nach le
About this song
- Singers
- Sunidhi Chauhan, Piyush Mishra
- On screen
- Madhuri Dixit
nach le (Hindi: नच ले, Urdu: نچ لے) "Dance!", is a song featured in a 2007 Indian dance film of the same name.
The movie female protagonist, Dia (played by the famous Indian dancer Madhuri Dixit) is a consecrated dancer and choreographer living abroad, who must return to the village of her childhood and save the theater where she had learned to dance.
This theater, called Ajanta. is struggling financially and risks being demolished.
Back in her village, Dia must not only save Ajanta, but confront the ghosts of her past, face political hostility, and keep her dancing troupe together.
The song is played at the climactic part of the movie, during a fundraising dance show performed at the Ajanta theatre by Dia and her troupe.
The song's lyrics are lip-synced by Dia as she dances (the playback singer is Sunidhi Chauhan). The lyrics (written by Piyush Mishra) narrate the story of a young girl who is entering the prime of her youth and is becoming conscious of how attractive she is, especially when moving with gait and dancing.
The song uses the word Thumkaa, which is difficult to translate. It refers to a specific, graceful and jerky movement made with the waist and hips, especially by women, and which is typical of South Asian dance.
The ghunghrus mentioned in the song are musical ankle-bells used by classical Indian dancers. They are also worn by the protagonist during the song.
Curiously, the song verse that goes
mere dar pe dīvaanoN kii bahaar hai on my doorstep there is a rush of crazy lovers!
was originally
bole mochi bhi khud ko sunar hai even the Mochi (Cobbler) calls himself a Sunar (Goldsmith)
but the latter verse was censored in some parts of India on account of being considered offensive to the Jatav sub-caste, composed of cobblers.