Madhuri spectacular in Aaja Nachle
Cast: Madhuri Dixit, Konkona Sensharma, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey
Direction: Anil Mehta
It's the film every Madhuri Dixit fan has been waiting for and I say this with authority because I'm leading the pack. Her first film in five years, this week's new release Aaja Nachle stars Madhuri as a divorced NRI woman who returns to the small town she grew up in, 11 years after she took off with an American boyfriend against her parents' wishes.
Once here, she learns that the local theatre she's so emotionally attached to faces the threat of being demolished. It's where she spent the best years of her life, learning dance from her guru. Determined to stop local political authorities from turning what was once a cultural space into a shopping mall, she sets out to prove that the people of that town still possess a strong love for the arts, and promises to stage an ambitious musical with local talent at that very venue.
Turns out, she may have bitten off more than she can chew, as the townsfolk aren't exactly tripping over each other to sign up for the show. When she does manage to assemble a team, it's a bunch of oddballs who come together, and it's up to her now to show them all the right moves.
A simple, old-fashioned, feel-good drama, Aaja Nachle has its heart in the right place – it is in many ways that classic tale of rebellion, regret and redemption. It's also an inherently noble premise – too idealistic, some might say – but sincere nevertheless.
What fails the promising plot is its plodding screenplay. In complete contrast to his work on Chak De! India, writer Jaideep Sahni's drama here unfolds at a leisurely pace and is fairly predictable for the most part, resorting to clichés, cinematic liberties and happy coincidences every time the story hits a rough spot.
Take for example, Madhuri's sense of loyalty and obligation to the place she grew up in – it comes off looking too contrived when you consider she hasn't once checked in on her home, her folks or her friends since she left over a decade ago.
Or that stereotypical portrayal of an NRI kid making her first trip to India – commenting on the cows in the middle of the road, grumbling about the mosquitoes, and enquiring if the local water is safe to drink. Fair to say, it's not the kind of writing you've come to expect from Sahni who's given us such gems as Khosla Ka Ghosla and Chak De! India recently.
