Mee Raqsam (2020) Poster

(2020)

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7/10
Mee Raqsam encourages you to chase your passion and live your dream
ketgup8322 August 2020
Every child is special who has unique skills which if identified at early age, can make the child realize potential and will help to achieve the dream. You need to believe in their abilities, cherish and nurture them. Mee Raqsam, released on Zee 5, is beautiful tale of bonding between father-daughter through thick and thin times.

Mee Raqsam (means "I Dance") tells the story of Maryam who aspires to become a Bharatnatyam dancer one day but is swayed away by low-thinking community in her village who stands in way to achieve her dream. However, her father Salim is determined and believes in Maryam's love for dance and stand against the entire community even though he has to sacrifice to make ends meet.

Directed by Baba Azmi, who was a cinematographer, Mee Raqsam is a powerful and engaging drama. The film is simple and yet powerful, goes on to prove that a talented person cannot be stopped if supported by the right people and at right time. The film charms its way through the very beginning and each and every frame has been perfectly shot. The first half has its glorious moments - the scene between Salim and his daughter Maryam will move you, Salim's standing tall against his community who oppose his daughter participating in the Bharatnatyam dance is pretty solid. and the dance sequence performed by Aditi Subedi is engaging. Hats off to Baba Azmi for standing out in his first film itself.

The film does have its share of flaw as well. Few scenes in the second half begins with melodrama - Maryam easily getting selected for Bharatnatyam dance competition could have been shown with few more shots of her dance skills while the dance sequence in the climax could have better. Also, the editing and music (very important for a musical film) takes a back seat in the second half and should been trimmed for few minutes. Nevertheless, the film never loses its track and overall satisfaction will compensate for few shortcomings. Art direction is great while Cinematography (Mohsin Khan Pathan) is splendid. Screenplay by Hussain Mir and Safdar Mir is good while casting is perfect.

Mee Raqsam belongs to Danish Hussain and Aditi Subedi. Aditi Subedi proved that she is here to stay and should go a long way in terms of acting. The charming actress emotes expressively and her bonding with Danish Hussain is phenomenal. Coming to Danish Hussain, he is simply mind-blowing. Hats off to his performance as single father who does not give up on his daughter's passion. I also liked the young actor playing the role of supporting auto rickshaw driver. Naseerudin Shah in a special appearance was just about okay.

verall, Mee Raqsam encourages you to chase your passion and live your dream. Very good attempt - Go for it 3.5 /5
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6/10
BRAVO
SinhaSomesh22 August 2020
#FinalVerdict

Presented by Shabana Azmi and directed by her brother, the acclaimed cinematographer Baba Azmi, Mee Raqsam - which literally translates to "I Dance'' - is an honest attempt at tackling a bold theme. A terrific film that will stay in your heart!

Mee Raqsam is an ode to Kaifi Azmi Sahab. Although an effort like this is sure to find its share of bouquets and brickbats but the message that the film conveys resonates loud and clear, without getting preachy.

Till sometime back, certain themes were kept locked inside the almirah. Delicate and sensitive issues and relationships are slowly stepping out of the closet. On celluloid. Written by Safdar Mir and Husain Mir, Mee Raqsam connects with every segment of moviegoers. Director Baba Azmi has treated the film with utmost sensitivity. There are several scenes that linger in your memory for a long time and prove the director's command over the script and medium. A welcome change from the oft-repeated themes which degrade a woman no end!

But Mee Raqsam isn't a foolproof product. It has its share of flaws. The turn of events isn't captivating at times. The characterisation of certain characters and their track seem incomplete. But the film packs in so much, there's no time to think or analyze.

Mee Raqsam is soaked in reality. It takes the realistic route without bowing to market diktats or over-stretching realities. The film stays true to the material. Besides, the director along with the team of writers stay away from the tried-and-tested tropes. There's a strong emotional connect as the film depicts the delicate relationship shared by a father and his daughter most realistically. The drama is spot-on. The emotional quotient is heartrending. Moreover, the culmination takes the film to an all-time high.

George Joseph-Ripul Sharma's background score is effectual. The DoP (Mohsin Khan Pathan) deserves tremendous praise for doing complete justice to the vision of the director. Dialogue empowers the film wonderfully. Pooraj Kapoor's editing is watertight.

