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{{short description|2007 film by Anil Mehta}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Aaja Nachle
| image = Aaja Nachle Poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Anil Mehta]]
| producer = [[Aditya Chopra]]
| story = [[Aditya Chopra]]
| writer = '''Screenplay and Dialogues:'''<br>[[Jaideep Sahni]]<br>'''Climax Act:'''<br>[[Piyush Mishra]]
| screenplay =
| based_on =
| starring = [[Madhuri Dixit]]<br>[[Konkona Sen Sharma]]<br>[[Akshaye Khanna]]<br>[[Jugal Hansraj]]<br>[[Kunal Kapoor (actor, born 1977)|Kunal Kapoor]]
| narrator =
| music = [[Salim-Sulaiman]]
| cinematography = [[K. U. Mohanan]]
| editing = Ritesh Soni
| studio =
| distributor = [[Yash Raj Films]]
| released = {{Film date|2007|11|30|df=y}}
| runtime = 146 mins
| country = India
| language = Hindi
| budget = {{INRConvert|250|m}}
| gross = {{INRConvert|143|m}}<ref name="ibosnetwork.com">[http://ibosnetwork.com/asp/filmbodetails.asp?id=Aaja+Nachle]</ref>
}}
'''''Aaja Nachle''''' ({{Translation|''Come, Let's Dance''}}) is a 2007 Indian [[Hindi]]-language [[dance film]] produced by [[Aditya Chopra]] and directed by [[Anil Mehta]]. It was released in India and the United States on 30 November 2007.<ref name="yffilms">{{cite web |title=Yash Raj Films announces Stellar Line-Up of Attractions for the year 2007 |website=Yash Raj Films |url=http://www.yashrajfilms.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsID=568cb754-15ca-43a8-9d7d-01da684d2896 |access-date=28 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306064808/http://www.yashrajfilms.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?newsid=568cb754-15ca-43a8-9d7d-01da684d2896 |archive-date=6 March 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> The film stars [[Madhuri Dixit]] in her first film in five years after ''[[Devdas (2002 Hindi film)|Devdas]]'' (2002), alongside [[Konkona Sen Sharma]], [[Jugal Hansraj]], and [[Kunal Kapoor (actor, born 1977)|Kunal Kapoor]] in pivotal roles. The film opened to mixed-to-negative reviews and was declared a flop by ''[[Box Office India]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=214&catName=MjAwNw== |title=Boxofficeindia.com |publisher=Boxofficeindia.com |access-date=1 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708090127/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=214&catName=MjAwNw%3D%3D |archive-date=8 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Plot==
Dia ([[Madhuri Dixit]]) is a choreographer who lives in New York with her daughter Radha. One day she receives word that her old dance teacher, Makrand, is dying. She returns to her hometown Shamli with Radha, to find that he has already died and left her the responsibility of saving the deserted dance theatre, Ajanta, which is to be demolished to make way for a shopping center.

Shamli has changed a great deal since Dia left. Her parents left the town in shame a decade ago, after she eloped with an American photographer Steve, (later they divorced) and their house is now owned by the strict Mr. Chojar and his wife. Her childhood friend Najma ([[Divya Dutta]]) is married to Farooque ([[Irrfan Khan]]), a successful businessman. Both of them greet Dia coldly. The only ally she has left is her old friend Doctor Saab ([[Raghubir Yadav]]). To save Ajanta, Dia goes to petition the local MP Raja Uday Singh ([[Akshaye Khanna]]). He issues her a challenge; if she can put on a successful performance using only people from Shamli, he will cancel the demolition.

That night Dia dances in Ajanta and afterward calls on the people to help her put up a performance of the famous Laila-Majnu play. Jeering at her, they leave the theatre one by one, but Raja remains behind, reminding her of the challenge. Refusing to accept defeat, Dia goes out into the street the next day to scout for talent. When she returns to the theatre she finds that a group of thugs is burning the set, after being ordered by a local election candidate, Chaudhary Om Singh. Instead of being angry, she is intrigued by the ring-leader, Imran ([[Kunal Kapoor (actor, born 1977)|Kunal Kapoor]]), and makes a deal with Chaudhary – she will help him win the next election, if he will support Ajanta and if Imran plays Majnu. He agrees and Imran is forced to take on the role. After finding out about the casting of Imran, many girls flock to the theatre for the part of Laila. Among them is Anokhi ([[Konkona Sen]]), a tomboy who is in love with Imran. She begs Dia, who is reluctant because of her rough appearance and lack of talent but agrees in the end, thinking that her love for Imran will make her the ideal Laila. Other parts in the play go to Mr. Chojar, who wants to prove to his wife that he is not boring, Chaudhary who plays Laila's father and Dia's former fiancé Mohan, who is able to overcome his bitterness towards her.

