There’s a theory that when times are tough and uncertain, escapist and musical films come along to lighten the load.Rather than a blant copy of Dirty Dancing , Holiday is a variation on the same basic fantasy: buttoned-up girl meets sensitive hunk from the wrong side of the tracks, who puts her in touch with her body for the first time. Superb dancing propels the story while the abundant songs add vibrancy to what is essentially a musical affair .
Holiday is the story of a family who goes to Goa on a vacation to unwind. When Dr. Daksh Suri (Gulshan Grover), his wife Nandini (Anahita Uberoi) and their two daughters ? Samara (Nauheed Cyrusi) and Muskaan (Onjolee Nair) embark on a month long vacation to Goa, none of them have a clue that this ’Holiday’ will change their lives forever...
Muskaan an ordinary girl who becomes extraordinary by simply following her heart... and by eventually learning to celebrate her ordinariness! It’s the coming-of-age story of this ordinary girl.
Rehashed of “Dirty Dancing, ” the outcome is surprisingly quite imaginative . The outline is virtually the same as the original (opening narration, seductive dance lessons, etc.), and the effort to set the story against the backdrop of Goa is notably quite effective.
Also the chemistry between Dino and Onjolee is perfect enough to keep the film entertaining on a very basic level. Onjolee, who looks like she just stepped off Tv serial ’’Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin’’ is initially stiff, but she gets into the groove when she’s paired off with the charming Dino .A skilful dancer, she looks every inch the part of the uninhibited Muskaan although her Hindi accent is not yet up to speed. She is arguably the most interesting character in a work prone to stereotype although there is a token effort to flesh out Muskaan’s conservative parents more than the film allowed.
The real treat here comes from Dino, who looks amazing and has a body to die for!The mere sight of the bare-chested Dino Morea and his climactic line of dialogue brings wolf whistles and cheers. There’s something pivotal about the way Dino tells Onjolee “the floor is yours” after showing her the movements of salsa dance .A complete cinematic magic!Gulshan Grover and Nauheed Cyrusi are superb. Kashmeera Shah is terrific .
Although director Pooja Bhatt does not always make clear we are seeing the world through Muskaan eyes, she manages to draw the audience into her dreams of an unshackled, tolerant, fearless life.
The production has a simple set and is greatly enhanced by Goa’s local and imaginative lighting. The beach and lake scenes are deftly conjured with swirling fabric, sound and lighting effects but the production is hardly lavish.
The film clearly passes the salsa dance torch onto a whole new generation of moviegoers, but whether or not those moviegoers will embrace “HOliday is a tough call. Personally, I don’t think the same level of magic [as that of DD] is there, but you never know. Maybe enough people will like the film enough to feel like they just had the time of their lives…again.