Article Updated 02 December, 2007 10:07:45 PM IST   Aaja Nachle Movie Review By Our Correspondent ©2007 Bollyvista.com   This is a very crucial film for many people for various reasons. For Yash Raj, as this is their next release after the disastrous Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, for director Anil Mehta as this is his debut film and of course for Madhuri Dixit as this is her first film after marriage and a comeback vehicle of sorts. Madhuri Dixit (Dia) is based is New York. One fine day she is asked by her dying guru Makarand (Darshan Jariwala) to come back to her hometown, Shamli, to save her alma mater, Ajanta, from being demolished. She comes back home, to the place she once left, after falling in love with a National Geographic photographer. Once back, she and the caretaker of Ajanta, Doctor (Raghubir Yadav), get together to salvage the theatre. With stiff opposition from all quarters, she sets out to put up a theatrical production of international standards. But the condition put forward is that every person in the musical has to be a local inhabitant of Shamli! She has two months to achieve the impossible. If this film is even remotely watchable it is only for Madhuri Dixit. True she is not what she once she used to be but that killer smile of hers, is still the same! Like her character in the film who tries really hard to save Ajanta, even Madhuri Dixit tries her best to save the film. But not much can be done to save a film with no script and resultantly, extremely sleep inducing! This film is an ideal example of a promising plot (though not novel!) let down by half-baked development of script and characters. Also ,extreme cinematic liberties are taken. If a film is entertaining, then logical discrepancies may be ignored. It is only when that a film fails to entertain does one get bothered by the illogical things. Akshaye Khanna in his cameo is fantastic. Kunal Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma both essay their parts very well. Irrfan and Divya Dutta don't have much to do and perform fairly in the limited scope. Ranvir Shorey as Mohan, the tea stall owner and Raghubir Yadav are excellent. Vinay Pathak, Sushmita Mukherjee, Yashpal Sharma, Vinod Nagpal, Uttara Baokar and Akhilendra Mishra form rest of the supporting cast. Anil Mehta, who is the cinematographer of films like Marigold, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Kal Ho Na Ho, Lagaan, Veer Zaara and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, etc. makes his debut as director with this film. And it debut is a complete letdown. The film has been cinematographed by Mohanan, who previously also shot Don and does a good job here as well. If Madhuri Dixit is the saving grace of the film, then it is Jaideep Sahani's screenplay which is the principal culprit in making this film unwatchable. For a film based on dance and music, it is a let down on both fronts. Vaibhavi Merchant's choreography fails to do justice to the dancing legend that Madhuri is and otherwise to the film as well! Music by Salim – Sulaiman also is neither hummable nor foot tapping. On the whole, the film is a major disappointment. ** (Two stars)   close   Print this Article http://www.bollyvista.com   http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/29/8333