Bhangra Paa Le

Both Jaggi and Simi have been harbouring the dream of winning Amritsar’s biggest inter-college bhangra competition for their respective colleges (who also happen to be arch rivals). But, amidst endless banter and bhangra beats, the unusual duo finds love. With feelings seeping into their lives uninvited, will their zest to win the ultimate contest – Bhangra Battle in London – take a backseat?

They are poles apart as individuals – one is extremely competitive on the battleground and the other is highly territorial by nature. But, it is their mutual love and passion for the desi dance-form bhangra that brings Punjabi small-towner Jaggi Singh (Sunny Kaushal) and Amritsar’s ‘best female bhangra dancer’ Simi Kohli (debutante Rukshar Dhillon) closer, and binds these oddballs together. She’s got the moves and attitude of a western dancer and he’s got the zeal of a ‘pind’ boy and, although love’s come knocking at their doors, the couple’s hell-bent on defeating each other and making their individual families proud. Debutante director Sneha Taurani’s ‘Bhangra Paa Le’ is the inner conflict typical in lovers when they are pitted against one another, in the battlefield of love and overall life.

The plotline of this dramedy is divided into two halves, with the backstory tracing its origin all the way to the World War II era. Sunny, as the dreamy-eyed hillbilly trying to make a name for himself and his clan, is endearing and his performance is hilarious and moving in equal measures. Rukshar Dhillon, as the big-city ‘it’ girl, is confidence personified. Cinematographer Jitan Harmeet singh deserves a special mention here because of how beautifully he has captured the innocence of countryside Punjab and juxta positioned with the organised chaos that is Amritsar. The music, too, is peppy – something one would expect out of a dance-based movie.

The real problem is how love blossoms between these two, as their chemistry is glaringly weak on screen, thus making the film irrelevant for most parts. In fact, Sunny shares a stronger rapport with his other parallel love interest Nimo (Shriya Pilgaonkar) than Rukshar’s Simi. Writer Dheeraj Rattan has concocted a weak story and after a point, ‘Bhangra Paa Le’ feels like a mish-mash of other dance movies we have watched in the recent past. Debutante director Sneha Taurani needs to hone her skills behind the camera and the lengthy narrative only makes things worse for her story. For a movie that boasts of Bhangra as its USP, the choreography of this peppy dance form looks pretty weak and predictable.

Apart from the decent performances of its lead actors and a high-spirited soundtrack, ‘Bhangra Paa Le’ has nothing new to offer.