Customer Reviews

Aaja Nachle

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 2007, after five years of doing that hiatus thing, Madhuri Dixit returned to Indian cinema with AAJA NACHLE, a nice film fueled by that good old "Let's Put On A Show" formula. Just don't expect this to be as lavish and epic a production as Devdas (2 Disc Set). Most of the lavish in AAJA NACHLE is saved for the musical play staged near the end, which doesn't at all alter the fact that this is a pretty good film.

"Art doesn't need the city, the city needs art..." is one way to summarize this film. After eleven years abroad, Dia, a New York dance instructor and divorced single mom, flies back to India with her daughter, back to her tiny hometown village of Shamli, to pay last respects to her dying mentor. But, Dia and daughter arrive too late, as her "dada" had already passed away. But he does leave behind a deathbed message via film projector, charging Dia with saving and reviving her beloved Ajanta theater, which used to be the town's cultural hub but now slated for demolition (to make way for - what else? - a shopping mall).

Dia decides to honor the request, and convinces the town official to grant her two months to demonstrate the theater's viability to the community. Dia has it in mind to stage a classic play, but the caveat is that she has to cast it solely with local talent. But convincing the reluctant villagers to participate looks to be a daunting thing. As we learn from an extended flashback segment, Dia eleven years ago left Shamli under a cloud of shame, having eloped with an American and so disgracing her parents that they were forced to leave the village. So, yeah, biiig cloud of shame, and a big, big task now ahead for Dia.

There's no doubting that she'll succeed, of course. And that, along the way, she'll heal old wounds, salvage torn relationships, and even influence a romance or two. It would've been nice, though, if Dia herself had her own soppy love story in which to wallow. As it is, there's a certain detachment to Madhuri Dixit's character. In a weird way, she reminds me of Clint Eastwood's The Man With No Name, who rides into town, cleans up the mess, and then rides off into the sunset. Although, if you stick with the closing credits, there's a final moment which hints that Dia may have some romance blooming, after all.

Me, I liked this film. And I wasn't sure I would, not being that into Madhuri Dixit. AAJA NACHLE (meaning "Come, dance with me" or "Come, let's dance") is both contemporary and traditional, as embodied by the main character herself. The movie does well in chronicling Dia's (at first dismal) attempts to win over the inhabitants of Shamli and to recruit actors for her play. Naturally, Dia's overcoming of her shady rep is linked with the gradual rekindling of the townspeople's passion for the Ajanta theater.

Madhuri Dixit is quite good and very self-assured as the lead, and her dancing, as ever, remains exquisite and expressive. But she's bolstered by a nice ensemble of supporting actors, whose little stories weave into the main narrative. Three supporting actors stand out to me. Konkona Sen plays the fiery tomboy long in love with the local goon (who, by the way, turns out to be the leading man in Dia's play). I do admire Konkona for being unafraid to look coarse and initially unattractive (man, she wipes her nose a lot). Meanwhile, the film seems to set up Ranvir Shorey's humble teashop owner as Dia's romantic interest and, whether that plays out or not, Shorey is unassuming but very likeable in his small part. The third standout is the actor playing Dia's officious landlord who fears he is too boring for his wife and, to impress her, asks Dia for a part in the play. In one of the film's highlight moments, old dude gets a chance to show off his new skills as his wife sits in the audience during the play itself.

Speaking of the play, since this is a "Let's put on a show" film, naturally it culminates with the extravagant presentation of Dia's musical stage production in seemingly its entirety, taking up over 20 minutes of the total running time (which, by the way, is two and a half hours long). The showstopper number, though, happens earlier than that, in the title song itself, with Madhuri proving that she can still strut her stuff. Since this is Bollywood, take my advice, it doesn't do to dwell on certain things, such as just how in heck is Dia able to afford all the plush wardrobe and sumptuous set designs? I say, fuggetaboutit, chalk it up to one of Bollywood's constant idiosyncracies. Bollywood musical numbers will always, always be opulent stuff. Just recline on that comfy sofa... and go make believe.

Do not believe any ranking of this film below 5. Yes, the save-the-theater movies have been around since black and white films but this one is unlike and did not remind me of any other I have seen. Great chemistry happens between Kunal Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma and Madhuri Dixit. We found ourselves smiling and laughing through much of this film, especially the auditions. Great overall cast and gorgeous dancers.

The Aaja Nachle dance is exquisite, very well performed and driven by ancient and primitive drums that are as modern as tomorrow. The street dance (Show Me Your Jalwa) is a lot of fun and the Ishq Ishq, Yeh Ishq Ishq dance in the play is fiery and magical. In fact, the dancers are flames representing the stoked fire of passion and love. It defies description. What makes the dances in Aaja Nachle better, aside from the music, choreography and skill of the dancers, is the clear focus and extended shots - not a bunch of brief snippets spliced together.

Part ballet, part opera, and part musical, the Majnu and Laila production at the end of the film is a full-on Masterpiece! Majnu and Laila, predates Romeo and Juliet by about 900 years (origin of story) and is much more intense. The dialog in the play is poetry said or sung in strong voices with some note variation, there are strong songs a little like Nagada Nagada in Jab We Met and there are beartifully sung songs. It is very powerful and compelling. Ya gotta see it and hear it to believe it!

Plot in brief: Girl from a large town wants to pursue her career in dance instead of get married to a local. She runs away to the USA with an American. Years later she returns to a place that judges her for that choice. For the wishes of her now deceased former dance teacher she tries to save an open air stage from demolition. The deal is that if she can stage a production from the locals and win them over, the authorities will rescind the order to demolish it.

