Saiyaara — Reiterating a Common Story
Every love story is unique. But you can always find common threads
This post has no spoilers
Saiyaara : (of Urdu and Arabic origin) "star" or "planet.
Astronomers have found that stars and planets do change over a long period of time. But in the world of lovers they are a constant.
In the short span of life that we’re gifted with, one can experience love in its true sense only once or maybe twice. Everything else after that is a compromise unless the world can throw a surprise.
As a former critic of Bollywood romantic cinema, I had been seeing this concept from a nonchalant perspective for long, but my opinions have changed. What I felt while watching the movie “Saiyaara” has highlighted the tectonic shift that has happened within my mind.
A Brief Summary
Krish Kapoor is a wannabe star singer. Vaani Batra is a heartbroken woman trying to heal from a past love. Both of them deal with challenges beyond their control. Poetry, music and the desire to ‘heal’ bring them together.
Of course, there’s a villain in the story. Vaani’s ex “Mahesh” might remind you of the Mahesh Dalle reel from Instagram.
Everything else is part of the plot which would spoil the movie for you.
Common Lines
I was expecting the movie to have no commonality with my personal experiences, but it appears that all lovers say the same or similar things to each other. Of course, nobody has a general knowledge about what to say or what not to say.
But the words you utter in a certain moment in a certain context to someone you love always has a power of its own. If a movie or piece of art can rekindle those thoughts, and you acknowledge the intensity with which you said it, you are likely to be shaken, if not rattled.
But that doesn’t mean you have to suffer or repeat old patterns that didn’t work for you. You can only pause and appreciate the unraveling of love in your own heart.
The Feminine Coping Mechanism
This might be construed as a spoiler, but I’ll say this anyway.
One would advocate for a more communicative and open partner. But when love enters the equation, people do withhold and block.
Sometimes they disappear from their lives only to protect them from their worst instincts. If you watch movie and notice the behaviour of the female lead, you end up reviewing the behaviour of someone who chose to disappear and not allow you to speak to them.
The unrecognised final act of love is eliminating the possibility of you hurting the one you love.
Filling Up The Void
Love often comes as a rescuer in the face of the screaming void that creeps our daily lives. The void in the case of the lead actor was his desire to succeed. But he lacks the support system to make that happen.
A drunk father and a dead mother were not there to reason with him and provide the necessary affection and attention. Thus, he seeks it out in the outer world. He desires to be the antithesis of his father in terms of wealth or fame. When he encounters a glimpse of affection that he had craved for, he goes all in and submits to idea of love.
On the other hand the female lead has a family, but for her love is a fantasy or dream. She seeks an immovable star (Saiyaara) in her life in spite of having caring parents. Her desire is to make the poetry of love come true. It’s not a fictional creation. I can say that this is a reality in many cases.
Comparison with Rockstar and 50 First Dates
Even as all these thoughts run in my head, I compared the movie and its songs to Rockstar. It has a similar trope of a lost guy finding fame and love which are at odds with each other. Speaking further on 50 First Dates might be a spoiler.
But if you add the two and give it a spin, you might end up with the plot for Saiyaara.
Recommended?
This is not a review of any sort. But if someone asks me if this movie is worth watching, then I would say that it can make you feel something. If you look out for logical flaws you might find many.
But in reality, that’s a very pessimistic way to look at any piece of art. Ignore the flaws and pick out the reality embedded in it.