| Dia
(Madhuri), a young and highly spirited girl, lives in a small town called Shamli
where she spends her time learning classical dance at the local Ajanta theatre. Dia
is an ardent student and a favourite of guru Makarand who teaches at the theatre. But
life changes, when Dia falls in love with a National Geographic photographer who
comes to Shamli to cover a story on classical dance. Going
against her parents' wishes and cultural norms, she runs away with her lover to
New York. 12
years on, already divorced and a mother to her teenage daughter, Dia returns to
her hometown in India to be with her dying teacher. But he passes away before
she reaches Shamli.
However, Makarand leaves a message on film, urging
her to save the now-derelict Ajanta theatre from a local MP and a businessman.
They plan to build a shopping complex in its place. For
Dia, Ajanta holds fond memories as the place she learnt to dance and now she intends
to resurrect the theatre to fulfil her teacher's dying wish. She
is given two months by the local minister (Akshaye Khanna) to rescue her beloved
theatre and uses local people as actors, who initially ridicule her idea. So
amidst hostility, mistrust and tension, Dia takes up the challenge of putting
together a stage production ensuring every cast member is selected from the small
town. Cinematographer
turned debutante director, Anil Mehta, takes far too many cinematic liberties
in Aaja Nachle, leaving you with lots of unanswered questions. If
Dia was supposed to use the locals as actors then where did the dance troupe come
from (in the initial dance sequence staged to attract the local villagers to the
Ajanta theatre)? And where did Dia get the money to finance the revival of Ajanta?
These
and many more unanswered questions arise during the story, thus diluting the screenplay. Considering
that Aaja Nachle (meaning come dancing) centres round melody-driven dance numbers,
the musical score by Salim-Sulaiman is another weak point with chart busting numbers
few and far between. Having
said this, Mehta deserves full credit in effectively and convincingly executing
the scenes of the opera style Laila-Majnu stage spectacle towards the climax.
This certainly makes up for any short comings in the first half of the film. Performance
wise, Madhuri Dixit, makes a grand comeback as Dia fighting confidently till the
end, achieving her aim as she mesmerises you with her terrific dance moves and
colourful costumes - rightly deserving for this Bollywood diva! Another
positive about Aaja Nachle are the engrossing scenes involving Akshaye Khanna
and Madhuri Dixi, leaving you to ponder whether there is room for a sequel as
far as their relationship is concerned. Of
the entire cast, it is the chemistry between Kunal Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma
that catches your attention. The
portrayal of their initially volatile relationship as it slowly turns into affection
towards the end is simply superb. This
shows yet again the sheer professionalism of both these actors. In
its second week running, the film has taken a gross box office figure of 拢231,191
which is considerably below average for a Yash Raj Film and that too with Madhuri
Dixit's grand Bollywood comeback! Considering
that there are no major releases at this time of the year, Aaja Nachle
is worth a watch purely for the brilliant performances by the cast. | Fancy
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听 Reviewed
by Manish Gajjar
麻豆官网首页入口
Bollywood Correspondent 
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