This was to be Madhuri Dixit's return to movies and it is built for her. I had misgivings at the start. She seemed self-conscious and giving exaggerated dance expressions instead of natural acting ones in some of the dialogue. She also had to play her younger self and this was unconvincing as she has mature stature (and I mean in presence rather than just appearance).

Anyway she settled in and the movie brought in some stronger males in minor roles around her which balanced her contribution a bit (e.g. Akshaye Khanna , Irrfan Khan, Vinay Pathak, Akhilendra Mishra).

The strength of the movie was then shared across a range of actors.

The dance and staging is exceptional in this piece. It has a traditional feel in some ways yet a very modern look. It is full of life, variety, colour and interesting movement.

The music is catchy and Madhuri shines with her huge dancing talent. If it had just been a focus on her it would have been less than satisfying but it becomes quite an ensemble piece with her as the jewel in the setting.

I mentally was giving it a 4 as I settled into the movie. However there is a very long song/dance number where the village do their show. It is almost operatic in that the dialogue in between the numbers is almost chanted to a rhythm rather than spoken. Despite its length it didn't lag and was riveting, sumptuous and quite superior even in Bollywood terms. This boosted it to the 5 for me. Most Net reviews seem to give it above average and often around the 8/9 out of 10.

Definitely recommended for fans of Bollywood musicals.

"Aaja Nachle" reminds me of the American movie, "Honey," with the main premise being to save a dance/cultural arts center. Madhuri Dixit is wonderful. The singing, dances, costumes are all a veritable feast for the eyes and ears. A must see!

This is the story of an Indian dance instructor living in the US. She goes to India to pay respects to her dying guru and eventually save his favorite theater, which otherwise would have been converted into a shopping mall.

An admirable theme with many careless holes. No wonder it was a flop in India. Madhuri's character comes out to be a know-it-all, stuck-up ego-maniac throughout.

Would an Indian dancer trained in authentic dance run a Westernized dance school in the US like she does, or proudly run a school of Indian dance? When she goes to a rural area or small town in India, will she wear tight jeans and low-cut tops? Wouldn't she be proud to be an Indian role model, especially because she is the mother a young girl?

The best aspect of the film is the title song and dance, which saved the show somewhat. The singers' voices in all of the songs are very effective.

One good dance will not save a movie.

Absolutely loved Aaja Nachle! i love the dancing and the music. Good looking cast too. DVD is good, so good I also ended up buying the movie CD as well. Oh! costume is beautiful too!

Sure, it's a "Let's Put On a Show and Save the Theatre!" movie - but when the show is put on starring the legendary Hindi dancer/actress Madhuri Dixit (come out of retirement in the US just to do this film), it doesn't matter because it's wonderful to behold.

An interesting story of Dia, a talented young dancer in Northern Indian city of Shamli who abandons her family and dance instructor to run off with an American photographer - the story picks up a decade after her divorce from the photographer, where she's a top New York City choreographer/stage director and single mother. When Dia receives word of her former instructor's dying, she rushes back to India, Americanized ten-year old daughter Radha in tow, only to discover her instructor has died and the ancient theatre she learned to dance in is slated to be torn down and turned into a shopping mall. Confronting the American-educated son of the local Rajah and the district's Member of Parliament Uday Singh (played by Akshaye Khanna), she discovers not a heartless greedy bureaucrat but an intelligent (good-looking and single, too - a fact Radha doesn't miss!) man trying to do right by his people. He challenges Dia to come up with a way to make the theatre viable again - not just put on a show, but rebuild the arts community in Shamli. Over the course of the movie, she confronts not just that challenge, but the human consequences of her abandoning her family, her dancing in the local theatre, and the marriage her parents arranged for her - her parents moved away in disgrace, her intended never married because he's still in love with her, and her instructor felt he'd lost the one person who could have taken his place and lost interest in keeping things up.

But the main reason to watch this movie is the marvelous dance numbers - especially the climactic production of "Laila Manju" (an Arabic and Central Asian tale of doomed love), brilliantly performed by most of the cast. Though it's kept to a minimum, the feuding-flirtatious relationship between Uday Singh and Dia (egged on by both Uday and Radha, which is very charming) ends with the hint that the two of them might become romantically involved once she's back in New York.

If you're looking for a Bollywood movie to convince your Western friends to watch, try AAJA NACHLE - it's great.

Aaja Nachle. The film message? Never mind about nuclear bombs. There are much more powerful ones inside everyone's hearts : the bombs of love. Love gives us everything ,even for those who have nothing , and sooner or later, in a tremendous explosion , takes all the dearest things away. Aaja Nachle is a million dollar dream within a dream , and as in dreams , absolutely everything could happen . We should just watch the marvelous dancing and ignore the sad side of the story,if possible, because everything will vanish . I have two dvds of this film just in case one fails.

Aaja Nachle is a bit cheesy plot-wise, but the dancing is superb and the music is very catchy. The title song and 'Show me your Jalwa' are upbeat and fun, and 'Ishq Hua' and 'O Re Piya' are beautifully done. The love story between the young actors is also very good. As for Madhuri's comeback, she's still amazing! If you like Bollywood in general, you'll like this movie.

THIS SELLER IS OUTSTANDING. I GOT THE PACKAGE VERY FAST AND HE EVEN GAVE ME AN EXTRA DVD JUST TO SAY THANK YOU FOR BUYING FROM HIM OR HER. THE DVDS WERE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.