'SAAWARIYA' BOLLYWOOD'S ANSWER TO 'MOULIN ROUGE'.

Byline: BOB STRAUSS

>FILM CRITIC

"Saawariya" may be based on Dostoevsky's short story, "White Nights," but it looks like Bollywood's answer to "Moulin Rouge's" appropriation of Indian movie musicals' style.

Filmed entirely on soundstages, this lushly produced song-and-dance romance's main set is a Pigalle-like red-light district, complete with a neon windmill and bathed in electric-blue night lighting.

Another key set is a lavish modern nightclub (the movie's time frame is indistinct -- part contemporary, part 100 or so years ago) where the protagonist Raj is referred to as a rock star and sounds like a Hindi version of Boy George.

Played by the elastic-limbed Ranbir Kapoor (whose character and some of his costumes directly reference the work of his superstar grandfather, Raj Kapoor) young Raj is a naive, ultra-upbeat troubadour who brings joy to all the local prostitutes and shut-ins.

But when he becomes infatuated with the mysterious, upper-class Muslim beauty Sakina (newcomer Sonam Kapoor, who's no relation but also comes from an Indian acting dynasty), his natural exuberance is sorely tested.

Over four nights, he falls deeply in love, and she sure seems interested. But she's actually waiting for Imaan (bad-boy actor Salman Khan), a military type with whom she fell in love when he boarded in her grandmother's mansion, and who promised to return to her a year after leaving for duty. That year is almost up.

With their mix of wide-eyed innocence, sassy innuendo (Raj does a peekaboo bath towel for you ladies) and extreme emotionalism, Bollywood entertainments require some indulgence from Western audiences.

There's a broad, declaratory quality to a lot of the performances, but they're impressive in their own ways. And when song and dance tell the story -- especially when led by the popular Rani Mukherjee, who plays the wised-up hooker/narrator Gulab -- it can be sublime.

Those in the know will surely be impressed by the artificially brilliant designs director Sanjay Leela Bhansali ("Devdas," "Black") has marshaled for the production.

"Saawariya" is reportedly the most expensive Indian movie ever made, and while it often looks like it's mainly combining one kind of cultural kitsch with another, the richness shows.

Bob Strauss [phone]

[e-mail]

SAAWARIYA - Two and one half stars

>PG: nudity, language, mild violence.

>Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee, Salman Khan.

>Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

>Running time: 2 hr. 23 min.

>Playing: Fallbrook 7, West Hills; One Colorado, Pasadena; Culver Plaza, Culver City; AMC, Covina; Naz Artesia, Lakewood; Plaza 3, Santa Fe Springs; Naz Riverside, Moreno Valley.

>In a nutshell: Swoony Bollywood romance boasts "Moulin Rouge" production designs. It's broad and corny. In Hindi and English with English subtitles.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Ranbir Kapoor, left, and Sonam Kapoor star in "Saawariya," a lush romance that plays like a Bollywood version of "Moulin Rouge."