Never Ending Movie Carnival
Never Ending Movie Carnival
Dange movie review: Loose Control
What: Dange - Bejoy Nambiar’s aggression ki paathshaala loses control as style takes over the soul in this campus saga that roams all over but settles nowhere.
Dange movie synopsis
A college in the exotic locations of Goa. Senior with long locks played by Harshvardhan Rane (imagine Aamir Khan’s DJ character from Rang De Basanti with a weird twist). Junior with short locks played by Ehan Bhatt (imagine Salman Khan from Karan Arjun with a weird twist who has nothing to do with Arjun). A young girl who runs a sanstha called Awaj (played by TJ Bhanu) that fights for women rights and justice for the downtrodden. An intelligent senior (played by Nikita Dutta) who experiments with drugs and comes with crazy combos, making her top favourite amongst the junkies. A college festival is going to be held and the junior with short lock and the senior with the long lock are pitted against each other. In the meanwhile, the GS election of the college has already witnessed disturbing incidents. There is this local gang lord bhau (K.C. Shankar) who wants his daughter (Zoa Morbani) to be the CM of Goa but before that she has to win the GS post again. She is facing challenge from her friend played by Taniya Kalrra.
Bejoy Nambiar is a talented filmmaker who has a vision and is a man of style. Shaitaan, Wazir, Taish, the recent series Kaala, Bejoy has managed to make the balance. Dange (why such a name) has the attitude, cool dudes, atmosphere, mood, aggression, passion, and the basic plot is powerful. But call it over ambition or reason better known to the director and his writers, Bejoy adds multiple thigs in Dange and side-lines the basic plot.
The attempt might be to project the passion, aggression, the youth and make a campus film that speaks about potent issues, but there is no centerpoint, the crux is missing.
Apart from displaying attitude and cool vibes, the guys played by Harshvardhan Rane and Ehan Bhatt lack depth and the characterisations has very limited shades. As an audience, I wanted to feel for them but that moment never came in the two hours twenty-four minutes movie.
Though the lead actors Harshvardhan Rane, Ehan Bhat gave everything they can to bring life to their roles but the writing failed them.
The women in the film, T.J. Bhanu, Nikita Dutta, Zoa Morbani and Taniya Kalrra are better equipped with interesting characterization but they don’t properly jell with the male protagonists.
As said earlier, technically Dange is well polished, Jimshi Khalid and Presley Oscar D’souza cinematography captures the mood marvellously. Action by Riyaz and Habib is quite good. Costumes by Gopika Gulwadi is apt. Lalgudi N Ilayaraja and Manasi Chawre production design is noteworthy. Back ground score by Harish Venkat and Sachidanand Shankarnarayanan is effective. Editing by Priyank Prem Kumar is fine.
Dange – final words
In all its coolness, attitude, youth feel, passion, aggression, but I still didn’t got the point of Dange. The protagonists are cool, they have issues but what are their opinion/viewpoint on potent issues. The makers have tried to highlight issues like caste divide, ragging, molestation in hostels but somehow, they don’t add power to the film. Again, Bejoy allows style to over power substance and soul.
Going with a generous 2 stars for its technicalities, and acting.
A child born from life & fed by cinema. A filmi keeda from child & a film journalist for the last fifteen years. a father, seeker, foodie who loves crooning bollywood melodies twitter.com/cineblues More By vishal verma