By:
Taran
Adarsh,
IndiaFM
|
|
Aaja
Nachle:
Wallpapers
|
Gallery |
A
'comeback'
film
always
holds
significance.
Dilip
Kumar
[
Kranti],
Amitabh
Bachchan
[
Mrityudatta],
Vinod
Khanna
[
Insaaf],
Dimple
Kapadia
[
Saagar],
Mumtaz
[
Aandhiyaan]
and
Kajol
[
Fanna]
are
names
you
cannot
erase
from
your
memory
since
the
celebrated
actors
returned
to
the
big
screen
after
a
hiatus.
With
Aaja
Nachle,
Madhuri
Dixit,
who
reigned
supreme,
is
back
to
the
studios
with
the
Numero
Uno
production
house
of
the
country.
Does
the
actress
still
possess
the
charisma
to
ignite
fire
in
water?
Also,
does
the
vehicle
she
chooses
to
make
a
comeback
with,
have
the
fuel
to
reach
the
winning
post?
Sadly,
Aaja
Nachle
is
below
the
mediocre
mark
and
doesn't
meet
the
humungous
expectations
that
you
associate
with
the
Yashraj
-
Madhuri
combo.
What's
the
problem?
Without
a
doubt,
the
script!
What
starts
off
as
a
story
that
seems
real
and
identifiable
becomes
a
fairy
tale
in
the
latter
hour.
Also,
with
a
title
like
Aaja
Nachle
and
the
story
harping
on
music,
the
songs
had
to
be
chartbusters.
That's
just
not
the
case
here!
In
short,
Aaja
Nachle
fails
in
the
two
vital
departments
--
writing
and
music.
The
film
doesn't
make
your
heart
go
dhak-dhak,
nor
does
it
prompt
you
to
break
into
a
nach
at
the
end
of
the
show.
After
nearly
a
decade,
an
unexpected
phone
call
shakes
Dia
[Madhuri
Dixit]
out
of
her
dance
rehearsal
in
New
York.
Makarand
[Darshan
Zariwala],
her
guru,
is
dying
and
she
must
return
to
Shamli,
a
town
in
India.
The
town
where
she
grew
up,
the
town
where
she
learnt
to
live
and
to
dance.
Also
the
town
she
left
on
an
impulse,
severing
ties
with
her
parents
and
her
people.
It
is
a
poignant
and
troubled
return;
not
only
has
her
guru
passed
away
but
the
institution
that
he
so
lovingly
nurtured
is
in
decay
and
under
threat
of
demolition.
Ajanta
theatre,
the
once
vibrant
hub
of
the
community,
the
place
where
Dia's
fondest
memories
are
embedded,
must
now
be
brought
down
because
the
local
political
authorities
feel
it
a
waste
of
prime
real
estate.
With
the
help
of
Doctor
[Raghuvir
Yadav],
the
caretaker
of
Ajanta,
Dia
sets
out
on
a
mission
to
prevent
the
destruction
and
resurrect
the
spirit
of
Ajanta.
In
an
atmosphere
of
mistrust,
ridicule
and
active
hostility,
Dia
picks
up
the
gauntlet
and
agrees
to
achieve
the
near
impossible
task
of
putting
together
a
theatrical
production.
She
must
also
ensure
that
every
member
of
the
production
is
from
Shamli
town.
She
has
only
two
months
to
prove
her
point
or
the
bulldozers
will
be
waiting.
Bearing
a
striking
similarity
to
the
Brazilian
film
XUXA
REQUEBRA,
Jaideep
Sahni's
screenplay
is
the
biggest
culprit
here.
The
protagonist
[Madhuri]
knows
that
there
would
be
hurdles
galore
on
her
way,
as
she
embarks
on
a
journey
to
realize
her
guru's
dreams.
But
she
hardly
struggles
to
achieve
the
impossible.
Even
the
corrupt
politician
[Akhilendra
Mishra]
or
the
shrewd
businessman
[Irrfan],
who
could've
proved
to
be
tough
nuts
to
crack,
give
in
so
easily.
Besides,
the
goings-on
get
too
unbelievable.
The
first
question
that
crosses
your
mind
is,
how
does
Madhuri
raise
the
funds
to
put
up
this
spectacular
event
[the
set
design
in
the
penultimate
song
is
marvellous]?
Okay,
that's
a
cinematic
liberty,
but,
seriously,
there
should've
been
at
least
some
reference
to
where
the
money
would
flow
in
to
fund
this
mammoth,
lavish
and
extravagant
event.
What
starts
off
as
a
'real'
film,
drifts
into
a
'surreal'
world
as
it
moves
ahead.
Debutante
director
Anil
Mehta
knows
the
importance
of
frames/visuals
since
he's
an
accomplished
cinematographer.
But
Mehta
ought
to
know
by
now
that
it's
the
content
that
does
the
talking
eventually.
The
writing
is
too
commonplace
to
make
any
impact
whatsoever.
In
an
effort
to
strike
a
balance
between
believable
and
make-believe,
Aaja
Nachle
falls
like
a
pack
of
cards.
Salim-Sulaiman's
music
is
another
minus
point.
You
expect
the
songs
to
linger
in
your
memory
even
after
the
show
has
ended…
that's
what
makes
a
musical
tick,
right?
It's
not
the
case
here.
Dialogues
are
wonderful
at
places,
especially
the
ones
delivered
by
Akshaye
Khanna
and
Madhuri.
Cinematography
[Mohanan]
is
splendid.
Madhuri
has
always
delivered
qualitative
performances
and
the
fire
continues
to
burn
to
this
date.
She's
top
notch,
but
how
one
wishes
the
script
would've
done
justice
to
her
talent.
It
doesn't
offer
her
a
pedestal
to
take
that
big
leap.
The
loyal
Madhuri
fans
would
surely
feel
disillusioned
and
saddened.
Akshaye
Khanna
is
tremendous.
In
fact,
it's
a
treat
to
watch
Madhuri
and
Akshaye
together,
after
a
hiatus.
Kunal
Kapoor
is
likable;
he
enacts
his
part
with
natural
ease.
Konkona
is
nice,
but
when
compared
to
her
previous
work,
it's
definitely
not
in
that
league.
Irrfan,
in
a
brief
role,
is
okay.
Divya
Dutta
too
is
relegated
to
the
backseat.
Ranvir
Shorey
is
first-rate.
Ditto
for
Raghuvir
Yadav.
Darshan
Zariwala
does
a
fine
job.
Yashpal
Sharma
is
alright.
Vinay
Pathak
and
Sushmita
Mukherjee
are
adequate.
Akhilendra
Mishra
is
as
usual.
Jugal
Hansraj
gets
no
scope.
Vinod
Nagpal
and
Uttara
Baokar,
as
Madhuri's
parents,
have
nothing
much
to
do.
Felix
D'Alviella
[as
Steve
--
Madhuri's
lover]
is
passable.
On
the
whole,
Aaja
Nachle
disappoints
big
time.
At
the
box-office,
the
film
has
embarked
on
a
poor
start
and
coupled
with
weak
merits
will
only
emerge
as
one
of
the
major
disappointments
of
the
year.