By Trailerman Sam (trailer17@hotmail.com)
Indian women are known to be seen as heroines worthy of emulation when it comes to defending their husbands, what more when they know deep in their hearts their husbands are down to earth innocent! As innocent as a lamb.
So is the story of this 2024 Indian Hindi-language action thriller, Savi, directed by Abhinay Deo, under Vishesh Films and T-Series Films. and Satyavan.
For the uninitiated, Savitri and Satyavan are a legendary couple in Hindu mythology. Savitri is a princess who marries an exiled prince named Satyavan, who is prophesied to die early. She saves her husband from the god of death, Yama, by persuading the deity to restore his life.
Savi, a gender-reversed film based on the Indian mythology-inspired adaptation of the jailbreak thriller The Next Three Days (2010), which was in turn a remake of the French film, Pour Elle (Anything for Her, 2008).
Savi the film huffs and puffs its way through the tale of a homemaker, who makes a strenuous effort to get her murder convict-husband out of a high-security Liverpool prison.
The film stars Anil Kapoor, Divya Khossla (Savi) Harshvardhan Rane (Nakul).
Before murmuring ‘what another copycat movie’, tell me how many of you have watched “The Next Three Days”, starring Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks or the original French version, “Anything For Her”?
This jailbreak thriller centres on Savi, a content housewife in Liverpool, who lives with her husband, Nakul Sachdev, an employee at a construction firm.
When Nakul Sachdev (Harshvardhan Rane) is framed for the murder of his boss and imprisoned, Savi is certain of his innocence.
Fighting tooth and nail, she is resolute in her pursuit to free him. She generates an evasive tactic by mobilising a plan with the assistance of Joydeep Paul (Anil Kapoor), an author and former convict, who helps her implement it with his extravagant camouflage .
Divya Khossla takes on the laborious role of Savi, and her hard work is evident in her performance. She remains the focal point throughout the film while Harshvardhan Rane, portraying Nakul, delivers a decent performance.
But the average screenplay hinders his ability to fully display his talents. The film, however, is redeemed by Anil Kapoor, whose presence is one of its bright spots. He brings a certain energy and joy to the screen every time he appears.
Anil Kapoor’s witty dialogues inject the right amount of humour into the thriller.
Divya Khossla plays a role that allows her ample room to demonstrate her emotive prowess, and Harshvardhan Rane, saddled with a character with limited space and scope, is earnest but rudimentary.
It’s at the plot level that Savi the film is found leaving much to be desired. It is overused with clichés.
All the polish that is visible in Savi is strictly on the surface. A story of an ordinary woman determined to give her husband a new lease of life because she believes he is a victim of a miscarriage of justice.
It’s not like Khossla doesn’t know how to emote, sometimes she does more than necessary and this film is no exception. The story is such that she not only has to use her pain but wit too to succeed in what can be described as a daunting escape.
There’s Anil Kapoor too, in a mysterious and sinister role that’s not been heavily promoted. He’s the trump card of this thriller that pops up to add some fun. There’s something special about Anil Kapoor that he makes the movie watchable by just being there and having fun.
As they orchestrate Nakul’s daring jailbreak, the Liverpool police uncover clues at Savi’s home, sparking an intense and relentless pursuit.
Were the clues planted there to deceive the police or was it a blunt mistake by the housewife? Will the police be able to stop them in the nick of time from leaving the country?
‘Savi’ has the potential to be an engaging thriller, but it suffers from following a clichéd storyline. While the plot might have seemed intriguing on paper, the cinematic execution could have be made more engaging. The movie is close to achieving that potential.
The screenplay manages to engage viewers at certain points. An extra effort could have made Savi a standout in the jailbreak genre.
The director deserves praise for shooting the film in Liverpool, a location that has not been fully explored in many Hindi films.
It’s commendable that Bollywood filmmakers are focusing towards the West for inspiration. Only for that, Savi gets a few more points. Only if the filmmaking was a little more savvy.
WE