Guzaarish   Producer: Ronnie Screwvala, Sanjay Leela Bhansali Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Monikangana Dutta, Rajit Kapoor, Shernaz Patel,Nafisa Ali, Sanjay Lafont Music: Sanjay Leela Bhansali Lyrics: A.M. Turaz, Vibhu Puri Genre: Drama Recommended Audience: General Film Released on: 19 November 2010 Reviewed by: Lidia Ostepeev  - Rating: 8.0 / 10 More Reviews and Analysis by PB Critics:     • Feature Review by Ankit Ojha  - Rating: 8.5 / 10   Let us know what you think about this review Music Review

It may seem odd to commence a review with focus on choreography but it was a highlight and demonstrates the perfect fusion of the right casting choice with choreography, music (composed by Bhansali himself) and narrative. Gone is the idea of the choreographic ‘one-size-fits-all’ with dancers in lines, grinding their way through Bolly-moves which have rightly found their way into gym fitness programs, We see dance as an expressive art in the context of a fantasy, visualised by a crippled magician whose spirit is very much alive.

Three choreographers are credited for the film - Ashley Lobo, Longines Fernandes and Pony Verma. The solo performance, which is the substance of the song "Jaane Kiske Khwaab", has Roshan dancing with a large translucent globe in contemporary dance style. The sequence is short - before wire work and special effects kick in - but it is like Kelly’s "Singing in the Rain" (1952) moment in that Roshan’s body is ‘singing‘. His side collapses onto the globe and the subsequent reclining posture is beautifully executed and such a simple but stunning metaphor for complete surrender to one’s art. Bhansali has dedicated this film to the talents of Jaidevji and Lataji and giving form to music/song is where it excels.

Magical acts constitute powerful flashbacks that magnify aspects of the magician’s persona. There is joy, liberation, spirituality and great passion in them. The song "Tera Zikr" has in it the stylised sexuality evident in “More Piya� - Devdas (2002). The blood, eroticism seemingly part of the illusion sheds light on the ‘real-life’ physical/emotional relationship between the magician (Ethan) and his then assistant.

Another choreographic high manifests when Sophia (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) takes her crippled charge into a club to raise his spirits after a harrowing session in court where he has been attempting to gain approval for euthanasia. Firstly Aishwarya’s enigmatic look (created by Sabyasachi Mukherjee) is beautifully in keeping with the detailed layered quality of the other visuals. In the scene she wears flamenco favourites - red and black, including dark red lipstick. A heavy scarf covers her head obscuring the decorative, red rose in her hair. The song “Uddi� has Sophia showing a surprisingly vibrant side to her character so light flamenco moves in the style of rumbas or bulerias have been fused with popular Indian dance moves. Again the choreography is not merely decorative but designed to reflect the character and situation. Aishwarya performs the dance in its nuanced glory keeping it true to the rather eccentric character being portrayed.

Guzaarish is not really an issues film despite superficial appearances. Yes, we are presented with court scenes, lobby groups and media coverage of Ethan’s case but it’s all secondary to the deeper layer which delves into the nature of artistic endeavour, its connection to the soul and its capacity to ‘elevate’ and immortalise human experience. Saawariya (2007) too worked with these idea but the absence of a tangible storyline made viewers feel as of they were observing events through frosted glass. Guzaarish similarly posits that an artist lives through his art, is ennobled by it as if in love, leaving his imprint so there is collective memory of his work.

The film is a tad slow in its wind-up but maintains curiosity through items of withheld information and its stunning visuals. There is perhaps a little too much emphasis on the similarities between Christ and Ethan which opens out a different reading of the film - one which I personally find a little bewildering. Performances are strong throughout with Aditya Roy Kapur and Shernaz Patel in noteworthy supporting roles.

When it ‘snows’ in Guzaarish as it does in Saawariya and Black (2005) before it, there is a sense that the protagonist is in a state of bliss irrespective of time or place - a state which is directly attributable to love. Love and art are synonymous in this tribute to two Bollywood greats.