The theme of rashis lent some added interest to this week. The performances may be evaluated at three levels- the interpretation of the sign, the thematic format used, and the execution of the dance itself. Overall, the performances were much better. Some have been improving steadily, some stayed consistent - good or bad, and a couple declined.
Sanath-Pisces: The interpretation of the sign was at a literal level. Am I the only one who thinks his dance was not too bad this time? His movements were freer than we have ever seen and he seemed to be enjoying it too. The song choice may have worked in his favor a bit-being in Tamil. But, his elimination was expected and everyone made the right choice. It is time for us to see some real dancing.
Gia-Virgo: I wasn't at all clear about the interpretation of the sign. But some rashis are hard to interpret compared to others. Virgo is one of them. In terms of the thematic format, I didn't quite get the mujra even after the choreographer's explanation. Dance wise-I felt Gia was livelier than in her previous attempts. Indian attire suits her better than Western. I can't comment on her Kathak performance, but dance-wise it was OK. Combined at the three levels, her scores were valid.
Bharti-Capricorn: Again this is one of those signs that need more depth in interpretation. It is an earth sign, so that aspect could have been used in the format. The disco started fine, but there were too many misses and distraction when Bharti couldn't see due to those humongous green glasses, which she ended up tossing (or perhaps it was part of the act). It was sloppy and the judges rightly pointed out the flaws in that performance. She can do better.
Isha-Libra: This was the best in sign interpretation, thematic format, and execution. They interpreted the theme both literally and figuratively as well. Libra is an Air sign and they included some aerial dancing. The balance aspect was well brought out. The execution was bang on. Isha was fantastic - she had superb control over her movements. And ironically, her expressions as a puppet were bang on! As Remo said, she performed much better than Salman.
Darsheel-Aries: The thematic format showed understanding of the rashi - literally it is a ram, and this sign is a fire sign. In addition to the visual symbol, and the elemental aspect to it, there's another dimension called the modes. All the signs are classified into fixed, mutable or cardinal signs. Aries' cardinality indicates leadership and dominance. So, the thematically, it was brought out very well. In terms of execution, Darsheel upped his act considerably from his previous attempt and both avneet and darsheel were on par. Darsheel managed to retain his energy levels as well. Though I felt they spent a bit too much time on the throne (I get they are fighting for it).
Archana-Aquarius: There was no depth to the understanding of this rashi. As Madhuri pointed out though the visual symbol is a water girl, it is actually an air sign. Some research was needed. I agree with the judges' scores. The song choice was literal. In terms of execution, I have to say, their dirty feet distracted me. Why am I always left with the feeling that Sanam is the contestant and not Archana? Their time on the show is going to be short.
Gurmeet-Leo: His assigned raashi was easy, in the sense that it could be interpreted both literally and figuratively. All they needed to do was to not mess it up. The assigned dance style made the job even easier. Dance wise, GC's expressions were out of this world, his control on his movements was great, the dance style fit his abilities and he came off with flying colors. The make-up and costumes were fantastic too Gurmeet did well and deserved the points, but he was aided by factors mentioned above.
Jayati -Scorpio: Theme was fine. It was good concept. It was a familiar style for her so there was an home advantage. I'd have liked Jayati to play the part of the scorpion. Overall, not bad. The judges didn't dare to comment on the style.
Susheel-Taurus: The choreographer rightly picked on that point - the earthiness. He improved but of course there's much room for improvement even within his limitations. he stick prop didn't work well for him. With more practice, the performance could have been better. He'll remain for one more week may be.
Shibani- Cancer: The thematic format not only represented the sign, the dance performance touched your soul. Dance-wise, the moves were simple but executed well. As madhuri mentioned, the emotion completely overwhelmed the performance subduing any flaws in execution. The song-choice took the performance to another level.
Ravi Kissan- Gemini: The thematic format would have been good if Ravi danced as an ardhanari. Though Gemini sign shows twins, the twins actually represent opposites. If we were to think that Ravi the male brought his feminine side, then it might have worked. But I felt their interpretation was too literal thereby missing the opportunity. Unlike Carpricorn or Virgo, they had so much scope to bring the opposites notion across clearly. But dance-wise, it was a bold avatar his expressions were good, he did have the 'feminine' moves. The scores ought have been a point or two lower
Pratyusha-Sagittarius: Thematically it was so so. They simply took the figurative symbol of a dhanus and set it against a familiar story. It didn't have much of the traits of a Sagittarius, I felt. I thought they could have done something with a man and horse and pick specific traits of saggies such as their love for travel, thinking etc. Scores were as they should be. The dancing was better, but she still comes across as physically weak and delicate.
In sum, I'd rank as follows
1.Isha-Salman and Shibani-Punit at par
2. Gurmeet-Shampa
3. Darsheel-Avneet
4. Ravi Kissan
5. Jayati
6. Pratyusha
7. All the rest
Maybe it is just me, Madhuri's continued deification is getting a bit tiresome. I am not sure if I can see the drooling and groveling for long. It is embarrassing to watch.
It seemed only Remo seemed to keep the rashis in mind when judging. Karan and madhuri are more 'feel good' kind of judges, no specific parameters. Karan at least watches for the expressions. They have to bring more informed judges. Ragini is coming across more and more like a side-kick than an equal-part anchor.
Edited by redeye2012 - 13 years ago
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
Mangal Lakshmi
