ABCD 2

ABCD 2 does not, even for a moment, pretend to be anything else but a dance movie. Which means if you go looking for a coherent plot line and an insightful portrayal of characters, you will be let down. Yes, it can get better, but ABCD 2 is definitely one step in the right direction.

You should watch ABCD 2 irrespective of whether you are a dancer or not, because the performances more than compensate for the forced emotions, poorly-written dialogues and the badly-woven storyline.

It is one of those rare films where you need to pacify your Attention-Deficit-Disorder-ed self because you don't want to leave the theatre without seeing the end credits roll. In all, this week's big release is a lovely watch, and will leave you by saying, 'Naach Meri Jaan!'

Remo D'Souza, evidently a far better choreographer than a director, resorts to predictable clichés, unnecessary Bollywoodish twists and worst of all, insipid dialogues, instead of dwelling into the crests and troughs of the emotions of the troupe members, as they go from utter humiliation to grand jubilation. The oversimplified treatment and the superfluous screenplay makes things worse. And the film is 30 minutes too long.

Like most dance movies (made in the West or Bollywood), the malady we are hit with is that while the dancing is professional, the writing is amateur. So, you whoop and whistle when the dances are on. But stifle a yawn between the gravity-defying grooves.

You may be in for a surprise if you thought that 'ABCD 2' would be totally as you predict. Roaring towards the end, the movie is absolutely realistic which is a great plus and you need to watch to know it all. Don't let your weekend be monotonous, grab a ticket – it's worth it.

...might work for you if you just want to enjoy some cool dance numbers. There is little in the film apart for that to entertain you.

If you ask me, the performances are not a patch on the earlier movie; they are patchy, not fluid. Moreover, you lose the grip on the movie within the first 30 minutes after you realize that there is no plot to take it further. It's just a push and shove scenario, hoping to get lucky. Nevertheless, for dance freaks, this could prove to be a good outing.

Anybody can dance, but not everybody can watch them do just that for 154 minutes (the film's run time) at a stretch. Enthusiasts, who feed on dance reality TV marathons and expect this to be little more than the best of Dance India Dance, will find it to be an audio-visual delight.

Reliably, ABCD 2 livens up when the action shifts to stage, thanks to some splendid choreography by the inspiration behind its source -- Suresh Mukund and Vernon Monteiro (featured in the closing credits). Even if you're not a fan of this sort of dancing, the upshot of the troupe's sheer coordination and dedication is tailor-made for applause, a sentiment you increasingly experience in the concluding half of the movie.

As someone who wholeheartedly enjoyed ABCD, I have to say this has proven to be a disappointing and unworthy sequel. The film ends with a quote by Remo that says, 'Life is all about the next step'. We certainly hope Remo's next step has us dancing again!

The laziness in the writing just gets more and more obvious as the film progresses – usually in a dance film, you are waiting for the climax because that is often the grand piece, but here is no such yearning because you've already had enough by then. To be fair, the finale, though it takes a long time to come, is splendidly done.

Yes, it is a dance film but unlike in a dance reality show or a dance DVD, in a film we need the semblance of a plot. We cannot move from one of piece of choreography to the other with an incongruous narrative. Except the dance sequences, every other element in this film seems like an afterthought.