The diva of dance returns and she brings us back in time where it seems as if she had never left in the first place. Exquisite as always in her dancing, she flashes the non-fading thousand-watt smile from the moment she comes on the screen. So with that in their favor, how does Yash Raj Films fair with Aaja Nachle?
Aaja Nachle is a film which covers several areas of life – the human spirit and its ability to survive, standing up against all odds and fighting for what you believe in – seeing it through to the end, the capability to forgive, and love (without it, it wouldn’t be a Yash Raj film). It is also a film which encompasses transformations on every level, from Anil Mehta who went from a cinematographer and writer to a director, to the characters, as well as the Ajanta Theater whose demise is the matter in question.
We follow Dia’s (Madhuri Dixit) journey from a free-spirited girl in India to America and back again. She transforms from the small town girl to a New York divorced mother in a short time after her elopement with Steve (Felix D’Alviella) the National Geographic photographer who professes his undying love for her and promises to be with her forever. Now, she must go back home after ten years and “face the music”, both literally and figuratively. Dia must channel that free-spirited, feisty attitude into one of responsibility and take on the challenge her beloved guru Makarand (Darshan Zariwala) left her before he died.
In taking on this challenge, that of saving her beloved Ajanta Theater, where she once danced, she must also transform the cast of her show from ordinary townspeople into stars of the musical she must perform to save the theater from the wrecking ball. Ajanta too sees a transformation from the ruins Dia is left to work with to a revitalized cultural arts center.
The metamorphosis of the tough but gorgeous-looking goon Imran (Kunal Kapoor) and the sniffling tomboy Anokhi (Konkana Sen) into starry-eyed lovers is both comical and endearing, as they slowly become the timeless lovers Majnu and Laila. Both Kunal and Konkana take on both parts of their respective characters beautifully and leave you cheering for more in this story within the story.
Akshaye Khanna makes his presence known as MP Raja Saab with his fight against Dia to take the shambles of Ajanta and turn them into a shopping mall. His roughness too melts away as Dia stands for what she believes in right to the end and succeeds. His subsequent trip to New York in the end leaves the door open for romance in the future … maybe.
Irrfan Khan and Divya Dutta play husband and wife, a.k.a. selfish contractor and Dia’s childhood friend Najma respectively. Although Najma goes against Dia originally because of her husband, she seeks Dia’s forgiveness and asks her to teach her to dance and live once again. After seeing her in the musical, her husband is transformed into a decent human being as well. Their performances although small are noteworthy.
Kudos to the rest of the cast comprised of Ranvir Shorey (the heartbroken tea stand owner Mohan Sharma), Dalai (Dia’s daughter Radha, who was so adorable and funny), Raghubir Yadav (the loveable Doctor), Vinay Pathak (the not so boring after all Mr. Chojar), Sushmita Mukherjee (the hopeful Mrs. Chojar), Nowaz (Dhan Kuber the outspoken vagabond), Jugal Hansraj (Sanjeev Mehta, the struggling insurance salesman), Akhilendra Mishra (easily bribed ex-MLA Chaudhary Om Singh) and Yashpal Sharma (S.H.O. Singh the caring and teasing friend of Mohan).
Praise goes to the crew who made it possible for YRF and the actors to carry out their performances in this amazing piece of work, from the writing, the choreography, the cinematography, clothing design to the photography, etc.
All those in the music department should be proud, as the music of Aaja Nachle makes you want to get up to sing and dance in the aisles of the theater.
Some critics have said there is a lack of content and a fairytale atmosphere, leaving Aaja Nachle with something to be desired. To that I say, we often talk of the escapism and fantasy elements in films, how they take us away from our mundane, stressful lives to enjoy them. So from that angle, haven’t we come to expect them to be “over-the-top” to fulfill that need of a distressing factor?
In the course of 2.5 hours, if a filmmaker can take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and still allow you to come out of the theater with a positive and subtle message that you can use in everyday life, while at the same time you enjoy the film, hasn’t he achieved his/her goal? In my humble opinion, Yash Raj Films has certainly accomplished that brilliantly with Aaja Nachle!
Ratings : 5 Stars out of 5
