Yeh Ballet Review: The Story of Gully Boys Leaping into the Sky!

Based on an extraordinary true story, Netflix India’s original film – Yeh Ballet, is directed by Sooni Taraporevala and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur. It features Julian Sands, Jim Sarbh, Danish Husain, Vijay Maurya, Heeba Shah, and Kalyanee Mulay, and stars the two youngbloods Manish Chauhan and Achintya Bose as the lead actors. Yeh Ballet Review

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Yeh Ballet revolves around two boys from the slums of Mumbai who are passionate about dancing. Manish Chauhan stars as Nishu, a fictionalized version of himself – a taxi driver’s son and a brother to an ill sister. Asif, played by Achintya Bose, is revealed to face a lot of heat because of his religion but becomes a favorite immediately. The film opens with an aerial view of Mumbai where we look at Asif and his friends dancing in the slum. Nishu participates in a dance competition, but unfortunately fails to go to the next round but fortunately wins the destiny hat. The remainder of the film documents their story, struggle and the battles they fought together to succeed.

One of the most noteworthy positives of Yeh Ballet is the filmmaker’s attention to detail. Asif loses a friend who tried to flee from the police, and this leaves him shaken. He immediately trims his colored hair, wears his ballet shoes and decides to start fresh. Nishu’s daily visits to the temple, the church and the mosque all together in his slum due to space restraints, had me smiling. When they saw their dreams being taken away from them when they couldn’t get the VISA, Saul tells them, “The only escape is dance” and even, helps them open a bank account and sends them abroad to fulfill their dance dreams.

Yeh Ballet has everything – family confrontations, friendships, slum livelihood, passion and dedication towards dance. The pacing is a bit slow and makes the narrative predictable at times. But it was worth the wait, and the soulful storytelling keeps you hooked. The duo’s energetic and flamboyant performance at the end of the film stole my heart as the movie ends on a happy note.

Many of you would surely compare Yeh Ballet to the 2019 hit film – Gully Boy, but this film deals with an art form that has always been limited to the privileged. It not only magnificently captures the beauty of a dance form but also demonstrates that social stigmas are pointless if you work hard and dedicate yourself to your passion. It surely left me motivated and inspired by the very end.

‘Yeh Ballet’ Rating – 3.5/5 | Grade – B+

Images via Netflix