Exploring a new genre of dance movies in Indian Cinema (earlier tried in the 80s with DISCO DANCER, DANCE DANCE & more) ABCD straight away comes to the point in its first scene itself featuring a dance competition. And then it takes you on to an energetic dancing journey right till its explosive climax where Lord Ganesha is remembered in a spectacular show on the stage.
To finish with its weaker points first, story wise ABCD may not have got anything novel or fresh to offer but execution wise it does have many exclusive firsts in its kitty, especially for the viewers who share the same passion of dancing in their real life. The film has music, dance and expressions written all over it and it keeps moving around these three things only woven with all the clichéd plots already seen before on screen in various films.
But if it has nothing new to offer then what is so special about this film which forces me to rate it as an essential watch for every young at heart living in India?
There is in fact more than one answer to the above question and they are all mentioned below as the merits of the film intelligently called ANY BODY CAN DANCE which interestingly gets an abbreviation as ABCD.
1. First of all this is a film in which you have "The Indian God of Dance" Prabhudeva(acting after a long time) playing the Master of Dance only for a group of enthusiastic students eager to learn from him. And when Prabhudeva is there as the maestro himself then you are sure to get some exclusive, unbelievable and jaw dropping dance sequences on the screen like never before.
2. Along with Prabhudeva, ABCD has also got another popular dance maestro Ganesh Acharya playing a dance teacher assisting Prabhudeva as a true friend to achieve his desired goal. The lovable act of Ganesh straight away wins your heart as its not easy to accept such a side role, when one himself is running a professional dance academy and considered a Master of the art in his own industry. Displaying this appreciable sportsman spirit, its indeed a treat to watch the two masters together on the screen in one frame.
3. The third merit of the film includes all its stunning stage performances well supported by a breathtaking choreography, innovative cinematography and a dazzling technical show which superbly shines in 3D. Director Remo shows a tremendous growth in his second venture made on his most favourite subject and he does come up with an impressive show with many worth watching songs and dance sequences lead by the grand finale saying "Bappa Moreya" loudly. The film features almost all kind of dance forms and is sure going to be a great watch by the young ones who are into learning the art seriously. Here though I missed an instantly likable composition with some catchy beats in its songs but still the soundtrack of ABCD (by Sachin-Jigar) successfully impresses the viewer while watching it as required. Particularly I loved hearing the track, "Duhaayi Hai" & "Saada Dil Vi Tu" which are both rendered and filmed quite well.
4. Now after these key points, in my opinion ABCD's biggest USP is that it features almost all the winners/participants of the famous TV show "Dance India Dance" who became famous in their hometowns due to their amazing performances on the show.
Here director REMO thankfully found that vision, courage and spirit to bring all his young contestants of the show together in his own film made on dance. Therefore I consider ABCD as a valuable example set by him in the industry by acting like a responsible mentor, giving them the much required chance to showcase their skills on the big wide silver screen. This young brigade in ABCD is lead by Dharmesh and Salman along with many other talented names who show a commendable confidence acting with stalwarts such as Prabhudeva, Ganesh and KK, who is simply outstanding as the cunning, ambitious owner of a renowned dance academy.
Admitting the truth, yes as a film script one may find ABCD just an average flick made with great passion, highly inspired from the STEP UP series of the west. But as a special project collectively made by all the masters of the art together along with the young talent picked up from their own TV Talent shows, I would like to rate ABCD as an important film of the current times which actually shows us a new inventive way of making interestingly appealing films featuring the fresh talent.
Sharing the experience of watching it in the theater, it was really great to see ABCD with a group of young dance students sitting in the row ahead, who were really enjoying each and every dance movement on the screen with their energetic shouts, whistles and comments.
And while its final song was there (in the end credits) with Saroj Khan, Prabhudeva, Ganesh Acharya and Remo dancing together on the screen in one frame, I just had a thought that if me and these young students are enjoying so much watching these masters dancing together, then what a good time they all must have had in shooting the whole project like an unforgettable picnic lived away from all the worldly pains and discomforts...........following only one common mission in mind and that's the passion of dancing.
So as I see it, ABCD is a zealous and appreciable attempt from all the dancing maestros putting their own students in the front, which deserves to be looked upon with love & respect by one and all. In short, watch ABCD essentially if you love dancing and watch it as a must if you don't as it may open your mind towards one of the most precious gifts of nature, i.e. The Joy of Dancing
Cheers!
