'Street Dancer 3D' review: Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor step up their game in this dance drama

What's not to love about a dance movie? The energetic beats and the amazing dance moves alone can pep one up. And that's exactly what Remo D'Souza delivers in Street Dancer 3D.
The Varun Dhawan-Shraddha Kapoor starrer is filled to the brim with talented performers, each outdoing the other when it comes to their technical prowess on the dance floor.
Sahej (Dhawan) and Inayat (Kapoor) are professional dancers from India and Pakistan, respectively, who embark on a game of one upmanship in the streets of London. How both their dance troupes Street Dancers and Rule Breakers, unite for a common cause forms the crux of the story. 
Usually in dance movies the plot is the first casualty, but in the case of Street Dancer 3D, there is enough to keep you engrossed. From Indo-Pak tensions that spill over from the cricket match to the dance floor, to the issue of illegal immigrants in London, the makers have packed in enough and more to keep you hooked to the two-and-a-half hour movie.
Admittedly the film descends into melodrama specially when it comes to treating the cross border rivalry and the plight of the illegal immigrants in London, but it doesn't scrimp on the main subject matter. And that's dance. There are a lot of special effects - headless dancers and performers with their feet on fire - but the sheer talent of the entire cast shines through behind the technical wizardry.
The lead pair step up to the occasion and in no way loses pace when it comes to keeping up with the best dancers in their team and that's no mean feat. Special mention needs to  be made here of Nora Fatehi who is a force to be reckoned with on the dance floor. She is a step above everyone else, though to be fair Shraddha is pretty intense and effective with her dance moves. And so is Varun who makes his moves, seemingly, effortlessly, though we can only imagine the hard work that has gone behind the scenes. 
With compositions by Sachin-Jigar, Tanishk Bagchi, Badshah, Guru Randhawa and Harsh Upadhyay among others, Street Dancer can come across as a musical hotchpotch. But the good thing is there is something to suit everyone. Garmi composed by Badshah pictured on Varun and Nora is as steamy as they come while Lagdi Lahore Di by Guru Randhawa brings the Punjabi beats to the dance floor.
But the one dance sequence that's worth the money is the chart topping Muqabla recreated by Bagchi. Watching Prabhu Deva groove to the iconic number from the 90s is worth the price of the ticket alone. Kudos to choreographer Rahul Shetty for upping the game with each dance sequence.
In the end Street Dancer is a treat for those who love dance movies. And whatever faults it may have in terms of cliched plotlines and melodramatic moments, it more than makes up for it with a host of talented dancers who'd make you wish you could dance even half as well as them!


Street Dancer 3D
Director: Remo D'Souza
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor, Prabhu Deva, Nora Fatehi
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

ambica@khaleejtimes.com