Starring: Shahid Kapoor Genelia Dsouza Director: Ken Ghosh |
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Genelia D’Souza, Parikshit Sahni, Mohnish Behl
Director: Ken Ghosh
Rating:**
In a way, this film was always going to get made. `Chance Pe Dance’ completes the circle that Shahid Kapoor put into motion when he got his first big break. Kapoor began as a dancer, crossed over into films, and is now re-creating that arc in his latest flick. It’s also not entirely coincidental that Ken Ghosh, the guy who directed Kapoor in his debut feature, is back at the helm.
Lately of Delhi, Sameer Behl’s ( Kapoor) current address is Struggler Lane, Mumbai. He goes through the standard wringer : failed auditions, last-minute rejections, cruel landlords who deprive him of a roof, and selfish friends who refuse to return loans. His car is turned into a mobile home, and he takes on the challenge of creating dance champions out of a bunch of clunky school kids. The only bright spark in his hand-to-mouth, what-do-I-do-next existence, is perky choreographer ( D’ Souza) who has complete faith in him and his starry dreams.
For all that it celebrates the success of both the star and his character, `Chance Pe Dance’ is not strictly vanity vehicle, and that is its biggest strength. Kapoor takes a familiar character ( Farhan Akhtar did it around the same time last year in `Luck By Chance’) and adds a few of his own touches to it. There’s enough sweetness between the lead pair, and Kapoor works hard at keeping the film moving : he gets right the heart-ache that is so much part of the grind, without getting all morbid about it. But the bigger problem with `Chance Pe Dance’ is that it is simply not new enough : Shahid/ Sameer’s thorny progress through tinsel-town is strewn with moments we’ve witnessed before. You also wish there was more energy in the sequences that fill in the spaces between the work-outs on the dance floor : the film gets lax too often. And the choreography could have been much more exciting to match an actor who is such a fleet-footed mover and shaker : the only one who’s perhaps a tad better is Hrithik Roshan.