Documentary ‘Call Me Dancer’ About Mumbai Street Dancer Manish Chauhan to Premiere at Santa Barbara Film Festival
- It will be followed by the Feb. 10 East Coast premiere on the opening night of the Dance on Camera Festival at Film at Lincoln Center.
The feature documentary, “Call Me Dancer,” about a young and talented street dancer from Mumbai, will have its world premiere at Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Feb. 9. The 84-minute film marks Leslie Shampaine’s directional debut, and will be screened as part of the festival’s competition for Best Documentary. The following day, Feb, 10, the film will have its East Coast premiere at the opening night of the Dance on Camera Festival at Film at Lincoln Center, billed as the longest-running dance film festival in the world. The film is looking for distribution in North America, the U.K., South Asia, and other regions of the world, according to a press statement issued by the filmmaker and producers.
The English and Hindi film (with English subtitles), follows Manish Chauhan, “a young and talented street dancer from Mumbai who is struggling against his parents’ insistence that he follow a traditional path because they are counting on their only son to support them,” per the synopsis of the film. “When he secretly attends an inner-city dance school and accidentally walks into a ballet class, he meets Yehuda, a curmudgeonly 70-year-old Israeli teacher, and a hunger develops within him. Ambitious and passionate, Manish is determined to make it as a professional dancer, but the odds are stacked against him.”
The film is executive produced by singer and songwriter Jay Sean. The story of “Call Me Dancer” resonated with the British-Indian, as his parents wanted him to pursue medicine rather than pursue his dream of becoming a singer.
The film is executive produced by international pop icon, singer and songwriter Jay Sean. The story of “Call Me Dancer” resonated with the British-Indian, as his parents wanted him to pursue medicine rather than pursue his dream of becoming a singer.
Filmmakers have described “Call Me Dancer” as a “heart-warming and uplifting story of struggle and tenacity, family, culture, rebellion, and an unlikely friendship.” Filmed in India, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the United States, the documentary features two original songs by Jay Sean, music by Bangladeshi American hip-hop artist Anik Khan, and a score by award-winning, British-Indian composer Nainita Desai.
According to Shampaine, a former professional dancer from New York City, “dance films are typically created by looking into our world from the outside,” and they “convey the difficulty of the profession, but what is often lost is the passion and inner joy that pushes dancers past the pain.” As a former dancer, she knew she could offer “an insider’s sensitivity and perspective.” She “gathered a talented international team made up of Indian film professionals with insights into the culture and socio-economic reality of Mumbai.” She hopes the story “inspires people across the globe.”