ABCD (Any Body Can Dance)

I was impressed by the presentation of the movie including the dance and music. I got the feeling that I am watching a Hollywood movie.

I was expecting movie like Step Up series but I could clearly say that it gives a blow to Step Up. It was bit above step up. The VFX, SFX and Sound effect are too good and can be compared to Hollywood.

The only negative point in the movie (in 3D) was about the camera focus. The camera focus is not properly and cause a headache to me. In Some Part (in clip when Dill Se appears) it was too bad even worst in some dance steps.

Otherwise movie is awesome and i will give it 9/10. You can say that movie is "Full Paisa Vasool (got full value for money)"

Without any doubt, this can be called the best movie in Indian Cinema which involves dance of the 'awesome-st' quality. This is the one most significant thing you will find in this movie which will keep you stuck to your seats. Its a nice work consisting of some of the best dancers on TV.

Although one cant help but notice that the theme is quite similar to Hollywood movies such as 'Step Up', ABCD has a story line and plot which captivates the audience by depicting it in an 'Indian' way.

There can be overacting that is evident at times, along with a few flaws. But even in spite of that, the dancers in the team of ABCD has done an exceptionally good job in this movie. The dance performed by Prabhudeva adds to it, of course.

The screenplay and dialogues are no good. But then again, it proves to be a great entertainer which goes with the theme of the movie.

I enjoyed it a lot. Most definitely a one time watch...!

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!

You'd wonder why it took so long before Bollywood finally came up with its own dedicated film about dance. With dance incorporated into just about every film, perhaps that was reason enough not to have a movie that dwells within the confines of a dance premise, which the US has in its Step Up franchise and UK with its StreetDance equivalent. But the lucrativeness of these franchises mean untapped opportunity, so why not make one and dabble with the 3D technology as well? The result is the aptly titled ABCD - Any Body Can Dance, because if anything, every character here does show off a thing or two, of the rhythm within.

And not to mention the success of the wildly popular Dance India Dance television series that also made that final push for box office potential, with some of the participants also making it to the film in leading roles. The storyline by Tushar Hiranandani is kept functional, and really simple. After all, all you need is an excuse to assemble a crew, and have them put through the paces in rehearsals and competition whether underground or official, to have highly choreographed item numbers to thrill the movie going audience. It begins with the rivalry within Jahangir Khan (Kay Kay Menon) and Vishnu (Prabhu Deva), the brains behind JDR, a dance troupe who is once again crowned champions in the nationwide Dance Dil Se competition, only for the former to kick out the latter through the employment of foreign talent.

It took a while before things started to pick up, because of the necessity for Vishnu to go through the motion of moping about what he should be doing, whether to go back to Chennai and continue teaching dance, or hang around in New Delhi to take another potshot at Dance Dil Se, with a vastly different crew. And helping him assemble something is good friend Gopi (Ganesh Acharyaas), although the members they finally get into their troupe are hardly any professional to begin with.

Like any self-respecting dance movie, this is again the requisite characters necessary to impart values like teamwork, camaraderie, trust, loyalty, and more essentially, dance skills through various training montage. And having a rag-tag crew also allowed little subplots to creep in, such as romantic rivalries, parental objections to all things modern and deemed destructive to culture, envy, melodrama, and drug abuse even, that allows individual characters their respective share of the limelight, given so many supporting ones who will inevitably fall by the wayside.

As far as competition goes, we don't really get to see much of JDR in action, especially since they're progressively turned into a balletic outfit courtesy of their new choreographer from the US imparting something that's quite lacking in the imagination. After all, they're an outfit who are dancing to impress, moving away from Vishnu's, and their original philosophy of dancing to express. So we follow DDR for the most parts, in watching how Vishnu whips up a motley bunch into a well oiled machine able to take on some of the best, especially with its inventive choreography.

Which in truth belonged to the multitude of choreographers that Bollywood is no lack of, providing an opportunity to showcase various dance forms through DDR's execution and their march towards the finals of the Dance Dil Se competition. Even Prabhu Deva playing Vishnu has to put his foot where his mouth is, given once central spot before the interval to dance and demonstrate a thing or two why he is and still at the top of his game. Unlike the Hollywood counterparts, the camera-work and editing here all combined seamlessly in providing the audience with the best possible vantage point in which to observe the dance and dancers, and nary did any put on the wrong foot such that you'd miss something crucial to their movement. It's only a pity though that there's no screen in Singapore showing the 3D version, as you can tell that deliberate care has been taken to craft this for the 3D medium.

While some dance choreography and sub-plots may have already been suspiciously experienced before in other films, there's no doubt that the key ingredient to the film's success is its ability to blend culture into dance, which will whip up any audience into a frenzy. And I suppose that is the key message, that while things we share and experience can be universal, culture is what will truly make a people stand out and differentiate themselves for the better. And in this case, if others can make a dance film, so can India, and doing it even better! For those venturing into dance movies fo the first time, ABCD should be on the top of your list, and for fans of dance movies, this is something you'll not want to miss!

P.S. It's interesting to note that besides the Smoking is Injurious to Health warning at the start of every Bollywood movie of late that features scenes that have characters smoking, a little warning also appears at the bottom of the screen just when the deed is about to be done!

The acting is questionable and the story of this dance-centered enjoyable movie is ditto Hollywood flick "Step Up!"

For people who didn't get the first line, ABCD is a very good movie for dance lovers. Minus the aforementioned factors, it is a visual treat. And the 3D is very amateur, to be frank. But, who cares when we are really enjoying it. The 3D, actually spices up the dance moves and water splashes. Director Remo has justified at making a hardcore attempt on a dance film. The dance sequences are great and with oodles of style and motions, ABCD scores high! But, when it comes to the plot, acting, dialogues or even screenplay, ABCD fails, badly.

But, with a plot so predictable and feeble, ABCD is not serious cinema. Prabhu Deva is cool with his wacky moves but I couldn't find improvisation 'cause it gives you the old Television reality show look. More like a b-boy battleground this. Dancing has been little bit misinterpreted here. It has n number of plot holes and over that one gaping hole which could sink a ship. Clichéd, stylish, and subtle - that's what ABCD is. But, over all, I enjoyed it!

BOTTOM LINE: A must watch for dance lovers and a fine entertaining watch if you don't get serious with the plot or story or acting. For everyone else, there's Special 26.

OVERACTING ALERT: Ganesh Acharya & Dharmesh Yelande!

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Language: No | Sex: No | Nudity: Very Mild | Violence: No | Alcohol, Smoking: No | Drugs: Mild