Mee Raqsam is a Danish Husain show all the way. Newcomer Aditi Subedi is truly fantastic. Way to go! Naseeruddin Shah, Shraddha Kaul, Rakesh Chaturvedi Om and Sudeepta Singh are mature performers. Shivangi Gautam, Juhaina Ahsan and Kaustubh Shukla inject freshness to their respective characters.

To sum up, Mee Raqsam is director Baba Azmi most accomplished work so far. He deserves brownie points for narrating the story with flourish. The narrative style is simplistic, yet solid and that's what catches your eye. Watch Mee Raqsam On ZEE5 right away!
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7/10
A ONE TIME WATCH.
MandalBros-522 August 2020
Mee Raqsam means 'I Dance', It revolves around a girl who wants to be a Bharatanatyam Dancer against the will of her family and community, only her father supports her. So will she fulfill her dream to become a dancer with the support of her father, is the premises of the film.

Performances of all actors is just okay, not so good, not bad. Aditi Subedi as 'Mariam' in her debut film is looking very much promising. Danish Husain as a supportive father is good. Direction is also okay. It's a average film but can be watched one time.
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7/10
A father imparts lesson of life
tanujpoddar25 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
"The father tells her desolate daughter, that the challenges they face is not because of her willingness to pursue her dreams, it is because of the small mindedness of the society, and that should not pull them back."

I would want to watch this movie again and again just for Danish Hussain's performance as the father that silently stands as a rock beside her daughter. He says as much with his silence as he says with words. The debutante playing his daughter supports him with an equally honest performance. The bond between the two is so beautifully portrayed.

The incidents and set backs are not shown just to accentuate the struggle of the protagonist, but to highlight the closed minds of a society that thrives by stereotyping. Yes, the movie doesn't have a very high production value, but it more than makes it up with the honesty with which it conveys the message.

Contrary to the flow of the movie, the climax was probably a little over-dramatic and maybe not as impactful. However, the dance performance was very innovative and well executed.
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6/10
Fresh story and a nice effort
cseabhi29 August 2020
Rarely we see fresh stories in Bollywood. Mee Raqsam does have its flaws but then its different from what you see in the regular bollywood.

Directed by Baba Azmi, the famous cinematographer, this movie revolves around dance. The story is simple yet delivers powerful message. It's emotional, engaging and a beautiful cinema.
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8/10
culture is free wing(8*by debojyoti)
There is no caste, no religion of culture.It can never be confined to any boundary because culture is free wing.💓

"Bharatanatyam" is one of the main dances of South Indian Hinduism.This is a beautiful story of a Muslim girl's love for this dance against society.The heads of the society can never suppress the talent on the pretext of religion and caste.👍

The script is impossibly good.The chemistry of the father and daughter is bound to bring tears to the eyes.This is the success of a good script.👍🙏

Everyone's acting is impossibly beautiful.cinematography & editing also.Impossibly beautiful combination of Sufi music and Bharatanatyam is the real essence of this movie.👌👏
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6/10
Good
Zorawar_1438 September 2020
Story line is good. But its could be better. Amd i feel like Something needed.. Kuch to kam hai isme Negative part is good. One time watch
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10/10
Brilliant❤❤
ravikumarojha-9362221 August 2020
I laugh I Cried I enjoy what a movie masterpiece.very few instance came in my life when i got emotional watching a movie all the actors were superb,mind blowing.
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2/10
A good story told poorly!!
AdnanKapadia22 August 2020
Giving it 2 stars - 1 for the story & emotion behind it and 2nd for the music/lyrics.

Yes the daughter & father bonding was absolutely beautiful to watch and the fact that art has no religion or boundaries and one has to pursue one's dreams which means there will be a lot of sacrifices and a heavy price to pay.

But there is a way of telling any story - creating a feature film demands a lot more. It could have been due to the fact that this film did not get enough finance to hire the right people in the production team.

