Naach

This movie which came out sometime late last year, disappeared quickly, as the Indian audience is yet to mature to see movies, which have a strong individual theme and a script favouring the woman. Another excellent experiment by Ramu. The movie does have a self referential thread where characters are caught between maintaining artistic freedom and trying to keep the masses happy and also making money from movies. I guess Ramu must go thru the same – Every time he has to make a Mast or Naach, he should have made atleast one Company, Bhoot before.

The movie is set in the now familiar Mumbai’s landscape - the hero and the heroine in the suburban train/BEST bus and then the rooftop of an apartment block, Chowpatty… all make their appearances. Antara Mali is out of this world in her dancing and the choreography of Terence Lewis and another chap who has done most of the choreo work is largely western and has a massive sensual appeal. Forget Antara Mali’s dancing, her sheer athleticism in the movie is mind boggling. And as for her character, Ayn Rand’s fans will easily identify with a Roarkian dancer

Ritesh Deshmukh delivers a fine act as the understated director who’s besotted with her. There are some veiled “thumbing the nose” attempts at some existing practices in today’s Bollywood.

The soundtrack is largely unspectacular, save for the Berang Zindagi hai, Mujhe Pyaar Chahiye rendered by Sukhwinder Singh. The chemistry between the pensive Abhishek and the ‘sometimes serious, sometimes enigmatically smiling’ Antara holds the movie together. Ramu is guilty of extravagance on Antara – costumes, dancing, performance in the second half. A clear 20 mins could have been clipped in the movie, to make it a slick product.

While I keep hoping for the perfect Indian movie, one could go and watch this as well.