Saaz

About the film

Saaz is a 1998 Hindi musical drama film produced and directed by Sai Paranjpye, starring Aruna Irani and Shabana Azmi in lead roles. The plot is allegedly based on the life of legendary singing sisters of Bollywood, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.

In an interview after the release of the film Asha said, "Its not true at all. To have two women in long plaits, take a couple of incidents and exaggerate them into a 3-hour film is such a waste of time." However, Paranjpye stated in an Interview that the idea of the film came from actress Shabana Azmi who asked her to make a film on a playback singer. She also said that the story of two sisters in the film brought to life is based on the emotions experienced by herself as a writer.

Plot

Saaz is a drama that revolves around the lives of two sisters, Mansi and Bansi—daughters of the great singer and theater artist Vrindavan. Born with extraordinary musical talents, the sisters face challenges and complexities rooted in familial ties, ambition, and personal struggle. The story begins with the tragic death of Vrindavan because of alcoholism that had left Mansi and Bansi orphaned. The elder sister, Mansi, moves to Mumbai with Bansi and becomes a very popular professional singer. Mansi's path to fame is contrasted with Bansi, who can only house sit for a while. Soon enough, however, Bansi finds out that she also has an excellent singing voice and wants to join her sister in the world of music. Jealous at this prospect, Mansi tries to destroy Bansi's aspirations by setting her up to marry a violent man.

Bansi's marriage turns out to be a curse, as her husband then starts physically and mentally abusing her. Even after Bansi became pregnant, Mansi tried to patch things up, but the marriage remained toxic. Mansi was worried for her niece Kuhu's safety, and thus she made Bansi divorce him. Mansi falls in love with a married music director called Indruneil. Things further complicate when Indruneil recognises Bansi's talent and offers her an opportunity to sing with Mansi, and out of jealousy, Mansi makes Bansi a background singer during the main recording.

So, fixated on succeeding independently, Bansi approaches Indruneil, who introduces her to a platform where she can project her voice. Bansi charms the audience with her voice, and soon enough, she overtook Mansi in popularity. The fierce rivalry further increases between the two sisters to the extent that Mansi does not give a second thought to snatching opportunities from Bansi, including a national, sadly prestigious performance. With time, Indruneil's career goes downhill. He stays with Bansi in a live-in relationship. However, Bansi is shattered when Indruneil decides to quit the music world.

Music Tracks

The film has ten songs. The music score is provided by Zakir Hussain, Bhupen Hazarika, Raj Kamal and Yashwant Dev. Javed Akhtar won National Film Award for Best Lyrics.

"Aaj Hum Roshan Karenge" - Sung By Devaki Pandit

"Baadal Chaandi Barsaaye" - Sung by Devaki Pandit, Jyotsna Hardikar (Bhupen Hazarika)

Key details