Sari Review - The Old Love Triangle With A Modern Histrionic Touch of Emotions

K. S. Ashoka brings a Marathi remake of his popular Kannada flick Dia with Sari, starring Ajinkya Raut, Ritika Shrotri and Pruthvi Ambaar. Sari is a Xerox copy of Dia with no changes in the basic structure, from story, screenplay, dialogue, or even background score. Before reviewing Sari, let's discuss Dia briefly. What is Dia? It is a critically acclaimed and commercially successful romantic tragedy from Kannada cinema. It's a good film, no doubt, but not a great one. The people there and here have hyped it too much, that's all. Dia has its own highs and lows, which I'll be revealing in the next few paragraphs, but my words also apply to Sari because it is nothing but a blindfolded walkthrough into Dia's world. Dia is indeed a heartbreaking film, especially with the climax, but I'd say it is not for sensible people who know the importance of life. If I say, "Life is precious," and you agree, then Sari or Dia, they are just not for you. The film, which halfway through teaches you about living life by forgetting pain, actually ends up forgetting its own motto. That's one of the major shortcomings among a dozen of them.You know these old love triangle formulas from the ancient days of cinema, with films like J'Accuse (1919) and Sunrise (1927) setting a benchmark, whereas a blockbuster like The Flesh And The Devil (1926) setting a formula of a love triangle with friendship. Of course, not every love triangle can become as legendary as Casablanca (1942). The formula Dia or Sari tries is not that old. It's somewhere in the 60s and 70s flicks of Bollywood, which were inspired by old Hollywood flicks of the 30s and 40s. Do I need to remind you how the lost/dead hero returns in Andaz, Humraaz, and so many other films? Taking it further, the 1992 Bollywood movie Deewana had the same formula, but it just made a commercial blockbuster out of it and nothing else. The same story was retold in Marathi cinema with Kunku (1994), which added a particular mic-drop burn in the end and is, in my opinion, one of the best in the business till date. Dia/Sari is close to that film, but it gets too overdramatic and showcases life as such a useless thing as if it means nothing. Don't get the girl/boy you loved at your young age? Let's finish life. How easy and childish it is.Sari is about Dia (Ritika Shrotri), who falls in love with Rohit (Ajinkya Raut) at first sight. She tries to approach him and talk, but somehow she cannot gather enough courage. Rohit leaves the country, and Dia is left heartbroken. Her dead feelings come to life when she suddenly sees Rohit again, and by God's grace, this time he approaches her. She soon realises that Rohit was also trying for the same love that she couldn't dare to approach, and they both accept each other's love. But before they could enjoy happy moments in their dreamy world, an accident struck, and Dia was again left heartbroken. So broken that she even attempts to commit suicide, but then comes a new hope in her life, Mr. Adi (Pruthvi Ambaar). Adi makes Dia realise that life is not about pain and escape; it's all about daring to live it against the odds. Soon, they fall in love, but again, destiny has some tragic plans for them as Rohit returns. Who will Dia choose? Who will sacrifice his love for Dia, and who will get Dia with no pain? Find out the answer in Sari's climax.Talking of the screenplay, Dia/Sari's screenwriting is a mash-up of several known classics. On an interesting note, I don't know how many people noticed that the first 40 minutes of Dia/Sari did try to make an Indian version of the French sensation Amélie (2001). Well, I don't worship that Jean-Pierre Jeunet's flick like others, but it's a good film after all. Dia/Sari had the same vibes in the beginning when her character was self-narrating and planning things. Her boyfriend dies, and she decides to commit suicide. Well, that's only to add 5 more minutes to the runtime because we all know a heroine never dies halfway through. Come on, we are watching a film of the 2020s decade, not 1920.You know those daily soap formulas, no? No one is dead unless you see his body burning in front of your eyes (sometimes they survive that crap by adding lookalikes or twins). Well, Sari has it before you can gather info from any TV serial. Sari is your same old soap, with some heartbreaking and sudden moments in the conclusion. I'd say you didn't have to stretch it till the wedding; you didn't have to stretch it till the last moment of the train. We have seen such scenes in DDLJ and Hridyam. That unhappy face of the soon-to-be bride has to be one of the most disastrous flaws ever. I tell you, I have attended hundreds of weddings and engagement ceremonies, and every time the bride's happy face has been a topic of discussion. Her relatives would keep a watch on her face (that applies to the groom too), if not others. And if everyone misses it, then the least you can expect is for the photographer to tell her to smile (that's so common and pitiful). But here, you have to see that reluctant bride again meeting the guests, and nobody literally sees what the expressions on her face are; no one is least bothered. And who drags the scene until the train comes so close, man? Can't you understand that these things are called overdramatic in the internet era? That elevator scene is funny enough to crack a screenwriter's brain. The boy and the girls live on the same floor, yet he won't get off an elevator on the same floor. Rather, he would wait at the door for a second or two and then come to say, "Excuse me".One of the major faults in the film is that there are too many accidental and sudden events. Someone's death should look and feel like a tragedy. Did I feel it while watching Dia? No. That too, after seeing two deaths. Why? Because they showed life is a kid's game. Maybe there are too many deaths to swallow since it's not a war drama where you'll see soldiers dying one after another. You can take it away anytime you feel low, just like we see children crying out loud for a toy because it means the whole world. Let's get over the immaturity. We make films for grownups, not for teenage amateurs. Dia/Sari lies far behind sensible cinema, but yes, it has one or two life lessons that I would definitely admire. The best has to do with the mother's angle. You didn't listen to your mother and ran behind two-day old love, so God gave you the punishment. And the other lesson is a conditional one; I leave it to you which one to believe. If you believe that a two-to-three-month-old love or young-age infatuation is bigger than a 100-year-old life and your two decades-old love of Mother, then Dia/Sari makes sense to you. Sari is not about love or pain; it's actually about a curse that you brought on yourself. Dia loses because she couldn't make a choice about her love. Rohit loses because he had an accident, which isn't natural. Adi has to lose because he couldn't follow his own principles and didn't listen to his mother. All three lose something because they have done something wrong somewhere in their lives. But let me ask, is it that wrong for a film made for youth? I'd say no. I have seen youngsters commit bigger and sillier mistakes than this, so it's okay as long as cinema is not that boring and illogical.Sari has a fresh cast, and they all look good. The problem is their terrible lip syncs. Or was that a sound sync issue? You can always blame it on that, no? Anyways, Ritika looks gorgeous and pretty in every scene; Ajinkya is fine; and Pruthvi is good. Watch out for that mother's death scene when Pruthvi cries his heart out. I would have loved to see the same impact on every scene, though. Mrinal Kulkarni seemed like the only mature character and performer, while Sanjay Khapre seemed like the only one with a naturally synced accent. The music by Amitraj works as per situations, and the lyrics are nice too. The dialogues are copied from Dia, but they have been translated well, not like the Google translation we see in dubbing. The background score also comes from Dia, while the cinematography offers nothing new. KS Ashoka just copied the folder called Dia and pasted it into a new folder called Sari. With complete and neat compression, of course. Overall, Sari may work for some and may not for others, but it is never a film to be skipped. Even if it doesn't work logically, it has enough to fulfil your ticket purchase. Love stories are getting too absurd, urban, and vulgar nowadays, so let's hail Team Sari for being pure, clean, and sentimental.