‘DEHATI DISCO’ REVIEW | 27 May, 2022

Qureshi Productions’ Dehati Disco is a film about dance. Bhola (Ganesh Acharya) lives in the same village as his priest-father (Manoj Joshi) and younger brother, Radhe (Ravi Kishan). The father had disowned Bhola in his childhood because he was inclined towards dancing whereas the father wanted to make him a temple priest.

Years later, Bhola gets married and has a son, Bheema (master Saksham Sharma), who is also fond of dancing. Bhola and Bheema are banished from their village for dancing in the temple. The father-son duo go to the neighbouring village where MLA Dubey’s (Rajesh Sharma) son, Jack (Sahil M. Khan), has returned from the USA after winning several dance competitions. Jack and Dubey want to open a dance academy next to the temple in Bhola’s village. The ultimate aim is to break the temple. However, the villagers and the temple priest are up in arms against MLA Dubey and son Jack’s plans. That’s when Dubey throws a challenge to the villagers that if anybody from the village can defeat Jack in dancing, he will not insist on building a dance academy on the plot of land belonging to the temple authorities. He adds that if Jack wins the dance competition, the academy would be built as per his plan. The villagers accept the challenge. It falls upon Bheema to defeat Jack and thereby save his grandfather’s temple. Before the dance competition, the temple priest realises that Bheema is his own grandson, and Bhola, his son.

Who wins the dance competition?

Ganesh Acharya and Manoj Sharma have written an apology of a story and an equally weak screenplay. MLA Dubey’s challenge to the villagers makes little sense because the villagers are against dancing, whether Jack is the best or the worst dancer. It is not clear why the villagers accept the challenge when they are so against dancing. It is also strange that the villagers allow the very person (Bheema), whom they had banished from the village for dancing, to save the plot of land, that too by dancing and defeating Jack! In other words, the drama is so meaningless that it’s clear, there hasn’t been much application of mind in writing the script. The duo’s dialogues are dull.

Neither is Ganesh Acharya an actor nor is he capable of carrying the burden of a film on his shoulders, as the hero. In the role of Bhola, he fails to impress. However, his dances are very good. Master Saksham Sharma acts very well in the role of Bheema. His dances are a treat for the eyes. Ravi Kishan does fairly well in a brief role as Radhe. Manoj Joshi lends good support as the temple priest. Rajesh Sharma makes his mark as MLA Dubey. Sahil M. Khan is alright in the role of Jack. Remo D’Souza and Sunil Pal have hardly anything to do.

Manoj Sharma’s direction is dull, limited as it is by the weak script. Shivamani’s music is fair but a film based on dance ought to have had super-hit music which is missing. Pranav Vatsa’s lyrics are alright. Song picturisations (by Rahul Thombre, Sanjeev Holadar, Devendra Thape and Jayshree Kelkar) are not too exciting. Kush Chhabria’s cinematography is reasonably good. Abbas Ali Moghul’s action and stunts are alright. Mahendar Singh’s art direction is nothing to write home about. Manoj Magar’s editing is loose.

On the whole, Dehati Disco will be rejected by the paying public as it lacks merits and also because awareness about the film and its release is almost completely missing.

Released on 27-5-’22 at Metro Inox (daily 1 show) and other cinemas of Bombay thru Panorama Studios. Publicity & opening: very dull. …….Also released all over. Opening was weak everywhere.