Pedro Almodovar gem `Talk To Her'. This does not happen often, you can be sure! -
Yesterday I went to see saathiya at theatre and let me tell you that it is a great movie. Debutant director Shaad Ali has done a great job in directing this movie. Ashok Mehta's cinematography is just too good. Vivek Oberoi has done an excellent job. He shows a lot of acting skills. I personally feel that he is a very promising actor. Rani Mukherjee also acted very well. Among other actors I think Sandhya Mridul acted very well and Tanuja was just natural. The only thing I didn't like the movie was its ending. The ending was too filmy. My Rating - 9.5/10
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amitnewyork2 January 2003A 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! -
gokulpod29 December 2002The movie is basically above two people who love each other and marry against parents' wishes. But soon after getting married, marital problems creep in and soon both Oberoi and Mukherjee think they have made a big mistake. Watch the movie to see what ensues.
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manojsoni87 January 2003All same old stuff...love love and hell lot of songs.. Pata nahi kab sudhrenge yeh loooooog.. Now a days all the love stories are the remake of the movies from south india.
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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 -
falak11mufc11 May 2003Very simple love story, but shown in an angle that makes it interesting and definitely worth watching. And it has great music. The singers and musci director, AR Rehman, all do a great job. The choreography is also great. Most of the songs are well-placed in the film...probably apart from the Chori Pe chori one. It's got the high quality you would expect from Yash Raj, and the sweet simplicity of Mani Ratnam... Definitely worth a watch.
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gautam-moharil26 August 2019I had seen this film when it was initially released and had thought it was the greatest film ever. Watching it now I see the flaws too even though it is still a great film. Vivek Oberoi is a bad actor and the songs break the flow and intensity of the plot. The dialogues by Gulzar are great. The direction is good. Mumbai is itself a character in the film. This is in a way an ode to the spirit and the energy of that city.
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jhanvi_y2 March 2003This 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!!!!!!!!!!!
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trucker-144 November 2005I have just seen SAATHIYA, and I never new that I could be so gripped by a Bollywood type movie. I was loving almost every minute.EXCELLENT.I just wish I could find love like that. Gave me a lump in my throat when I thought Suhani was going to die. Rani Mukherjee ( Suhani ) is gorgeous,and boy can she dance.I hope I can get it on DVD. I gave it 9 and not 10 because I did not like the hospital part. When Suhani crosses the road and gets run over by the van I could not believe what I just saw. HOW did they do that. Looks very real. The film is very colourful. The dancing gets you jumping about in your seat. Lovely to watch good looking women dance together.Everybody needs to see this film if only to make us all realise how ugly it is to argue and be grumpy in life.
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Has been such a LOOOOOOONG time since I have seen a good Bollywood movie (Bollywood- as opposed to maybe entertaining- but uninspired unBollywood 'Hollywood-inspired' movies) that Saathiya felt like the best Bollywood I have ever seen.
But it isn't very far from the best Bollywood movie.
The typical vintage Bollywood should have good music, good humor, witty dialogue, and a great, great, great climax.
A R Rahman does it again, with great, great, great music.
And it probably has the wittiest, most-intelligent dialogue in a Bollywood movie ever.
Great, great, great (have I overdone the repeating-adjectives-three-times yet?) comedy.
Despite what the promoters have been claiming, the story really isn't original. For God's sake it is based on another Indian (non-Bollywood movie) Many previous movies have dealt with the romances of married couples- although not nearly so effectively.
Also it doesn't have the overbearing, mushy-mushy, f*cked up relatives that Bollywood believes all its movies should have. Oh yeah, It also has great, great, great (have I overdone it yet?) acting. Both the protagonists have acted well- and the female protagonist wasn't just placed there to look good. And Hritik, move your shapely yet non-talented ass over. The REAL next big thing is here (although I would like to ask the real next big thing what he is doing with that biker bag slung over his shoulders throughout the movie).
Also the movie has real honest-to-goodness characters (which is more than that can be said about some of the over-the-top characters from some of the 'good' Bollywood movies) -
Romance with extremely heart wrenching emotion made Vivek-Rani couple extraordinary. All other artists like Sandhya Mridul,Tanuja all played their roles very well. The movie shows how helpful Vivek's friends and Rani's elder sister in establishing their marriage. Modern couples have to learn from this movie a lot. Everyone should watch.
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Dingataca4 December 2007I would usually rate this a 5, but I'm gonna give it a 6. Only because of the outstanding music score by A.R Rehman, which I applaud. Otherwise, it definitely would have got a 5 from me.
Aditya (Vivek Oberoi) is a bright, popular, flirtatious, good-looking young man. His parents are wealthy, and he lives a pretty decent life. One fine day, he meets Suhani (played by Rani Mukherjee). She is the complete opposite, she is practical and hardworking, whereas he is cool and a go-with-the-flow type guy. However, upon meeting her, Aditya is completely smitten with Suhani. Although knowing that Suhani does not feel the same way about him, Aditya is determined and eventually, she confesses that she is attracted to him as well. They fall deep into a blissful path called young love, and soon the time comes and the two make their parents meet, to arrange a marriage. Unfortunately their families don't get on, mainly because of the change in status between them...however, the two simply can't bear being apart, and soon they find the perfect solution - eloping together. They run away and get married, and all seems well, until the stresses and tensions of married life dawns on them. One day, after a big argument, Aditya can't seem to find his beloved, even after searching all over the city. Where is she? Is she alive? What is going on? Why has she left? Will Aditya ever find his wife?
Despite the good reviews, I cannot understand and like this movie. Saathiya had the potential to be a much better and easier to understand movie imo. But somehow something seems to be wrong. Personally I couldn't tell which parts were flashback and which weren't. Also, many parts did not seem realistic. And what was the whole train business? How does one fall in love like that? And to be honest, the ending disappointed me slightly.
The acting was decent enough. Rani Mukherjee gave the best she could to her role, I guess, she is acceptable. However it was Vivek Oberoi who stole the show. Saathiya was not an AMAZING movie, and I don't understand the hype, nevertheless I think he did very well and was the best performance out of the lot. Sandhya Mridul, Satish Shah, Sharat Saxena, and Tanuja make small appearances.
Could have been made better.