With one month to put the show together, Dia struggles to get Imran and Anokhi to work together. With Dia's support, Anokhi changes her attitude and appearance to get Imran to take her seriously and soon their relationship deepens. A few days before the show, Farooque pays Chaudhary to abandon Ajanta and makes Najma spread hurtful stories about Dia. Chaudhary tries to get Imran to give up his part, but Imran is aware of Chaudhary's political intentions and refuses, leading him to be attacked by Chaudhary's men while Anokhi tries to protect him. With the whole town against her, Dia loses hope until Najma arrives to apologise and asks to be in the show.

On the night of the show, Dia is amazed to find that the entire town has come to Ajanta. The troupe put on a performance that amazes and excites the audience, including Chaudhary who is moved to tears. Farooque is stunned to see his wife playing the part of Laila's mother and Mrs. Chojar is shocked and thrilled when her husband appears singing and dancing on stage. In the end, the audience cheers loudly as the cast return to the stage for an encore. The night is a success and Ajanta is saved.

After Dia says her farewells to Shamli, she and Radha leave to find her parents in another part of India. Imran and Anokhi go on to teach dance classes at Ajanta with Doctor Saab's help and dance becomes an inherent part of Shamli once again. Raja is seen watching Dia dance and it is implied that they develop a romance.

==Cast==
{{colbegin}}
* [[Madhuri Dixit]] as Dia Srivastav
* [[Konkona Sen Sharma]] as Anokhi Anokhelal as Laila
* [[Kunal Kapoor (actor, born 1977)|Kunal Kapoor]] as Imran Pathan as Majnu
* [[Akshaye Khanna]] as MP Raja Uday Singh (special appearance)
* [[Jugal Hansraj]] as Sanjay Mehra as Laila's brother
* [[Divya Dutta]] as Najma, Dia's best friend as Laila's mother
* [[Felix D'Alviella]] as Steve
* Dalai as Radha, Dia's daughter<ref>{{Citation |title=Aaja Nachle (2007) |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2855601/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1 |website=IMDb |date=30 August 2007}}</ref>
* [[Raghubir Yadav]] as Doctor Saab
* [[Vinay Pathak]] as Mr. Chojar
* [[Akhilendra Mishra]] as Chaudhary Om Singh
* [[Nawazuddin Siddiqui]] as Dhan Kuber
* [[Darshan Jariwala]] as Makarand
* [[Sushmita Mukherjee]] as Mrs. Chojar
* [[Uttara Baokar]] as Mrs. Srivastav
* [[Yashpal Sharma (actor)|Yashpal Sharma]] as Inspector Sahib as Laila's father
* [[Ranvir Shorey]] as Mohan
* [[Vinod Nagpal]] as Dia's Father
* [[Irrfan Khan]] as Farooque, Najma's husband (Cameo)
* [[Divyenndu]] as MLA's son
{{colend}}

==Production==
Shooting began on 15 January 2007 at Film City in [[Mumbai]] and ended in March 2007.<ref>{{cite web |title=apunkachoice.com |website=Madhuri begins shooting for Anil Mehta's next |url=http://www.apunkachoice.com/scoop/bollywood/20070119-0.html |access-date=16 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930023745/http://www.apunkachoice.com/scoop/bollywood/20070119-0.html |archive-date=30 September 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>

