The story of “Call Me Dancer” sounds like it should be a formulaic inspirational “sports” picture — a street dancer from Mumbai, India, discovers ballet and, with the help of an Israeli-American teacher, overcomes myriad challenges to become a professional dancer.
But the film’s a documentary. So its story of Manish Chauhan is down-to-earth real from the first moments when he’s seen spinning and flipping B-Boy style through the challenges, disappointments and his tiny triumphs that are far from formulaic.
The story of teacher Yehuda Maor could be a movie itself, and the cinematography, shot over years in studios and on the streets in Mumbai, Israel and New York City grounds the picture in gritty, less-than-romantic reality.
Here’s a quick outline: Manish, the son of a taxi driver who was the son of a taxi driver himself, is supposed to be going to college to get an MBA and work an office job to support his family. But he wants to be a dancer and finds his way to Danceworkx Performing Arts Academy, where he soon encounters Yehuda.
The 70-ish ballet master, a former dancer before landing a teaching job in Mumbai, immediately identifies Manish as a hard worker coming late to ballet but willing to put in the hours to make up for his lack of training. And, he spots another aspiring dancer, Amir, at 14, seven years younger than Manish and a natural talent.
Yehuda sets about training the boys to get to the level where they can get into ballet schools and companies in Europe, and utilizes his contacts to get them seen by London’s Royal Ballet.
There’s no point in detailing everything that happens thereafter — it’s clear from viewing the footage of the pair dancing together who’s going to get the Royal Ballet scholarship. And it’s just as clear, from the story’s basic structure, that Manish will have to overcome obstacles — his age, injury and the COVID-19 lockdown — to land a position in some company, somewhere.
The good news for “Call Me Dancer” is that Manish is an honest narrator as he tells his story to the camera and a charismatic presence on film, a career, we find out, that he could have pursued. And Yehuda is equally transparent and fascinating as he spells out his life and career, gives advice to Manish and evaluates his talent and future.
The film, however, explores little of Manish’s personal life, beyond showing him with his family in the village where his grandmother lives, looking at their disappointment with his decision to dance, their support for him and the pressure he’s under to get a paying gig to pay for his sister’s wedding.
That’s not enough of a gap to spoil the movie as directors Leslie Shampaine and Pip Gilmour have put together a picture that’s more realistic than inspirational, providing a view of dance in India, a dancer’s need for help from a teacher and sponsors, and Manish’s determination to dance.
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Review
Call Me Dancer
Grade: B.
Directors: Leslie Shampaine and Pip Gilmour.
With: Manish Chauhan, Yehuda Maor.
Rated: Not rated.
Running Time: 1 hour, 24 minutes.
Now Showing: Ross.
The Reel Story: An Indian street dancer discovers ballet and works to become a dancer with the help of an Israeli-American teacher in this documentary that feels like it could have been an inspirational fictional film.