Expectations: Dance based films have been one of a favorite genre of our Hindi cinema right from the silent era. One can never forget some great films like 'Kalpana', 'Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje', 'Sargam', 'Nache Mayuri', 'Amrapali' and a few more which were based on classical dancing. 'Disco Dancer' successfully introduced the modern dancing in our Hindi films and we witnessed some great films under this sub genre in the form of 'Taal', 'Dil To Pagal Hain', 'ABCD' and many more. Thanks to the reality based television shows like 'Boogie Woogie', 'Jhakal Dikhla Jaa', 'Nach Baliye', 'Dance India Dance' and few more the modern dancing has attained a great fan following. Thus, in order to capitalize over this fad, actor-director Saahil Prem comes up with his latest film 'M.A.D: Mad About Dance', which is based on the modern day international style of dancing. So let's find out whether 'M.A.D: Mad About Dance' will manage to give us another dance based entertainer, film on the lines of 'ABCD' or might be among those films which along with the lack of star value, lacks highly over its content also.
Story: 'M.A.D: Mad About Dance' is story of Aarav (Saahil Prem), who goes to a small town of Sheffield in UK in order to learn the dance from his idol Caeser (Mark Monero). His friends help him in finding Ceaser, but Aarav fails to impress Ceaser through his dancing skills. This gives rise to an internal competition between Aarav and Ceaser's main lead dancer Henry (Jon Jo). Aarav and his friends start forming their own group and plans to participate against Ceaser and his group and what happens next is what the entire film is all about.
Screenplay & Technicalities: The story has lots of similarities with 'ABCD' and is narrated in a super slow manner, which after a while starts to test your patience level. The writers indulge lots of unwanted tracks and melodrama which dilutes the impact of the dancing scenes. The middle portion just keeps dragging on a never ending note till the final twenty to thirty minutes of the film. It's only in that part where you will enjoy the competition dance followed by the finale dances and the end credits. The drama is very weak and the film has many unwanted tracks along with weak screenplay consisting of back to back over the top type of scenes. The dances too, in most of the parts of the film were non-engaging and lacked the entertainment factor. There are more than dozen loopholes and weak moments due to which your entire interest in the film is lost and if you can survive these, you will witness some brilliant international and national dancing in the finale portions.
Music & Direction: Music in such films has to be essential. Sadly in the case of this film, it fails to create any mark among its viewers.
Saahil Prem comes up with a story idea which is almost similar to 'ABCD', but packaged in an international and youth manner. He also opts out for an outdated pattern of narration, which are super slow and even boring at times. Though, he saves the best for the last which is totally entertaining.
Performances: Saahil Prem looks good and dances well in the finale portions. He is weak in the dramatic portions and lacks the energy level in his character. Amrit Maghera hams to the fullest. Salah Benlemqawanssa is brilliant in his dances, once he enters the film you won't be able to take out your eyes from him. Akhilesh Unnitan, Abhishek Saha, Raashul Tandon lend good support. Jon Jo and Mark Monero are the worst among all others.
Final Verdict: There is a fantastic dumb for everyone who loves to watch some good dance, but only in the last twenty to thirty minutes. In order to witness this, you will have to sit through this never ending film till the finale portions. In short, this dance based film is on the lines of slow dancing, where every step seems same and repetitive, but grabs its momentum only towards the end of the dance.
