Rhythm DIVA-ine

For someone who is consuming a staple diet of the current Bollywood content regularly, the experience of watching the Diva again, after watching the existing players felt more like how a street urchin surviving on bland, stale, and nutrition devoid ration would feel after eating a succulent seven course meal.

Yes the Queen is back to where she belongs, and it is just a sheer delight to watch her sizzle on the screen again. The first viewing of Aaja Nachle for me was only to somehow register the fact that SHE is back. Coupled with the controversies enforced onto it and the several issues that the film tackles, it does take a couple more to actually let the fabric of the film engulf the viewer into its magic.

What makes Aaja Nachle special; apart form the hype, the comeback, the banner etc. is the fact that it is an Indian film where all the males take a backseat. After watching the film thrice and enjoying it equally across all the viewings (with three completely different audience sets), I somehow feel that most of the criticisms that came its way are remnants of the Indian patriarchy at the box-office, which still continue to haunt and daunt the commercial prospects of a mainstream woman oriented flick. Agreed that Aaja Nachle isn’t the greatest Indian film ever made, across any department; and perhaps Madhuri could have had a more solid role which conformed far better with the norms of a classically approved Indian woman; but what cannot be neglected is the fact that it has content which is different at least for Indian cinema, and all the departments of the film have given their best shot to put up a concrete and coherent product which in itself would be enjoyable eye-candy if one doesn’t enforce logic into it. I mean it is a Hindi film for all you care, let it be!

Jaideep Sahni has created interesting characters, and right from Raghubir Yadav and Vinay Pathak, to Sushmita Mukherjee and Ranvir Shorey to the Laila-Majnu, Kunal and Konkona everyone is first rate. I particularly loved Konkona, Ranvir, Vinay and Sushmita. Everybody else is also competent. You hate Irfan Khan, and that’s his victory as an actor. Another surprise is Akshaye Khanna, who has proved yet again that consistency is the hallmark of success. His dialogues have been well penned and he delivers them with gusto. Apart from his scenes with Madhuri, he is amazing in the scene at the golf course.

For all my previous issues with Vaibhavi Merchant repeating her steps, I’d just say that Indian choreography today has someone who is worthy of carrying the legacy of Saroj Khan, and can also bring a Shiamak Davar twist (particularly Yeh Ishq Ishq…) The music would definitely take time to linger on after the movie, but is indeed soothing at times, and foot tapping at others. Visually, Show me your Jalwa has immense freshness, while the title track is classic Madhuri revisited with a little bit of Shakira thrown in, in the second interlude. As for the drama in the climax, well I believe writer Piyush Mishra, and the entire crew should be specially lauded for rewriting India’s most repeated love story with such freshness. These twenty minutes is where Aaja Nachle is completely hatke from the usual Masala, and the claps, seetis and cheering sounds from the audiences prove that though Indian critics mayn’t have matured, the audience certainly has.

From the writing perspective, I felt that the scene where Madhuri asks the politician to make Ajanta a political issue was trivial initially. However going by the sentimental outbursts of the political parties which have been plastered across media vehicles, I’d say that the writer had a vision. Kudos to that, and the inanity of Indian politicians! Also, the scene right after the interval, between Ranvir and Madhuri, and the one after it where she explains the basic plot of Laila Majnu, have been well written.

And finally a few words about the screen Goddess. Yes it is true that one can’t take the eyes off her. She is pure magic, and the grace, the rhythm in her, especially in her dance, regardless of the genre to which it belongs, is simply divine, even today. Another area where she shows the same versatility is her voice. The way the sound waves change their tone and frequency as per the mood of the scene, becomes very apparent largely because every reigning queen of today sounds the same throughout the film. Particularly noteworthy scenes are her early morning scene with Konkona, the speech after the title track and all her scenes with Akshaye Khanna. The level of detailing of the preparation is evident in the subtlest of nuances, right from the way she pronounces ‘dance’ before the American dream happens for her, and the US returned twang to it subsequently.

The best part about her character is that she is neither hampered by overconfidence, nor is she plagued by the ‘virtue’ of over-modesty. She is just someone who is aware of what she is. This is evident when she retorts back to a compliment for her dance, and says ‘I know!’ Designer Manish Malhotra has perhaps designed one of her best ever on-screen wardrobes for the film, and in each garment she looks astounding!

All in all, barring a few ‘logical’ flaws, the movie’s USP is its freshness, then be it the script, or the treatment, or just the fact that SHE is back!