From hip hop and classical Indian to ballroom or ballet, Indian cinema brings together all forms of dancing onto the big screen in a way never shown before. It’s grander with the costumes, the sets and of course the sizzling leading dancers, be it Shahid Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan or even the returning diva Rani Mukerji who set quite a few hearts on fire in the year of 2009. So without further adue, BollySpice presents you those rocking dance numbers of 2009 which simply made you get up on your feet and groove along to your favourite stars then and there!
1. Hadippa Remix (Dil Bole Hadipa) – Vaibhavi Merchant (Choreographer)
Vaibhavi Merchant raised the bar once more not only for her fellow colleagues but also for herself in this year’s reigning dance number ‘Haddipa Remix’. Rani perhaps couldn’t have declared a comeback in a better fashion than with the sizzling Shahid Kapoor, drop dead costumes and hard-score dance steps – courtesy of Vaibhavi. The song is a roller coaster ride from start to finish with not a single dull moment in the video. We knew Shahid was one hell of a dancer but Rani was the surprise package without a doubt! This top spot definitely has no contender that comes close because the dynamite trio of Vaibhavi, Shahid and Rani are untouchable when it comes to sensational dance numbers of 2009!
2. Jalwa/Love Me (Wanted) – Prabhu Deva & Rajeev Surti
At the number 2 spot we have a tie because honestly the whole film of Wanted deserves to be in this slot, however we did narrow it down to two of the rocking numbers from the blockbuster. The first is choreographed by the one and only Prabhu Deva and the latter by Rajeev Surti. With ‘Jalwa’ Prabhu Deva finally gave into the temptation and, instead of sitting in the director’s chair, got into the grove of things and choreographed a typical fulto masala styled song that only he can pull off! Salman Khan was simply not himself in this song as he transformed into a true out-n-out Prabhu Deva protoge and delivered a knock out performance! Rajeev Surti then came in to choreograph the immensely popular track ‘Love Me’ in a sleek and stylish fashion, though still with a bit of ‘crazy’ intact to suit the lyrics. Both songs left the industry as well as the fans in awe of what was unfolding before them onscreen because it’s not often that songs come onscreen at such a grand scale and so fully power packed! Here’s to more rocking dance numbers with our very own Sallu in the year 2010!
3. Twist (Love Aaj Kal) – Bosco (Choreographer)
It perhaps is the biggest challenge of them all to impress the audience with your choreography when the track itself is such a huge hit as Pritam’s ‘Twist’ was for Love Aaj Kal. However, Bosco lived up to the expectation and delivered what has got to be one of the most colorful numbers of 2009. While news reports were released that the Bosco’s work had been weakened due to Saif’s instructions to change the moves to something easier, however the song showed no sign of such compromise in the choreography. It’s peppy as hell, hip and stylish like the rest of the film, and despite not being the best dancer in the industry, Saif’s pulls off the song rather remarkably. Kudos to the hardworking team for making it to our number 3 spot!
4. Soniyo Billori/Jashn Hai (Kal Kisne Dekha) – Remo D’Souza
Kal Kisne Dekha may not be the movie you cherish at the end of 2009 but the dance numbers, you certainly do! Choreographer Remo D’Souza made ‘Sonio Billori’ and ‘Jashn Hai’ the absolute “don’t miss” moments of the film with sophisticated choreography. Jacky Bhagnani simply blew everyone away with his effortless and flawless dancing and quickly entered the league of Hrithiks and Shahids whilst the stunning Vaishali Desai mesmerized us with her trendy steps. Sajid Wajid’s music was a huge hit amongst the audiences, so naturally delivering as hit of a dance number was quite a task for Remo but he pulled it off with ease! We hope to see the choreographer do more and more rocking numbers this year too!
5. Baawre (Luck By Chance) – Vaibhavi Merchant
It may have been a release at the very beginning of 2009 but Luck By Chance‘s ‘Baawre’ still lingers strong in our memory thanks to the elaborate choreography of Vaibhavi Merchant! While the song and dance is customary in Indian cinema, themed performances are quite rare. Here Vaibhavi had a very tricky task of choreographing a song which was in fact in a movie within the movie (if that isn’t confusing, what is?). Not only did she have to impress the audiences with her choreography but she also had to make sure it fit well within the very intricate script given to her by Zoya Akhtar. Of course, the talented choreographer pulled it off with no trouble at all, and how could she not when given two of the industries most talented dancers, Hrithik Roshan and Isha Sharvani. Vaibhavi simply goes from strength to strength each year and we can’t wait to see what she does in 2010 to set our screen on fire!
Whilst we do our best to combine all that was outstanding in this list, it’s not always possible. Therefore, some honorable mentions have to be made without a doubt. Shamiak Davar pulled off Yuvraaj with indeed a lot of elegance and style as he put together exquisite costumes and sets and gave life to the beautiful music of AR Rahman. The next honorable mention has to be given to South Indian choreographer Prasanna who debuted in Hindi cinema with ‘Marjani’ from Billu and had immense pressure to deliver the most publicized item number of the year perhaps. He impressed everyone including Kareena herself! These credible names may not have made it on our list but their work certainly has not gone unnoticed!
All in all it’s being yet another great year of song and dance in Indian cinema and we hope that this unique tradition and culture so inherent to our cinema never changes!
