AAJA NACHLE
She came, She dance and She Conquered!!
By Vishal Verma

Rating:

What is it?
After the much media hype and wait of almost half a dozen years, the moment has finally occurred. The diva has danced back on the silver screen with her smile that can halt any traffic up to many miles and steps which can make any star of nowadays bite their feet. The curtain rolls, its New York and Madhuri is dancing on the beats of ‘Dance with Me’ and you have by now finally taken your seat.

She is no longer the dhak dhak girl any more, married with two kids but she can still do those ding dong dings and make the nation go dhak dhak with her brilliant dance.

‘Aaja Nachle’ directed by cinematographer turned director Anil Mehta is being very much shouted as Madhuri’s comeback vehicle. Though there was a gap of almost six years, but when you see her in the first frame, you wonder whether she had really gone.

‘Aaja Nachle’ is very much Madhuri’s show almost all the way, this should have happened during her peak days but still this very loosely inspired Indian version of
Giuseppe Tornatore cult classic ‘Nuovo cinema Paradiso’, is gripping and has its own element of entertainment which makes it as a different film on its own.
The original was based on cinema and life in a small town, whereas this one is about dance and life in a small town. Rest all is different and indianised.

It will be foolhardy to compare ‘Cinema Paradiso’ with ‘Aaja Nachle’ as both are the films which fall in different genre. The former was out of the box, extraordinary while the latter takes the escapist cinema route.

Once again Jaideep Sahni (Chak De) shows his brilliance when it comes in defining the character’s and tongue and cheek street smart dialogues ( 90% of this falls in Konkana’s Kitty).

But there are flaws in the script which cannot be ignored. What significance does Ajanta theatre holds in the traditional and cultural impact of the town?

This basic element is unfortunately not established in this 16 reel flick.
But is certainly is worth a dekho for Madhuri’s scintillating performance and of course her dance plus the elements of dance, life, love, triumph of the human spirit, self believe all in one. Gr8.

What is it all about?
After nearly a decade, an unexpected phone call shakes Dia (Madhuri – exemplary) out of her dance rehearsal in New York.

Makarand (Darshan Zariwala - fine), her teacher, her guru, is dying and she must return to Shamli town. The town where she grew up, learnt to live and to dance. Also the town she left on an impulse, severing ties with her parents and her people.

It becomes a poignant and troubled return for Dia, as her Guru had passed away but the institution that he so lovingly nurtured is in decay and under threat of demolition. Ajanta theatre, the once vibrant hub of the community, the place where Dia's fondest memories are embedded must now be brought down because the local political authorities feel it a waste of prime real estate.

With the help of Doctor (Raghubir Yadav – good cameo), the caretaker of Ajanta, Dia sets out on a mission to prevent the destruction and resurrect the spirit of Ajanta. In an atmosphere of mistrust, ridicule and active hostility, Dia picks up the gauntlet and agrees to achieve the near impossible task of putting together a theatrical production. She must also ensure that every member of the production is from Shamli town. Otherwise the prince and the sitting MP of the town Akshay Khanna (pleasant surprise) will give the contract of the mall to the local Builder (Irrfan Khan – below par as per his standards). She has only two months to prove her point or the bulldozers will be waiting.

In this context begins her tumultuous journey of dealing with small town prejudices, encountering the resentment of the powerful contractor, the cynicism of the local political powers, resolve the delicate tensions of inter personal relationships and rally her motley team of non starters - a low level muscle Imran (Kunal Kapoor – quite good), the local tomboy Anokhi (Konkona Sen - excellent), local ex-MLA Chaudhary Om Singh (Akhilendra Mishra- fair enough), a vulnerable tea stall owner Mohan Sharma (Ranvir Shorey – noteworthy ), a responsible government official Mr. Chojar (Vinay Pathak- always competent), a struggling insurance agent Sanjeev Mehta (Jugal Hansraj – passable , the town vagabond Dhankuber (Nowaz – okay) and a host of others.

She must create in this chaos in order to save Ajanta... in order to preserve what her guru so lovingly nurtured. In the end she creates an art and dances to her success in the end.  

What to look out for?
Minus the goof up, No nonsense narration by the writer-director duo Jaideep Sahni and Anil Mehta.

When it comes to dance with expressions, there is no one like Madhuri, she is the Goddess on the dance floor and she gets a tailor made role for her which she justifies fully.
She can only better that which is already the best. Will make the auditorium noisy with claps and whistles by her dance.

Konkana Sen Sharma proves herself to be the most spontaneous actress Bollywood has at present. Also her surprising screen presence makes her an actress with enormous potential and caliber.

The bulbul track and the title song are the one which you take back home. 
 
The last 20+ minutes of the musical drama is the major highlight.

Rarely do you come across a film which does not has a single bad performance and ‘Aaja Nachle’ team should feel proud to be associated with that. All credit goes to the director and his actors.

Production values are as usual up to mark.

What not?
Major flaw or goof up whatever you can say lies in its premise and asks a question: What significance does Ajanta theatre holds in the traditional and cultural impact of the town?

This important element is not at all explained by the director and its writer.

And from where does the money come to organize such a grand show in the end?    

The film is based on dance and there is not a single one that can take the top position in the charts.

Recommended: Yes! Wear your dancing shoes and flock at the nearest cinema hall.