Waarrior Savitri

STORY: A contemporary adaptation of Hindu mythological tale of Satyavan and Savitri (found in Mahabharata), the film revolves around Savitri (Niharica Raizada), a loyal and devoted wife, who can go to any extent to save her husband Satya (Rajat Barmecha) from the clutches of death, even if it requires her to negotiate with Yama (Om Puri plays the God of death).

REVIEW: Savitri grows up to be a 'warrior' after a childhood memory scars her for life. She decides to learn martial arts in order to protect herself and her family. She falls in love with Satya and wishes to marry him but a Hindu pandit opposes the decision. "Your husband will die if you marry him," he warns. Without paying heed, she gets married to Satya and moves to the U.S, where he resides. But a chain of unfortunate events posing a threat to her husband and father-in-law's (Gulshan Grover) lives follow, forcing her to unleash the fighter within her.



While the fable is well known, moulding it to make it relevant to today's times is a good thought. To see a woman kicking ass while battling the baddies in order to safeguard her family is inspiring too. Niharica Raizada fits the bill and pulls off the action scenes with conviction. The women empowerment message stands out as well.

The execution and editing, however, is choppy. Scenes look disjointed with no proper connect with each other. Songs are pointless and the actors switch on and switch off their accents at the drop of a hat. For instance, Niharica, who is said to have lived in Rajasthan all her life, suddenly shifts to saying, "I am happy to be hiyerrr," the Umrican way, her thick Rajasthani dialect vanishing the minute she sets foot on the American soil. Rajat Barmecha sleepwalks through his role, looking utterly uninterested.

The bad guys - Money John and Candy (Lucy Pinder) are laughable and inconsequential. The elongated love scenes are awkward, since there is no chemistry between the lead actors. Overall, you can skip this one.