An underdog dance group making something of itself: right from the opening frame of Waack Girls, you know that this will be the trajectory of this rag-tag bunch, based in Kolkata.
But this Sooni Taraporevala-created-and-directed nine part series attempts to build in differentials. First off, Kolkata is still not a city you’d think of when it comes to street style dancing and underground meetings where dance-offs occur. A lovely Cal feeling is captured in a crumbling old mansion, in a tony club, in the corner puchka-wala, and in the accents people use. You do see some familiar structures on the skyline, like the Howrah Bridge, but they are just there, no emphasis laid. That is refreshing.
Then there’s the dance itself. Waacking (also, whacking), a variant of punking, was born in LA gay clubs in the 70s when the disco movement was at its peak. A chance meeting between fierce, passionate Waacker Ishani (Mekhola Bose) and Lopa (Rytasha Rathore) an-out-of-the-closet lesbian who wants to make a career out of managing dance groups, much to the dismay of her conservative Marwari millionaire dad (the late Nitesh Panday), leads to the creation of the Waack Girls, a group of young women in search of themselves.
They audition to find the other girls — an on-the-run royal who is an expert seamstress (Anasua Chowdhury), a gymnast who loves to dance (Ruby Sah), an only-support-to-her-addicted-to-gambling-mom (Chrisann Pereira; Lillete Dubey), a cheery plus-sized character who loves stuffing her face (Priyam Saha) . And they go through the usual squabbles and ego-games — which feel somewhat constructed, almost as if they have to be gone through — before settling into a group which works together as one. Yes, trope, and yes, this is what leads to the predictable parts of the series, which takes its time to turn smooth, just like the girls.
Some of the most engaging parts of the show, co-written by Taraporevala, Iyanah Batlivala, and Ronny Sen are those, ironically, when there’s no dancing. A young man, very much in touch with his feminine side, is an ally not just to his old pal Ishani, but to the whole group. Manik (Achintya Bose) is a nice change from the macho men stereotypes that we see in filmed fiction. It also helps that he moves well.
Barun Chanda as Ishani’s grandfather, struggling with the onset of dementia, also verges on a type: the anglicised Bengali elderly gentlemen, with penchant for his pipe and beloved Shakespearen sonnets, delivered in a perfect baritone. But his part has been written with affection, and some of his portions with the girls, especially a court-room scene, make you smile.
Rathore stands out, as does Bose. The other young women have all been given their moments. Waack Girls isn’t perfect, but it is good-natured, and well-intentioned. It’s always good to see girls doing their thing: nothing more joyous than dance as self-expression.
Cast: Mekhola Bose, Rytasha Rathore, Anasuya Chowdhury, Chrisann Pereira, Priyam Saha, Ruby Sah, Achintya Bose, Barun Chanda, Lillete Dubey, Nitesh Panday, Sayasha Pillai, Nivedita Bhattacharjee
Director: Sooni Taraporevala
Rating: 2.5 stars