==Controversy==
The movie was banned in [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Haryana]] and [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]] on the first three days of its release over alleged casteist remarks. It majorly affected its box office performance.<ref>{{cite news|date=1 December 2007|title=Uttar Pradesh, bans Aaja Nachle over 'casteist' remarks|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-12-01/india/27972136_1_casteist-remarks-aaja-nachle-kailash-kher-and-mahalakshmi|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019112727/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-12-01/india/27972136_1_casteist-remarks-aaja-nachle-kailash-kher-and-mahalakshmi|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 October 2012|work=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=29 November 2007}}</ref> Dia, the character played by Madhuri Dixit, lip-syncs the lines in the "Aaja Nachle" song rendered by [[Sunidhi Chauhan]], ''Mohalle mein kaisi maara-mar hai; bole mochi bhi khud ko sunaar hai'' (translated "There is chaos in the neighborhood, even the ''Mochi'' (Cobbler) calls himself a ''Sunaar'' (Goldsmith)"). [[Dalit]] groups said the line implied that ''Mochis'' (the [[Jatav]] caste – a caste of cobblers) were inferior to ''[[Sunaar]]s'' (goldsmiths).<ref>''The Times of India'', Mumbai edition, 2 December 2007, pp. 1,8.</ref>[[Punjab (India)|Punjab]] and [[Haryana]] followed suit, banning the film the next day.

However the ban was later lifted in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, after a written apology from the producers and the removal of the disputed lyrics (''bole mochi bhi khud ko sunaar hai'') in the title song. The lyrics were replaced by other words ''mere dar pe deewano ki bahaar hai'' (translated "there is a parade of lovers at my doorstep"). However, a ban was imposed in the city of [[Patna]] on 2 December 2007. The issue was also raised in the Indian Parliament ([[Lok Sabha]]) by [[Republican Party of India (Athvale)|RPI]] member [[Ramdas Athawale]] who sought a ban by the government for hurting Dalit sentiments, but Information and Broadcasting Minister [[Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi]] said that it was the responsibility of state governments to take any such action.<ref>''Hindustan Times'', Mumbai edition, 2 December 2007, p.6</ref>

==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name = Aaja Nachle
| type = Album
| artist = [[Salim–Sulaiman]]
| cover =
| alt =
| released = <div style="white-space: nowrap;">18 October 2007 (India)</div>
| genre = [[Soundtrack|Film soundtrack]]
| length = 38:45
| label = <div style="white-space: nowrap;">Yash Raj Music</div>
| producer = [[Aditya Chopra]]
| prev_title = [[Chak De India]]
| prev_year = 2007
| next_title = [[Roadside Romeo]]
| next_year = 2008
}}

The film's soundtrack was released on 15 October 2007, composed by [[Salim–Sulaiman]], with lyrics by [[Jaideep Sahni]] and [[Piyush Mishra]]. A few songs from the final sequence of the movie have not been included on the soundtrack including "Yeh Ishq". The title track of the film which got a lot of popularity was written by [[Piyush Mishra]].

The film's music was well received. This soundtrack debuted at #9 for the first week.<ref>{{cite web |title=Top Ten albums of the week |website=AN soundtrack stays at number 5 for first week |url=http://www.indiafm.com/features/2007/10/22/3161/index.html |access-date=22 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022122631/http://indiafm.com/features/2007/10/22/3161/index.html |archive-date=22 October 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> The song "O Re Piya" was later used in the 2009 Malaysian movie ''[[Talentime]]''.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! Track # !! Song !! Singer(s)
!Lyricist!! Duration!! Picturised on
|-
| 1
| "Aaja Nachle"
| [[Sunidhi Chauhan]]
|[[Piyush Mishra]]
| 5:04
| [[Madhuri Dixit]]
|-
| 2
| "Ishq Hua"
| [[Sonu Nigam]], [[Shreya Ghoshal]]
|[[Jaideep Sahni]]
| 4:24
| Madhuri Dixit, [[Kunal Kapoor (actor, born 1977)|Kunal Kapoor]], [[Konkona Sen Sharma]], [[Ranvir Shorey]]
|-
| 3
| "Show Me Your Jalwa"
| [[Kailash Kher]], [[Richa Sharma (singer)|Richa Sharma]], [[Salim Merchant]]
|Jaideep Sahni
| 4:13
| Madhuri Dixit and other cast members
|-
| 4
| "O Re Piya"
| [[Rahat Fateh Ali Khan]]
|Jaideep Sahni
| 6:20
| Madhuri Dixit, [[Divya Dutta]] and other dance classmates with Steve taking pictures
|-
| 5
| "Soniye Mil Ja"
| [[Sukhwinder Singh]], Sunidhi Chauhan, Madhuri Dixit
|Piyush Mishra
| 3:37
| Madhuri Dixit, [[Vinay Pathak]]
|-
| 6
| "Is Pal"
| Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal
|Piyush Mishra
| 3:59
| [[Kunal Kapoor (actor, born 1977)|Kunal Kapoor]], [[Konkona Sen Sharma]]
|-
| 7
| "Koi Patthar Se Na Maare"
| Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan
|Piyush Mishra
| 4:04
| Madhuri Dixit, Kunal Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma
|-
| 8
| "Dance With Me"
| Sonia Saigal
|Jaideep Sahni
| 3:39
| Madhuri Dixit
|-
| 9
| "Aaja Nachle" (Reprise)
| Sunidhi Chauhan, Marianne D'Cruz
|Piyush Mishra
| 3:28
| All the cast members
|}

