*spoilers alert!*

A Yashraj Film

Produced by:
Aditya Chopra

Directed by:
Siddharth Raj Anand

Credited Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Arshad Warsi, Tania Zaetta, Jugal Hansraj, Javed Jaffery, Ravi Khote, Kunal Vijaykar, Kavita Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan (special appearance)

After reviewing the promos of Salaam Namaste and seeing Saif and Preity dancing around at the beach, I was expecting a lighter version of an inter-religious relationship movie a la Bombay.

This movie has nothing to do with Hindu-Muslim relations as the title might suggest, but instead takes you on the roller-coaster ride known as the Live-in Relationship.

Nikhil "Nik" Arora (Saif Ali Khan) and Ambar Malhotra (Preity Zinta reminding the audience that it is "A for Ambar, not Hambar!") live independently in Melbourne, Australia after fleeing India in pursuit of a life on their own terms. They both mould independent lives, as Nik refines himself from an architect to professional chef of "Nick of Time" restaurant, and Ambar pursues medical school, financed through her job as a VJ of a popular NRI radio station, Salaam Namaste.

The pair becomes attracted to each other after butting heads. But Nik and Ambar decide to deviate from the traditional romantic courting with movie dates, walks on the beach and flowers. Instead they decide to live together first, so they can get to know each other better as their busy lives don't leave much room for romantic pursuits. It works out better for them financially and provides a true test on compatibility.

Nik and Ambar adjust to living together and learning each others' likes, dislikes and eccentricities, like Nik's affliction to pizza and clutter and Ambar's penchant for scented candles and going to bed early. They live a fun, carefree life, with neither actually acknowledging the relationship as "serious"; they will just take each day as it comes.

Their fun relationship experiment turns sour, when Ambar accidentally becomes pregnant. Conflict ensues as Ambar decides to keep the baby much to the disappointment of Nik. All Nik knows is that he loves Ambar and enjoys spending time with her; however for him that doesn't translate into settling down and entertaining the idea of marriage and/or kids.

Saif Ali Khan and Preity Zinta have remarkable chemistry and "naturalness", integral reasons as to why this movie works. These two are hip, refreshing and stand out as real talents amongst the MTV-Desi clones Bollywood keeps offering up. Both are convincing as two people who take such a leap of faith in attempting a live-in relationship after only knowing each other for a week.

Saif is proving himself once again that he's the new King Khan. He is boyishly charming, good-looking, has impeccable comic timing and can still pull off serious, emotional scenes. With Preity, she is a Bollywood persona that South Asian women can easily relate to. Her youthfulness and versatility always result in a great performance.

The supporting roles are performed well. Arshad Warsi as Ron (Nik's best friend) has great comedic chemistry with Saif and it is nice to see him in a role that differs from that of his crime thrillers. Though not a Javed Jaffery fan, his Indian Crocodile Dundee character garnered laughs and thankfully the director takes his character out of the story just before he starts to get on your nerves with his messed-up accent and kooky one-liners.

The musical score also faired well. While I love my Bollywood songs, it can become increasingly irritating when the songs fall into the story out of nowhere and you become subject to unnecessary amounts of clothing changes and sexually-charged gyrations masked as choreography. Thankfully, Salaam Namaste spares the viewer and has only four songs. All are catchy and shot well, with the exception of "What's going on?" This song left me wondering what pregnant woman in her right mind would be jumping and running around in the city streets in the middle of the night! But of course, the concept of busting out in song isn't realistic anyways, so what does it really matter, right?

Though an unorthodox subject for Bollywood film, Salaam Namaste isn't ground-breaking cinema and stays true to its commercial roots (but it does borrow from the Hollywood film Nine Months starring Hugh Grant and Julianne Moore). However, the film does bank on its commercial success in addressing issues such as live-in relationships, premarital sex, contraception, pregnancy, in an earnest manner. Bollywood films often turn these issues into heavy social or political dramas or simply glamourize the "sex factor" but Salaam Namaste illustrates these issues without sugarcoating or preaching. Overall, relationships and gender differences are portrayed in a fairly realistic manner.

Rating - 8/10 Bindis

- Naveen Atwal (naveenatwal@gmail.com)