Saajan [DVD] [1992]

The plot of this movie is so familiar in Bollywood it could almost be a genre in itself. We have a triangle of 2 pseudo-brothers who both fall in love with the same girl unknown to each other. One sacrifices his love for the other. The other then does the same. However no-one asks the girl her position.
However this one is a cut above many others. We have the added dimension that these are 2 decent men who have been friends since childhood. One (Salman Khan) protected and befriended the other (Sanjay Dutt) an orphaned cripple, and then the latter was adopted by the others decent family and brought up as an equal brother. The cripple is rejected by women and also avoids relationships expecting rejection. He buries himself in fathers building work and is secretly a great published poet- writing under an assumed name, who the girl (Madhuri Dixit) is a great fan of and performs dances to his poems. The other cares little for work and is absorbed in his womanizing before he is smitten by the girl and wants to change his life.

The script was a little better than usual and the actors very strong. Both Salman and Sanjay are young and cute, albeit in their mullet hairdos of its 1991 era. Salman was young and innocent in this period and Sanjay makes a very convincing poetic soul rather than the action or comedic Sanjay often of later years. Madhuri Dixit also is always solid and has an acting range many other women of the period often lacked. Other main supports: Kader Khan as Dad, Reema Lagoo as Mum and Laxmikant Berde as servant are also very good. There was an interesting portrayal of father and sons as friends, and older wife and husband still being lovers, that was unusual for movies of this period in India.

Now the songs of that era I don't usually connect to but I notice others still like these. For me they were fine at taking the plot forward rather than exclusively being romantic diversions. If I have a gripe it's that the words of the songs are meant to be the words of poetry written by Sanjay's character yet we don't get subtitles during the songs so any poetry in the lyrics is unfortunately lost. Elsewhere on the Net it tends to consistently score above average and that's where I'd put it too. If you like Bollywoods you should be happy with this one and it really didn't look too dated to revisit.

This is a keeper though this was unexpected as the dated looking cover of the DVD suggested it may be risky.

This was not just a love story between a man and a woman, but the love of family! I thought it was very touching and well acted.