Disco Dancer

Disco Dancer review :

1982 was the year of Asian Games. 1982 was year of Carlos the Jackal .... .... And most important, 1982 was the year of 'Disco Dancer'

A film which introduced pop culture to Bollywood, made Mithun Chakraborty an overnight dancing sensation and took Indian cinema international from south east Asia to Russia.

I kid you not!! I visited Russia recently and was pleasantly surprised to know that while the older generation Russians associate Raj Kapoor with India, their next gen know us as the land which produced Disco Dancer.

Prabhuji (which means God), as Mithunda is still referred to in the interiors of North India, started his illustrious career with the offbeat 'Mrigaya' (1976) for which he won his first National award but hit real box office gold with this B. Subhash directed musical.

Disco Dancer had some superlative tracks by Bappi Lahiri. 'Krishna dharti pe aaja', 'Koi Yahan Nache Nache' and of course the title song ' I am a disco dancer' is still potent enough to influence Rohit Shetty to do a parody of it with the older Mithunda in 'Golmaal 3' (2010). Superstar Rajesh Khanna was roped in a special appearance to hum 'Goron ki naa Kaalon ki, Duniya hai Dilwalon ki'. Remember this was almost a decade before Michael Jackson told the world that it doesn't matter if you are black or white.

The story was simple - a street urchin turns big when his talent is identified and groomed by a manager of a fading arrogant dancer. The rag to riches disco dancer manages to settle score with the baddie who had insulted his mother but loses a lot of his own in the bargain.

Today, the plot may appear clichéd; almost laughable but the movie hasn't lost its spirit and spunk.

Kim played the heroine to Prabhuji but I personally loved the sexy Kalpana Iyer who made her presence felt in the one song and few scenes she appeared in. The portly Om Shivpuri played an unconvincing villain while Karan Razdan was the unintentional comic relief.

I revisited 'Disco Dancer' on DVD last night. It brought back pleasant memories of an era best known for films of "so bad they are good" type. The great grand excessive 80's we know of. Sometimes I actually miss those unpretentious times.

Koi lauta de mere woh beete huye din...

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

I gave this movie 10 out of 10 after strong and long consideration. The matter is - that I have seen it lately... again... I have laughed all my way through it, and the same time I felt very much nostalgic. I was about to give it 3 or 4 out of 10, but ... It was like I was laughing at my innocence or naiveness. By than, in 80-th, in USSR I watched this movie 12 times. I can not remember any other title I have seen so many times. I always cried. All the second part I was crying my heart out even when I watched it for 12-th time. Everything was so vivid, so alive... I believed in every word, every gesture, every move. And I was in love with the actor or it would be more precise to say with Jimmy. There is definitely something in that movie! And I feel so much pity that now I am too adolescent and cynic to see it any more.

Now, Disco Dancer is not a great film, for sure. Some might consider it an unintentional success. That said, there are many factors going for it. First, it's one of the many films starring Mithun Chakraborty, and it wholly rests on his presence, and it was quite a presence. Chakraborty, a talented, trained actor from Bengal, found a niche in countless Hindi romantic action films during the 1980s. He was perhaps the most prolific Indian actor of the decade. Most of these films were not considered of the highest order (not that mainstream Hindi cinema was very good in this era to begin with), but they were entertaining, and even though the skilled actor was not given true, challenging material in most of them, they let him exhibit his explosive charisma, distinctive dancing skills, which included some trademark moves, and a highly relatable screen persona which many young men identified with and imitated.

Disco Dancer, a sort of rags-to-riches dance film, where a young man from a poor neighbourhood becomes an overnight star, was one of the early films which shot him to fame and was followed by several films that followed a similar star fomula. The film did well not only in India but elsewhere, and became not only for Chakraborty's memorable turn but for its catchy music by Bappi Lahiri which was, by the way, not very original. The "Jimmy Jimmy" track is, for all its unoriginality, so catchy. My personal favourite is actually Lahiri's own rendition of "Yaad Aa Raha Hai". As a film, Disco Dancer is fun - it flows well and entertains and just as it might be a guilty pleasure for many, I wouldn't be surprised if some considered it one of their favourites. The film, despite some poor writing and some absurdities here and there, just works. It's twisted and a little cheesy but ultimately a nice watch, which must hold great nostalgic value today for many.

Hi All,

This is a breath taking piece of work as it is probably the strangest and funniest film I have ever seen. Although I suspect this was not the intention of the film. This is late night after the pub stuff. Just laugh your way through it. the big guitar disco dance number near the end is so absurd that you will wet yourself from laughing. The guy who reviewed it is absolutely on the money in his comments. But it is impossible to really relate how nuts it is. With extra mirror balls and disco dancers that spring up out of nowhere. A Killing guitar (literally it kills). Unhappy Indian disco dancing punters that take out their frustrations by throwing sandals- whats it all about?

Cheers

Damian

There's plenty of silly Bollywood films out there but this is the best of the lot! At times its hard to believe its not some genius spoof. There are some real 'I cant believe that just happened!' moments... whats the midget wedding all about!? Our hero Jimmy avenges his mothers humiliation by badman Oberoi by becoming a disco dancing star. On the way he sees off rival disco dancer who happens to be Oberois son, kung-fu kicks Oberois goons, ruins Oberois business and not only that he bags his daughter.. what a guy!

If you have a stupid sense of humour and can appreciate the early 80s naffness it'll put a big fat silly smile on your face. The music isn't so great when compared to other disco films like Star or Qurbani but makes up for in the bonkers department. Having said all that its not a bad little film underneath and Mithun puts in a great performance as Jimmy. The end climax is just classic. Sing Jimmy, sing!!