First things first, Madhuri Mads is back. The smile-evoking-smile is still there - mercifully - but the lady returns with a few added wrinkles and pounds.
The other lady that steals the show, clearly, is Vaibhavi Merchant. Her flawless choreography stands out, and with Madhuri swinging it, there’s genuine intensity in the performance itself.
Dia (Madhuri Dixit) is a choreographer in the States, the kinds who respond to an emergency phone-call with a ‘If it’s an emergency, ask them to call 911′. Unless, of course, the emergency is a dying guru. A flashback beckons - Dia is a dance fanatic learning the moves at Ajanta Theater in Shamli under the able guidance of Dada (Darshan Jariwala in a cameo). And while she’s at it, an American photographer - NatGeo to be precise - comes along and clicks images of our dame with his Nikon. And - yes - she falls in love with this random guy, who can’t have a bite of pakodas - with a generous dose of mirchi, I might add - nor can he ensure his photographs remain in focus. But the girl is all convinced, and - get this - leaves her parents, her mandap and the town to go all the way with the camera guy. Don’t even bother worrying about the entry permit to the States.
And after all that, they divorce.
Dia returns and finds her Guru dead, but not before he recorded - on a projector, mind you - his farewell message. ‘Save Ajanta’, he says. No marks for wisdom, one would think. Dame finds a firang, ditches all of Shamli, her parents leave the town in shame. Fine. She returns in designer jeans with an accent and a kid who questions the purity of ‘drinking’ water. And this - urgh - NRI, is expected to save the theater?
Sounds far-fetched? It is.
‘Save’, incidentally, means that she needs to stop them from bringing down the theater. ‘Them’ include the folks in town who want a mall in place of the excuse for a ‘mecca of kala’. MP Uday (Akhsaye Khanna) is a Raja. The kinds who hangs out at his palace in an apron and denim, and makes his own pizza. Armed with the best lines in the flick, the bloke brings wit, lending some entertainment.
He gives her two months in which she must come up with a performance that all of Shamli enjoy, which - incredibly - would mean that the theater can stay, and no mall will be built.
Dia promptly begins auditions for a Laila-Majnoo musical. The sub-plots are now thrown in, as are the rest of the cast (read: Kunal Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma, Jugal Hansraj, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Sheorey, Divya Dutta). The rest of the flick taps into her ’struggle’ to make the show happen, and redeem Ajanta from the wrath of an evil businessman (Irrfan).
If only the director paid a little more attention to the details, and filled in the gaps with more meat. Instead, the end product is not just predictable, but lacks depth. Very little thought has gone into developing the characters, and if truth be told, the honest performances are the only ingredients that could keep this afloat. And, of course, the drama itself. I haven’t seen a better Laila-Majnoo musical depiction.
The performances are the only worthwhile mention. Madhuri is fab, she’s awesome, and she hasn’t gone rusty on her charm one bit. It’s pretty much her show, all throughout, as the support cast execute their bits with sincerity. Kunal Kapoor’s transition from a stone-hearted thug to a romantic hero takes its time and is rather convincing, as is Konkona’s tomboy-to-babe act. Vinay Pathak is absolutely hilarious in the little screen time alloted to him. Ranvir and Yashpal Sharma are brilliant as a duo. Not a lot of screen time there, but enough to add respectability. If it weren’t for the teeny bits of wit that these guys bring, Aaja Nachley would evoke more yawns than smiles.
In spite of all its flaws and loopholes, this is worth a watch if you’re a Madhuri fan. Expect little, and don’t forget to leave your analytical thinking at home.
And I want my old Madhuri back, the girl who would mumble “dance”, and it sounded like “dance”, and not “Dan’s”. Lose the accent, sweetheart.
