Plot: this adaptation of White Nights is a story of a man ardently in love with a woman, knowing very well that she is in love with someone else and is waiting for her lover to return. the story is set in a fantasy town and takes place in four nights.
To begin with, weather you like the film or not, you will have to applaud Sanjay Leela Bhansali for making a sheer poetry on celluloid. It’s not just a movie. it’s a baraque painting. and a very fine one. Sanjay’s framing of each and every shot is so perfectly done. and the best part is that inspite of the fact that each frame is overwhelmingly blissfull, at no point does the set takes you away from the characters. his sets are big but characters are bigger. Sanjay’s shot taking is just perfect. For us film students, it’s a like a textbook. the way he has choreographed character movements and character placements is wonderful. he took the jaan-e-jaan sone in one shot which looks beautiful.
Also, there are some mesmerising moments in the film. soe of these are:
When Ranbir tells Lilian that you need to be hgged, it’s an extremely beautiful scene. everything in the scene is just perfect.
The Thode Badmaash song is also extremely beautiful. When Sonam says to Ranbir, Mere bhagwan ho tum, that frame is so full of life.
The last scene, before going to salman, that act between Sonam and Ranbir is an epic moment in cinema. no dialogues. yet the beauty and emotions are conveyed perfectly.
The music of the film is melodious and ever-lasting. it is by far, the best music of the year. very few music directors consider melody to be the most important part of the song and monty is one of them. no wonder his music is going to last forever.
The set design is bollywood at it’s best. the set has been used so beautifully and each and every corner of the set is so well constructed. the only problem is that it looks obviously like a set and not a real town and it may take some people away from the story.
The cinematography is just Par Excellence. the way the set has been lit us is simply mesmerising. the use of colors(although most of it is CG) is beautiful. the camera movements are well concieved. Ravi K chandran is surely the Master to Lighting.
The two new actors are simply terrific. they are perfect in the film. and Rani is getting the best - supporting actress award this year. in the begining scene when she tells Ranbir about prostitue’s children and their childhood. she has done that scene is an excellent. she is laughing but we can see the pain in her eyes. also when she gets ranbir thrown out of her house.
The Flaw In The Plan: -
Yes there are some flaws in the movie.
The characters of Ranbir and Salman are not estabilished at all. where are they coming from? what does salman do? who is Ranbir? the information given is not sufficient for the audience.
The whole film has been shot on a set in blue and green colors. while some people(like me) will find it a visual treat, some may consider it a clousterophibic experience. also there is no shot in the movie which is lit up like a day so the darkness may get into some people.
The biggest mistake is to release this film during diwali. it’s a tragedy and tragedies never work during Diwali. people are in a festive mood and they don’t want to be sad. also, when you hqave a SRK film coming with you, it’s worse. the film could have done much better if released during summer. in summer people are tired of the heat, so the blue and green coolness would have been a nice relief for them from the heat.
Anyways, watch the film for it’s brilliant shot taking, beautiful moments, awesome music and terrific performances.