== Reception ==

=== Box office ===
''Aaja Nachle'' opened to a poor response due to controversy. The domestic performance of the film was below average mostly everywhere. Overseas the response was lukewarm as well. It managed to collect Rs 207.5 million and was declared a flop by Box Office India.<ref>{{cite web |title=Box Office 2007 |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=214&catName=MjAwNw%3D%3D |website=boxofficeindia.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014132441/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=214&catName=MjAwNw%3D%3D |archive-date=14 October 2013}}</ref>

=== Reviews ===
The film was received mixed-to-negative reviews from both critics and audiences. The performances of the cast too received mixed reviews. [[Khalid Mohammed]] from the ''[[Hindustan Times]]'' wrote, "Madhuri Dixit has a cool time. Konkona is overacting while Kunal Kapoor is flustered",<ref name="AN HT Review">{{cite web |title=Movie Review:AAJA NACHLE |website=Dixit cannot Fix it |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=fc42d641-abeb-4bfe-a5f2-7875e359864f&MatchID1=4603&TeamID1=6&TeamID2=7&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1157&PrimaryID=4603&Headline=Review%3a+EMAaja%2fEM+EMNachle%2fEM |access-date=30 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215025442/http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=fc42d641-abeb-4bfe-a5f2-7875e359864f&MatchID1=4603&TeamID1=6&TeamID2=7&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1157&PrimaryID=4603&Headline=Review%3A+EMAaja%2FEM+EMNachle%2FEM |archive-date=15 December 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> while [[Rajeev Masand]] from ''[[CNN-IBN]]'' noted, "Madhuri is the one and only star of the film. Konkona Sen Sharma is nothing short of fantastic. Her greatest strength is that she isn't afraid of making a fool of herself and she doesn't worry about being laughed at. As a result, her performance in ''Aaja Nachle'' is fearless and uninhibited."<ref name="AN CNN-IBN Review">{{cite web |title=Movie Review:AAJA NACHLE |website=Madhuri spectacular in Aaja Nachle |url=http://www.ibnlive.com/news/masands-verdict-madhuri-spectacular-in-aaja-nachle/53368-8.html |access-date=30 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201204337/http://www.ibnlive.com/news/masands-verdict-madhuri-spectacular-in-aaja-nachle/53368-8.html |archive-date=1 December 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>

==Awards & nominations==

;Filmfare Awards
* Nominated – [[Filmfare Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] – [[Madhuri Dixit]]
* Nominated – [[Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer|Best Female Playback Singer]] – [[Sunidhi Chauhan]] for "Aaja Nachle"
;IIFA Awards
* Won – [[IIFA Award for Best Choreography|Best Choreography]] – [[Vaibhavi Merchant]] for "Aaja Nachle"
* Nominated – [[IIFA Award for Best Female Playback|Best Female Playback Singer]] – [[Sunidhi Chauhan]] for "Aaja Nachle"
;Stardust Awards
* Nominated – [[Stardust Award for Star of the Year – Female|Star of the Year – Female]] – Madhuri Dixit

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.yashrajfilms.com/microsites/an/aaja_nachle.html}}
* {{IMDb title|0986213|Aaja Nachle}}

{{Layla and Majnun}}

[[Category:2007 films]]
[[Category:2000s Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Yash Raj Films films]]
[[Category:2007 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:Indian dance films]]

Aaja Nachle - Revision history

>Uranium Site at 17:31, 5 July 2021