Chance Pe Dance

By: Sumesh Vasishth

Star Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Genelia D’souza, Mohnish Bahl

Music Directors: Pritam, Adnan Sami, Sandeep Shirodkar, Ken Ghosh

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Ken Ghosh

If you want to be successful, you must either have a chance or take one. With a star like Shahid as a bosom pal, Ken Ghosh had it but with the film like this, Kapoor took one and the result is hardly pleasing.

Chance Pe Dance is a story of archetypal Dilli guy Sameer (Shahid Kapoor) who leaves his home town to become a star in Bollywood. He is confident to break into the top league because every aunty in town, including his mom, has been telling him that he's a bundle of talent with killer looks- the only two prerequisites to become a Hero.

But then Shah Rukh Khans are not made everyday. So, poor Sam has to do rather embarrassing things like lungi ads to eke out his existence at his ‘parsi-monious’ tenement.

Going into auditions after auditions he has mastered the skill of saying, “Hi, I'm Sameer Behl and my number is…” but life in Mumbai without a grand daddy is not easy and getting a break, virtually impossible.

His chances are stolen by others, his friends betray him and his landlord throws him out. He is rendered penniless stays in his car for days before he gets a job at a school and some emotional-cum-romantic support from a scooty-riding spirited choreographer Tina (Genelia D’souza).

After his initial I-hate-kids attitude, Sam finds his solace by making the teenage underdogs of school the dance champs of the city.

Eventually, he gets his biggest break as well but only to be matched by the biggest betrayal. Now he has no way but to enter the talent hunt like thousands of other contestants and emerge a winner to fulfill his dream... and our nightmare.

It is a film like Chance Pe Dance that separates a Ken Ghosh from a Farhan Akhtar and Ashutosh Gowariker who actually spend so much time (esp. Ashu :-)) penning the details and seldom leave anything to ‘chance’.

In times when flicks run on their taut and realistic storyline, Ken makes his Sameer Behl enter a talent show and eventually pronounces him a winner in an eight-pack flashing jig with virtually no competition whatsoever.

It is Ghosh’s decrepit script and predictable plot that make even Shahid’s otherwise sincere performance go down the drain. Shasha, however, as Sam the struggler tries hard to lend authenticity to his character and succeeds as well.

Genelia is as bright and breezy as ever but hardly displays her choreography skills. Alas, for her the film never picks up just like her scooty that perpetually runs on 30km/hr.

Despite being a musical, Pritam, Adnan Sami, Ken Ghosh and Sandeep Shirodkar’s work is a big let down.

The dance sequences are choreographed by Marty Kudelka, who has also directed moves of stars like Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, and N'Sync. Our Shahid also does well on the dance floor in certain sequences but chance favours only the prepared minds and Ken Ghosh was certainly not prepared when he was making this film.

Avoid!