The lead character Maryam did not seem to have to learn a single step, it was just as if she was born with it - which doesn't happen, I cringed at the lack of struggle shown. In the opening scene Maryam's mother performs in front of her for a minute and dies suddenly for absolutely no reason - weakness of the screenplay. An intelligent viewer would demand a better explanation no matter how short. Saleem, the tailor and Maryam's father cannot even afford to buy 2 kilograms of sugar although he manages to afford paying for her dance school fees, the struggle & effort to earn that money or the source where he arranged it from would have connected the dots. The girl who played Maryam might be a talented young dancer herself and hence selected to play this character but the accent coach should have worked a little harder to make her pronounce the word "Khaala" correctly - it was quite irritating to hear incorrect throughout the movie. I expected something better from people like Baba and Shabana Azmi being behind this project. And what about her being the only girl wearing a head scarf, it would have made more sense if other Muslim females including her aunt and cousins and those Muslim girls who featured in the sewing class scene were made to wear some "burqa" or "hijaab" or a head scarf. Editing, Cinematography & Dialogues were decent enough. In the acting department of course Danish Hussain playing Salim and Shraddha Kaul playing the aunt own this movie - they were both absolutely brilliant. And the great Naseeruddin Shah - well - they needed somebody to market and sell the film with.
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10/10
Nice movie
subhasis0930 August 2020
It's a nice must watch movie. Different from regular commercial movie.
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4/10
SHOULD BE MORE POLISHED
sameerlodaya23 August 2020
Very good script

the softness of the father is well appreciated

the chemistry and bonding of father and daughter was also touchy

it should be more polished like expressions editing execution

ending could be much better
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10/10
Great movie
sanilpujari16 November 2020
Great movie with a even better message much better then a lot of bollywood garbage n nepo kids
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8/10
Simple premise, beautifully told and well acted
vinith_nayak14 September 2020
This is not a big-budget movie, but is is a film that I will remember. A simple desire of a girl from a small village to learn dance, and the tensions that creates in her small world, a steadfast father that will stand up to much stronger men for his daughter, and a daughter that is willing to sacrifice for such a father. Naseeruddin Shah has played his negative role really well. The acting is pretty flawless, and the movie is well directed. I watched it with my family, and they loved it, especially my teen.
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5/10
Good
himanshumits10 September 2020
Good but could have been better. Pace is very slow.
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10/10
So beautiful
yogafitnessnidhi21 August 2020
I am so glad that this movie was created. This shows the real struggle, dilemma, courage and honesty. The message is Beautifully portrayed and received. Many congratulations with folded hands.
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5/10
AVG Film by Hit Ya Flop- Movie World
nitsvirusboyz21 August 2020
A heart-warming and relevant film. But the courageous story is executed in a mediocre way. Aditi Subedi and Danish Hussain delivered an impressive performance. Other supporting casts are just average in their roles. Direction 2.5/5 Acting 3/5 Dialogues 2/5 Story 3/5 Screenplay 2/5
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10/10
Reason for giving it 10/10
mahfooz-5809229 August 2020
I tried hard but couldn't stop myself from crying and I kept crying during whole of the dance performance in last scene. A must watch for anyone who really loves the idea called INDIA
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10/10
Brilliant
imhru23 August 2020
This movie is simply brilliant..everything is perfect..direction acting story music dialogues..kudos..
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8/10
Unique story, splendid acting, good message, Very well finished.
bablushaw-8630229 August 2020
This movie touched heart with acting and story. Scripts, dialogues, screenplay all were so good.
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8/10
Heart in right place!
bhattabhijeet30 August 2020
Sensational is what attracts attention. But in the ordinary there is a lot that gets overlooked that can stir you up. The Director did make sure you are emotionally intrigued whenever you see a father standing by his daughter or when the daughter has no idea of how the religious lenses view her, or when the religious custodians always fail to understand the innocent pleasure of an artist. There is no talk of correction or feeling sorry of why things are like that or what is right or wrong, it's about love all the way! Things are left the way they are while the protagonist makes her brave choices and moves ahead with life. And yes, the true sense of the fact that your friend belongs to a different religion does not come to you till you are out of your college, till some custodian points it out for you harshly. Are we most Indians not like this ? Glad someone showed this side in the movies because for most of us, that side never matters beyond friendship.

The movie does have a lot of positivity in a subtle form without going overboard. And after a long time, I felt good hearing the sound of a Sewing machine, this is the one most of us grew up hearing. It says a lot about dignity of labor, of a man who knows his craft well, of people who are real, like all around us.

Mariyam (Aditi Subeidi) does a fine job with a natural performance! Way to go. Movie rests on the shoulders of Danish Hussain, who delivers an envied performance, mostly an underplay but not losing a nerve of reality. Most actors seemed to be from theatre which works well including Kaustubh Shukla, Shradha Kaul, Juhaiana Ahsan, Rakesh Chaturvedi and all others. Naseerji is the face of the movie and lights up the screen with his mere presence, whenever we see him.

