Prabhu Deva's invisible man sequence in Humse Hai Muqabala (1994) is one of the more lasting images of the 1990s decade. The song sparked the rise of Prabhu Deva as the Indian version of Michael Jackson with his fast-moving feet and impossible choreography.
With Street Dancer 3 (2020), the actor-choreographer returns to his iconic hit a little grey, a little less flexible, but very much himself. The song is remixed by the ever-present Tanishk Bagchi, with Yash Narvekar and Parampara Thakur providing the vocals.
Bagchi does not play with the composition too much and chooses to kick off from those haunting ''Oo ra ra'' chorus that gave it that haunting touch. With that, the song heads straight into the updated lyrics by Shabbir Ahmed and Bagchi. None of those abstract percussions and interludes that AR Rahman wastes time with. Instead, Bagchi loads it up with heavy percussion and Yash Narvekar's vocals attempting to raise the tempo of the composition.
While the singers and the composition is quite impressive, they have a slight touch of cosmetic that feels out of touch. The choreography features too many people moving in syncopated rhythm that is a far cry from the absolutely manic energy and movement in the original. Where the original had a storyline and a quirky comic book feel, the new version has the glamour and blitz of a massive Broadway production. Despite that Prabhu Deva remains the central core to it.
Singers Yash Narvekar and Parampara Thakur are quite good, but it is the final part of the choreography that truly hits you in the face flush with nostalgia. After a complete Thanos effect, Prabhu Deva is left alone dancing with tens of invisible men behind him, pulling off the moves from the original song. This is the moment 1990s kids were waiting for through the song. It is a nice twist.
The song has the oomph, the percussion, and more so, the presence of Prabhu Deva. While he does not move to the same energy as in the past, the dancer in him is still as expressive as ever. As opposed to Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor, who either overdo it or not at all.
Street Dancer 3 is directed by Remo D'Souza and is set to release in theatres on 24 January 2020. Watch the film song and the 1994 original and let us know if you are keen to watch the upcoming film.