Filmworld
'ABCD 2' - Collage of electrifying dances
By
Troy RibeiroFilm: "ABCD 2"; Language: Hindi;
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor, Prabhudeva, Lauren Gottlieb,
Dharmesh Yelande, Raghav Juyal, Sushant Pujari, Punit Pathak and Tisca
Chopra; Director: Remo D'Souza; Rating: **1/2
"ABCD 2" is motivational dance film with a tinge of patriotism thrown in.
Everyone
makes mistakes in life, but "Life is all about the next step," sums up
director Remo D'Souza. The film is inspired by the trials and
tribulations of 'The Fictitous Group', a dance group from Nalasopara, a
suburb in the outskirts of Mumbai.
"ABCD 2" showcases the journey
of the Mumbai Stunners, a local dance group, from a television reality
show to the World Starz - Hip Hop Competition, in Las Vegas.
Helmed
by Suresh aka Suru (Varun Dhawan), the team is disqualified from the TV
show on grounds of plagiarising the hip-hop dance of a renowned group
from Philippines. Branded as "cheaters", scorned by everyone, the team
disintegrates. It is only his childhood friends and co-dancers Vinnie
(Shraddha Kapoor), Vernon, Raghu and Jack who stay back.
Dejected
and low on self-esteem, a guilt-ridden Suresh learns about the World
Hip-Hop Competition in Las Vegas and tries convincing his friends that
participating in this competition is their only chance to win back their
lost prestige.
A chance meeting with a brilliant dancer Vishnu
Sir (Prabhudeva), revives his hopes. Since the original team has
dispersed, Suresh along with his friends and Vishnu Sir conduct
auditions to form a new team. Dharmesh from Baroda and Vinod, his deaf
and mute friend, are selected. Realising their folly, some of the
original teammates come back.
After qualifying the preliminary
round in Bengaluru, the Mumbai Stunners are now 'Indian Stunners' as
they land in Las Vegas to be a part of the finale.
The storyline
is superficial. The plot, strewn with spectacular dance sequences, is
formulaic and relatable. The script is flowing, but unimaginative. It
offers no dramatic moments and the surprises are more of duds.
The
film centres around dance and the director ensures that the dances;
breaking, krumping, locking and popping are flamboyantly portrayed. In
the bargain, his characters take a backseat. While most of the
characters are two-dimensional, their emotional sub-plots are
underdeveloped.
Humour along with melodrama, in equal measure,
are perfunctory and those scenes drag. What keeps you glued are the
dance pieces, which are well-choreographed and captured brilliantly. The
skills of the dancers are sure to bowl you over.
Varun Dhawan as
Suresh performs competently, displaying his dancing skills effectively,
but it is Shraddha Kapoor, as Vinnie, who is the surprise package. With
lithe and graceful dancing skills, she makes her mark as a dancer, for
the first time ever. And how.
Lauren Gottleib as Olive, who comes
as a substitute for Vinnie, is phenomenal as a dancer. Prabhudeva, as
Vishnu Sir, is expectedly spectacular in his opening dance sequence.
However, with his weak dialogue delivery and negligible emoting skills,
he is not convincing in the emotional and drunken scenes.
Mounted
on a magnificent scale, the visuals by cinematographer Vijay Arora are
captivating, especially the ones in Las Vegas. Several frames are
picture-perfect, showing his mastery over his craft.
The film is
jazzy and vibrant, but drags in parts, specially the numerous dances,
which were unwarranted. This makes the film seem like an unending
collage of dance sequences, sans the emotional quotient. The last act
plays the patriotic theme full throttle and gets the audience
emotionally involved.
Anybody who remotely loves dancing, should watch "ABCD 2".