This is an adaptation of a French thriller, Pour Elle (2008), remade in the US as The Next Three Days (2010). With a gender flip, a la Hichki, the Indian version becomes more inspired by the legend of Savitri and Satyavan—hence the title!
Star Cast: Anil Kapoor, Divya Khossla, Harshvardhan Rane, Rageshwari Loomba, Mairaj Kakkar, M.K. Raina, Himanshi Choudhry
Director: Abhinay Deo
What’s Good: Gripping adaptation that does not dot all the ‘I’s and cross all the ‘T’s.
What’s Bad: The seemingly random use of songs when it could have been a classic Vishesh Entertainment musical crime drama a la Kasoor, Murder, Gangster or Murder 2
Loo Break: I don’t think so at all.
Watch or Not?: Yes, provided it does not get lost in a crowd of releases this week.
Language: Hindi
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 126 Minutes
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In Liverpool, a happy family’s life is suddenly disturbed when Nakul Sachdev (Harshvardhan Rane) is arrested for the murder of his boss, who has been regularly humiliating him. His wife, Savi (Divya Khossla), is shocked, and their son, Aditya (Mairaj Kakkar), is desolate.
The cops are largely using circumstantial evidence, though Nakul insists that he had bumped into the actual murderer but did not see him, and the latter’s button has come loose. However, Nakul is convicted for life (12 years), and Savi is determined to break him out of the high-security jail so that their common, normal familial dream—a rosy future together—comes true.
The prerequisites for organizing Nakul’s breakout are a study of the jail security, oodles of money, a foolproof escape plan to a country that does not have an extradition treaty with Britain, and, of course, tons of determination and guts—apart from a vital slice of luck! After studying loads of literature on jailbreaks, Savi gets to meet one of the authors, Joydeep, a.k.a. J. Paul (Anil Kapoor), who has been in and out of jail (for valid reasons!) and enlists his moral (and more) help and guidance.
Savi Movie Review: Script Analysis
Parveez Sheikh and Aseem Arora’s adapted script makes several modifications to the original, perhaps necessary in the Indian context. The script maintains key elements, like Savi drawing a mind map on the wall of her house and later throwing these pictures, text, and notes into a dumpster or trash can outside her house when Adi and she leave it for good. There are other common elements, too, that I would not want to mention here.
But there are key changes as well, like the reason why Nakul is transferred to a hospital and, above all, the timeframe. The reason why Savi must act within three days after Nakul is in jail for seven months is also given a spin to increase the thrill quotient. The climax is also altered from the original movie, and the murder case is not really resolved but decidedly closed in the minds of the investigating cops due to an ingenious device.
And though the film’s narrative becomes a shade ‘filmi’ with the extent of Paul’s involvement, his character and role do add to the emotional and entertainment quotient and justify why a big star like him accepted what is, by definition, a secondary, if pivotal, role.
Aseem Arora’s dialogues are lifelike, and the script does not really have loopholes in any form because, in that sense, it follows the premise of the original.
Savi Movie Review: Star Performance
Anil Kapoor is in his element as a habitual fugitive. His post-climax scene is terrific in the casual way he approaches it. Made to wear multiple disguises, including that of an old woman, he is the highlight of the cast. Divya Khossla is patently sincere as the central character, but in some demanding scenes, both her expressions and voice modulation fall short. In a few others, she shines, as when she leaves her son Adi in the care of her friend, Simrit (Rageshwari Loomba Swaroop).
Harshvardhan Rane, as always, is competent and, again, underused! The actor has truly expressive eyes and needs and deserves better roles. Rageshwari is effective in her brief cameo, and the British actors are good in their brief cameos. M.K. Raina, as the father who craves to meet his son and family, is excellent in his brief appearances. But Himanshi Choudhry as Ayesha Hassan and Supreet Bedi as Anu just pass muster.
Savi Movie Review: Direction, Music
Abhinay Deo is no mean talent, as his exceptional adaptation and Indianization of the TV serial epic 24: India has shown, though he did go a shade wrong in Game and Blackmail. His dark comedy, Delhi Belly, of course, was brilliant, and this time, too, as director, he is in superb command. There was material here that could have lost its essence and impact in the process of adaptation, but he, instead, maintains a tight grasp and command on the material.
The music is alright for its limited use within the film and happily features proven talents KK (his last recorded song, Vaada humse karo), Sunidhi Chauhan and Shreya Ghoshal, though the composers are multiple, including Arkadeep Karmakar, whose background score is aptly evocative.
Savi Movie Review: The Last Word
Mukesh Bhatt and T-Series have an enviable record with movies like Aashiqui, Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin, Sadak and Aashiqui 2. Qualitatively, this film does match their eminent collaborations, and we can only hope that the box-office too follows suit.
Three and a half stars!
Savi Trailer
Savi released on 31st May, 2024.
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