The other day I was re-arranging some stuff in my drawer when I discovered an old stack of dusty comic books. One of them happened to be good ol' Tinkle -- mother to beloved desi toons like Kaalia-The Crow and Shikari Shambu.
While browsing through its pages, I stumbled upon an illustrated educational strip on Sarus Cranes and their hilarious courtship dance, which suffice to say, involved a whole lot of hop, skip and hurdle. It was straight out of a Bollywood movie. I couldn't help drawing parallels between Jeetendra and Aruna Irani's leap 'n' flap styled shimmy in the spy thriller,
Farz.
Despite the silliness of it, I couldn't help but find myself inexplicably entertained. Perhaps it was owing to the kind of novelty Jeetendra had to offer. In fact, the
Humjoli hero, before demonstrating occasional brilliance in Gulzar-helmed dramas like
Parichay, Kinara and
Khusbhoo, benefited immensely from his freewheeling jig. His son, Tusshar, technically, might be a better dancer but well-disciplined, co-ordinated moves hardly strike as ingenious when all his peers are doing/dancing exactly the same.
For a long time, every actor had his own style, around which the choreographer worked and improvised. Be it Kishore Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Mithun Chakravarthy or Anil Kapoor -- they all danced to their own tunes and trademarks. For God's sake, even Shashi Kapoor, the last guy you would associate with rock 'n' roll, could brag of his own inimitable shoulder juggle.
As for the ladies, their ability to dance has always been given the same importance as their capability to act. From Sandhya, Waheeda Rehman, Vyjayanthimala and Helen to Hema Malini, Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai, the list is extensive but emphasises on the continuous existence of dancing talent within the film industry.
While there is no dearth of good dancers within the industry, the depiction of this form, in its own, has taken a disappointing turn. Dance in Hindi films, these days, is synonymous with item numbers, promotional videos, starry appearances and lavish sets. Sure, I enjoyed
Kajra re (Bunty Aur Babli) and
It's rocking (Kya Love Story Hai), but if special items are induced as a regular fare on the menu, the whole idea of USP seems futile.
Also, a sort of monotony has set in. I mean how many different ways can one gesture Yo! anyway? Be it Abhishek Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan or Akshay Kumar, no doubt, meticulous performers but they all are gyrating around familiar movements.
On the other hand, Vyjyanthimala's classical triumph in
Hoton pe aisi baat (Jewel Thief), Waheeda Rehman's poetic agony in
Rangeela re (Prem Pujari) Amitabh Bachchan's iconic hand/foot work in
Jahan teri yeh nazar hai (Kaalia), Madhuri Dixit's infectious
thumkas in
Ek do teen (Tezaab), Aishwarya's dazzling perfection in
Nimbooda (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam), Hrithik Roshan's nimble actions in
Ek pal ka jeena (Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai), to name a few, each of these performances had something dramatically individualistic and inarguably sensational about them, which bears fond and hard-to-erase
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