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| Sonia Chopra |
| A spirited young woman, brave, as she is beautiful, is in a dilemma. Born to middle-class parents in a small town called Shamli, Dia (Madhuri Dixit) has fallen in love with a foreigner photographer, in town to cover Indian art forms. A graceful dancer, favourite of her guru Makarand at the local Ajanta Theatre, she does what most in her position would never dream of. She runs away with her lover and makes a life for herself in New York. A divorce, a daughter and 12 years as a dance teacher later, she is back in Shamli to fulfill a promise. And this time, her dilemma is bigger and more grim. Is she up to it?
Hell, ya. After eons you see an on-screen woman character that you can love, respect, and identify with, for facing challenges head-on, and not throwing preachy dialogues every turn of the way. She's not devoid of street-smart cunning as well, and is resourceful enough to make unsavory deals to get what she wants. To make a hero, or central character, of such an unconventional woman is praise-worthy – look at the way she doesn't mollycoddle her daughter and treats her almost like an equal. Refreshing!
The story's simple, fluid; the storytelling, masterful. You want to congratulate director Anil Mehta and welcome him with open arms for giving the audience such a fulfilling and enjoyable film. It must be noted that Yash Raj Films, that was till recently, known for making star-studded blockbusters is now experimenting (Bunty Aur Babli, Kabul Express, Chak De India), while keeping a firm eye on the box-office; thus proving that experimental stories and monetary success are not mutually exclusive.
Come to think of it, a film on the art of dance with Madhuri is so perfect and obvious a combination, you wonder why no one thought of it earlier. And it's also wonderful that the makers haven't gone overboard in showcasing Madhuri's dancing genius – it's there, interwoven around the story, or rather, the story's interwoven around her. Either way, it works! The film's an ode to Madhuri and celebrates her spectacular talent through the story.
While Madhuri's Dia is extremely well-written (her character faintly reminds one of Chocolat's Juliette Binoche), what's interesting is the attention and love given to each of the many characters in the film—to reveal who would be an unforgivable spoiler. And what a cast – Darshan Zariwala, Raghubir Yadav, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kunal Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Divya Dutta, Ranvir Shorey, Dalai (the little girl) and special appearances by Akshaye Khanna and Irrfan Khan; whew, just watching them is paisa vasool. And the returns are multiplied a hundred times over when Madhuri steps on screen, in the first frame itself, dancing with her heart and soul, while making it look so effortless (choreography by Vaibhavi Mechant) . This particular dance portion, that appears as the movie opens, has her move to extremely subtle dance steps, straight out of a classy international music video. No unnecessary dhak-dhak here. What a shrewd move that is – it reintroduces Madhuri's prowess to the younger audience in the language they best understand. Of course, she performs the Nach Le number as well, in a lehenga, much like the Madhuri we've known.
To see, what is commonly called, "a wholesome family movie", that doesn't insult your intelligence is such a breather. No heroes with unnecessarily bulging muscles, no inserting small-town heroine's character in dream sequences to justify short skirts, no snarling villains, no formula-following. Except for the super-saccharine happy ending, which was a given in the first place, but it's all about how you get there, and this one's a supremely enjoyable and fulfilling ride. Did I mention Madhuri? Yes I did, but she keeps popping up as this review is being typed. Madhuri Dixit is back, and believe me, she's really back. Beautiful, that smile even more radiant, and an actor who obviously loves her craft, Madhuri's dance is so masterful, you'll regret even blinking. No wonder this film was written for her; it's next to impossible to conjure up another name that could do this role even half the justice. Technically this film is a treat right from the dialogue and screenplay (Jaideep Sahni), art direction (Sukant Panigrahy, Faili Unwala), music (Salim-Sulaiman), sound designing (Indrajit Noogi), cinematography (Mohanan), editing (Ritesh Soni) and even the imaginative clothes styling (Manish Malhotra, Mandira Shukla, Dolly Ahluwalia). Very few films can be recommended for repeat watching – this one is definitely suggested. Ja Nach le! Verdict: Four Stars |
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