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Saawariya is a Hindi film based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story "White Nights", Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali,Released and co-produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment on November 9, 2007. This is the first Bollywood film to be produced and released by a Hollywood production company (Columbia TriStar Pictures).
The stars are Ranbir Kapoor (son of actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh), Sonam Kapoor (daughter of Anil Kapoor),Salman Khan and Rani Mukherjee, with veteran actresses Zohra Sehgal and Begum Para in supporting roles.
After the release of the film, the story got in controversy, that it is lifted from a Tamil movie called Iyarkai, without the permission from the National Award winning debutant director S.P.Jananathan. But, the story of Iyarkai itself is based on White Nights, a Russian short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
The story of Saawariya is about the conflict between Dreams and Destiny, the conflict between Reality and Divinity, the conflict between Temptation and Self-Dignity. Also, it emphasizes the contrast in society, when the whole city of prostitutes yearns for love because they are not loved by anyone, the Prince of Love gives his heart to a woman, who already has the love of another person.
Despite high expectations for the film, Saawariya did not live up to its expectations throughout the Indian audience. On the other hand, Saawariya was well-praised in other countries and got better reviews. New comers Ranbir and Sonam's performances were praised, and Ranbir Kapoor won Best Male Debut at the Filmfare Awards.
Bollywood budgets are usually modest by Hollywood standards. Sets, costumes, special effects, and cinematography were less than world-class up until the mid-to-late 1990s. But as Western films and television gain wider distribution in India itself, there is increasing pressure for Bollywood films to attain the same production levels. Sequences shot overseas have proved a real box office draw, so Mumbai film crews are increasingly peripatetic, filming in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, continental Europe and elsewhere. Nowadays, Indian producers are drawing in more and more funding for big-budget films shot within India as well, such as Lagaan, Devdas, and the current production The Rising.