ABCD 2 (3D): 157 min long ‘Dance India Dance’ episode! [2.5/5]

Most of the times, you have to have seen the first part before opting to go for a movie-sequel. Well, most of the times! Written & directed by Remo D’souza, ABCD 2 (3D) doesn’t actually ask you to tick that box first but yes, you have to be a television junkie who keeps watching dance reality shows even on repeat telecast. The weathered formula for a TRP seeking episode is applied here utterly and unimaginatively to set the box-office ringing. And it succeeds, until just diving into stretching it too much to uphold your excitement on brilliantly performed dance-steps. More than calling ABCD 2 (3D) a dance-film, I think we should settle it with the term ‘dance-drama’ considering it has dance and (Melo) drama both in equal and strong measure.

Inspired by the real-life event of Fictitious Dance Group of Nalasopara, Mumbai making an incredible journey of rising from the rag to winning an international dance show; ABCD 2 (3D) follows the spirit of dance as much as shown on TV these days. Suresh [Played by Varun Dhawan] and his group of underdogs have been evicted from a dance reality show for exact-replicating moves from a famous YouTube video. To regain the lost respect in the arena; now they must enter a World Dance Championship in Las Vegas but not before convincing Vishnu Sir [Prabhudheva] to coach the team. Rest is a ‘seen before-been there’ series of dance performances in the championship mixed well with issues of different natures to make the ride tougher and trickier.

Remo D’souza doesn’t leave any stone unturned to make ABCD 2 (3D) a perfect dance film filled with its own share of dramatic subplots and emotional stories to make you go ‘Awww’ over. His mastery at choreographing dance numbers in the most astonishing way is undoubtedly at par any suggested standard, he also manages to take you through stunning visuals and spectacular cinematography but what lacks big time is the need of a good connecting story to cement all this. Subplots look placed precisely as any dance reality show does to mark a jump in TRP ratings. An unfortunate accident in rehearsal, missing mentor just before the main event, a severely ailing teammate and if this was not it, there are dedicated dance items to ignite your religious and nationalistic sentiments.

Film’s high points include your favorite ‘Dance India Dance’ stars sharing space on big screen, some genuinely well-conceived 3D shots and the hard works of its lead i.e. Varun & Shraddha Kapoor. If you could notice the camera shots not implying quick cuts on their dance, you will cherish the fact that both the stars are very dependable dancers too. Of course, Raghav Juyal aka Croc-roach, Dharmesh Sir and Punit Pathak of DID fame are there to beat your hearts faster than you think with much better and cleaner dance moves, still the Varun-Shraddha duo earn the deserving admiration. The cameos by Prachi Shah, Lauren Gottlieb, Pooja Batra and Tisca Chopra don’t do unjust.

Overall, ABCD 2 (3D) can only be remembered as a 157-min long extended episode of Dance India Dance- a reality dance show on Indian Television. If you can watch brilliantly choreographed, well-executed & passionately performed dance numbers back to back, one after the other for nearly 3 hours, this should be your bet. Watch out for the amazing title sequence performed by Illuminati UV light Group of ‘India’s Got Talent’, the chemistry between the real dancing heroes, astounding choreography and an arresting camerawork!              

WELCOME TO KARACHI: Stay foolish to survive! [1.5/5]

If you could spare some of your precious time to get your hands on video films made in Pakistan [mostly they recycle our blockbusters], you would appreciate the fact that some films are actually so bad, they are good. Tacky visual graphics, uninspiring-loud-& downloaded background score, unintentionally achieved comic timings, repeated punches, textbook in (bad) performances and a taut plot that would never give any space to anything logical! Ashish R Mohan’s Indian Dumb & Dumber act WELCOME TO KARACHI falls on that not-so rare category. No wonder, the Pakistan Government has invited its cast & crew to promote their film in Pakistan. It’s a first. And I am not sure how far this generosity will sustain. You laugh ‘with’ most of the comedy flicks; WELCOME TO KARACHI is the one you laugh ‘at’.

Shammi [Arshad Warsi] & Kedar [Jackky Bhagnani] are two crackpots accidently finding themselves on Pakistan side of the globe after storm hits Kedar’s ship. This Pakistan on screen is ready to welcome them with lame ‘Pathan’ jokes, blasts and shootings at every corner joining army shooters from the United States, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Nepal and where not. In order to save their **ses and return to the homeland, their idiotic efforts land them first in Talibani region and then in detention of US army. In one scene, when showed a picture of the US president in present, Shammi calls him the actor who played Mandela in a Hollywood film [Morgan Freeman in INVICTUS]. The film is their journey back home or probably it never happens [as the climax suggests].

If comparing and counting the number of enjoyable gags, the first half doesn’t do any bad. Jackky in a particular hospital scene and Arshad in almost every frame steals the show. Film gets derailed from the track when shifts its gear from first to second. The uneven, repetitive and ‘turned irritating by now’ screenplay [The credits have an interesting mention of Raj Kundra as one of the contributors in this exact department] starts testing your patience. If there is anything constant in the film is either Arshad’s comic timing which is again too exposed to have any juice left; or Bhagnani’s disinterested acting endeavor with his equally bad Gujarati accent. How can he be so unbothered in his home-production? The film also sees a cameo by the veteran Pawan Malhotra. If you don’t follow his brilliance, I should inform you that he is currently blessing Punjabi cinema in his own way but this kind of wasted appearances do hurt.

Ashish R Mohan’s WELCOME TO KARACHI might have looked hilarious on paper but in translation, it does lose its promise to have an out & out ‘laugh out loud’ experience. No matter how illiterate you are in cinematic technicalities, poorly done visual graphics would undeniably create a put-off situation for you. After all, you have paid to watch cinema and not some low-budget comedy show on TV. Direction goes for a toss especially when all intentions shrink their focuses to only link the gags one has in the name of comedy.  

At the end, comedy is said to be the most difficult exercise for an actor. In this film, it is not; at least it doesn’t look like. Sooner or later, you as a viewer also don’t bother much with anything going nuts on screen. Film’s tagline says, “To survive, they must stay foolish”. How true, for the audiences! I wish I could recommend you to watch it on YouTube but no, even YouTube these days has a lot better content in the name of comedy! [1.5/5]