Movie has its flaws, but worth ignoring below the positives. Hats off to Baba Azmi and Shabana Azmi to bring out such a story. The world definitely need something positive. The Director never went preachy and the story remains as the one of a passionate mind! The movie leaves behind a good taste, go for it! I could well imagine the viewpoint of a few real life examples who challenge the normal.
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10/10
Emotional and inspiring - Well Made
rishabhchatterjee23 August 2020
The story is simple but the way it has been presented is really well. All actors have done a really good job of bringing out even small emotions. Director has done a really great job of making us feel the difference emotions the characters face. Thanks to ZEE5 team for choosing this movie. Didn't hear much about the movies before but after watching will definitely recommend it to my friends and family.
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10/10
Surprise of the year
omdroindia29 August 2020
This movie show class of Bollywood. Hats off to the makers. Story simple and predictable. But end surprise a lot. Gooshbumps on climax. Unbelievable. Little girl and her father performs superbly. Girl dances brilliantly. Nasir has nothing to do in this movie. Overall a surprise movie of the year.

Don't Missout last 15 minutes.

Bollywood, give us more movies like this.
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8/10
Must see to get inspired to pursue your dreams
sb-124385 October 2020
👌👌👌👏👏👏A simple movie but delivers a powerful message conveyed by Maryam's dance teacher " the artist doesn't chooses the art but an art chooses the artist" Maryam performing Bharatnatyam on Sufi song created the surprise for the audience and proved her identity as a true artist with the help of unconditional support from her loving father. Such kind of scripts can actually change the perception of the society at large. The perception that Art is not limited in boundaries but it is an institution open to all irrespective of caste and creed.... Wonderful performances by all
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8/10
A nuanced take on social affects in Modern India
comatosebuddha-125 August 2020
Bharat Natyam is a dance that has southern Indian roots steeped in temple worship. Islam forbids idol worship and obviously therefore, proscribes this dance form. In this film, the protagonist is a Muslim motherless girl who loves this dance form. She and her family are therefore ostracised by their community in a small town in central India. In spite of all the troubles, her father stands like a rock and encourages his daughter to chase her dream. The movie, as had been mentioned by many reviewers, is a look at the possibilities that sheer passion can draw at, in spite of numerous social pressures and circumstances,

What interested me most is the impression it makes on you in this increasingly polarised nation, especially following the Covid pandemic.

India, particularly, saw an increase in bigotry amongst the general population - caused by the actions of a few narrow minded and tunnel visioned leaders of the minority community who led their folk astray, fuelling widespread bigotry amongst the majority of the country who weren't otherwise prejudiced.

This stands out as an extremely well crafted narrative, demonstrating that bigotry goes both ways, and it never does good.

It shows that those who are cosmopolitan and modern in their outlook even today, are looked down upon in all communities - and stigmatised, just because they are forward thinkers.

History shows us that this has been the case in humans over the years, be it the Sumerians, the Egyptians, the Romans or the Greeks - inequality and social stigmatisation due to caste, creed and religion, has been ubiquitous.

This stereotype can be destroyed by the actions of a just a few individuals and this is celebrated in the movie.

The dance sequences could have been better choreographed and taken a more central part of the plot - but here, it's just a theme around which the social commentary revolves, and revolves and revolves.....

I appreciated the film chiefly because of the ray of hope it brought to me in these dark times. The emotional bonds portrayed between the single father and his daughter were enacted truly well.

Will I recommend it for you to watch? Definitely.

Will I watch it again? Possibly - just to share it with my family, who haven't watched it yet.
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10/10
MovieExemplifiesOnCulturalDiversity
anudeepnayakotivirgo28 August 2020
Right after watching the trailer, I had a great feeling. As expected, it turned out to be a great movie. It is a realistic movie about liberals in India, who face challenges for doing what is right. Hypocrites having power and money, try to control naïve by misinterpreting the religion. Wise men and women choose to not pay attention to them. They do their own research and make their own decisions. As a result, these hypocrites try their best to make them respect their misinterpretations. In this process, they give a very hard time to liberals but won't be succeeding. Some poor and uneducated people in India are forward thinkers. This movie has clearly proved that these hypocrites cannot win against wise men and women. Also, in the process of checking out the details about filmmaker, I have learned about the greatness of 'Azmi' family.
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