Aaja Nachle

 

For almost two decades she remained at the top. At the initial stage she had to compete with actresses like Sridevi and Jayaprada, who also excelled in dance; and later she survived the competition from younger actresses like karishma, Manisha  and kajol. She was different in all aspects of acting and dancing. Her natural and spontaneous smile made all the difference. Now, almost after about seven years Madhuri Dixit  returns with her comeback film ‘Aaja Nachle’. Playing a role well suited to her advancing age, Madhuri plays a divorced woman in this film, who returns from US to her district home town after eleven years, along with her daughter, only to meet her dance- Guru, who is on death bed. But then, she reaches late. And, when she comes to know that the place called ‘Ajanta’( an open air theatre where she learnt her lessons from the Guru), is under threat ; she takes up the challenge to save the place from turning into a shopping mall.

 

Though the plot of the film is predictable, the kind of challenge that Diya (Madhuri) accepts from the young MP( Akshaye khanna)  who hails from a princely state, is enough for the screenplay to show her strengths. In short, the film  is not only about saving the theatre, but also about hardships faced by the performers, preparing for the Dance Ballet that is required to be  presented in the climax. And, it gives an impression that director Anil Mehta handed over the role of direction to the gifted actress to manage the centre stage, post interval . To make it more clear, it is Madhuri all the way, in-charge of the directing and managing the rehearsals of the local non-professionals at her Ajanta theatre. And, she is under pressure from all the sides to meet her deadline. How she manages everything successfully, is witnessed by all in that almost 20+ minutes dance ballet on ‘Laila-Majnu’ in the climax.

 

‘Aaja Nachle’ is certainly not a masala film, but an artistic film for those who love to watch artistic performances and understand the real efforts of the choreographer, in presenting the show that comprises of newcomers. To be more precise, ‘Aaja Nachle’ has all the preparations of a drama that is being staged. We have seen this happen in ‘Rang De Basanti’ and also in films like ‘Chak De! India’; but it is slightly in a different manner. . but, if you combine all these themes, you will arrive at a conclusion that ‘Aaja Nachle’ is nothing but the combination of all these ideas put together .

 

What is missing in ‘Aaja Nachle’ is creating that powerful  impact that the previous two hit films did. But then, fortunately you have almost  all talented artistes in this film, who lift the responsibility on their shoulders, to see that the film is well presented. Needless to mention that Madhuri heads that team of artistes who supported well. The wonderful performances  by Kona Kona Sen , Kunal kapoor, Jugal Hansraj, Divya Dutta ,Vinay Pathak, Shusmita Mukherjee and Ranvir Shorey make this film meaningful. Not to forget, Akshye Khanna and Irrfan in special appearance. Music also goes well with the film. Madhuri has certainly not disappointed her fans through this comeback; on the contrary, she has only proved that she has still that ability to dance and act together, when it comes to accepting the challenge , whether the screenplay demands or otherwise.