Nothing much to jive about!
By MovieTalkies.com, 15 January 2010
2.5 / 5
Salsa with sorrow and boogie with boredom, coz' Ken Ghosh's latest venture, 'Chance Pe Dance' doesn't exactly make you dance with glee in the aisles. The gladdening factor, though, is Shahid Kapur, who remains in fine form.
But after his commendable work in 'Kaminey' and even 'Kismet Konnection', one expected a more cutting edge performance from the actor. Like many other films (and filmmakers before) 'Chance Pe Dance' shares the journey of a struggler in the Hindi film industry. Last year's 'Luck By Chance' directed by Zoya Akhtar too travelled the same route.. But the similarity just about ends there.
Ghosh's film lacks the poignance of Akhtar's movie and even fails to connect with its audiences beyond a point. Obviously, what lets the movie down is the more clichéd trajectory of the plot. The writing doesn't have the brilliance of the former and hence is unable to ride over the clichés. So yes, the freshness is missing, but it still manages to have its moments, created by the sheer presence and histrionics of Shahid. Clearly, he remains one actor who bowls you over with his sincerity.
The film's story follows the travails of Sameer (Shahid Kapur), who leaves his home in Delhi and lands up in Mumbai, to join the teeming millions of aspirants in this Dream City who plan to make it big in filmdom. The film follows him as he goes through his share of heartbreak, struggles and rejection, before he finally triumphs. Ghosh's script unfortunately, does not offer anything new in the telling of the story or in its presentation. Sameer does all kinds off odd jobs to sustain himself in Mumbai….works as a courier delivery boy, zooms in for shady ads, turns part of a chorus, grooves as a dance teacher… and all his heartache fructifies… when he bags his big break.
En route to Bollywood, he bumps into the effervescent Tina (Genelia D'Souza), a choreographer, who helps along the way. The only thing that keeps Sameer alive and kicking is his passion and commitment to his dream. And the actor manages to really pour passionate energy into his delineation of the character, plays it straight from the heart and his performance stays with the viewer.
However, all is not lost for Ghosh as he manages to weave in some memorable moments in the movie, like Sameer's interaction with the school students, how it shifts from reluctance to acceptance is very well done, as is Tina's track, which brings with it a breezy sense of optimism. The choreography by Ahmed Khan is first rate and Shahid dances like a dream. Though, one does feel let down by the film's music!
While composer Adnan Sami and guest composer Pritam do a fairly competent job, neither of them is able to create music which could spur one to spontaneously burst into a jig. The film doesn't have a 'Dhan Tana' or a 'Nagara' type of number, so there is little help for Ghosh from that quarter.
What does stand out in the end are only a few fleeting moments created by Ghosh and Shahid's performance. But with a better script in place, he would have been electrifying. Genelia supports him with a very spirited performance. Actors Parikshit Sahni (Sameer's father) and Mohnish Behl chip in with honest performances. But there is just so much that actors can do if the script and screenplay are not in place.
'Chance Pe Dance' is a weak movie because it has nothing new to say nor does it try to say it interestingly. It doesn't make for satisfying viewing either, except perhaps for Shahid fans. Otherwise, it is a bad chance taken by Ghosh. And dancing his way to box office success seems highly unlikely.