Cinematographer Baba Azmi makes his directorial debut with this emotional saga that doesn’t quite land the ending.
Mee Raqsam review: Danish Husain, Aditi Subedi anchor this tale of a father and daughter against the world
Cinestaan Rating
Release Date: 21 Aug 2020
Sonal Pandya | Mumbai, 22 Aug 2020 15:30 IST
A young Muslim girl Maryam (newcomer Aditi Subedi) takes up Bharat Natyam in a small neighbourhood of Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh called Mijwan. She and her father Salim (Danish Husain), a simple tailor, are ostracized within their small community for this decision.
Mee Raqsam (I Dance), directed by Baba Azmi, is the story of how the father and daughter overcome their hurdles and stick by their beliefs. The 95 minute film is dedicated to the late Urdu poet Kaifi Azmi, Baba Azmi's father, who wanted a film to be made in his native village, Mijwan.
The good-intentioned drama, co-written by Safdar Mir and Husain Mir, wonderfully displays the close bond between Maryam and her father, both grieving the loss of their anchor Sakina (Ananya Purakayastha). Salim encourages her to learn Bharat Natyam and it becomes a way for Maryam to connect with her late mother who admired the dance.
The winsome Subedi is delightful as the resolute Maryam who dances for the pure joy of it. On the heels of Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (2020) and another understanding father in Pankaj Tripathi, Husain is terrific as a supportive single parent who doesn’t buckle under the pressure of the forbidding Muslim leader Hashim Seth (Naseeruddin Shah in a special appearance).
Hashim Seth, objecting to Bharat Natyam’s idol worship and the origins of the dance that began with devdasis, even bans Salim from the mosque and asks customers not to visit him.
“Mujhe nahi pata tha ke dance karne ki itni badi kimat chukani padegi [I didn’t know we would have to pay such a big price for learning dance],” a despairing Maryam says at one point, wanting to give up dance. But Salim doesn’t back down, even in the face of protests from his late wife’s family.
On the other end, Maryam faces a bigoted patron (Rakesh Chaturvedi Om) of the dance academy who tries to sabotage her performance in the competition. But Salim and Maryam endure all, because art does not see religion, only talent.
The film’s message is an important one in these times, but its resolution is too tidy and doesn’t close out the various conflicts introduced before. Moreover, the patron’s character is too much of a stereotypical villain, which is frustrating.
Mee Raqsam, shot by Mohsin Khan Pathan, beautifully shows off Mijwan. Azmi, in his directorial debut, sets up the film well but isn’t able to extract the same emotional impact required from Maryam’s final performance and close out the drama.
Zee5 is now streaming Mee Raqsam.