Call Me Dancer – A beautiful documentary film by Leslie Shampaine. The documentary tracing the journey of young Mumbai dancer – Manish Chauhan and his inspirational instructor Yehuda Ma’or was shot in India, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the United States. It is available in both English and Hindi worldwide.
Leslie Shampaine has produced award-winning programs for major broadcasters, including PBS, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, CBS, and A&E. She most recently served as Senior Production Executive with Al Jazeera International, handling current affairs and investigative programming.
Documentary Summary
Manish was raised in Mumbai, India’s city of dreams. He is an athletic, handsome son fantasizing about being a soldier or a Bollywood action star. He has no intention of attending the school of business that his hardworking father has dreamt of by saving his hard-earned money. Manish astonishes the audience as a self-taught breakdancer, but when he finds classical ballet at an intrinsic dance school, a passion is awakened. Yehuda is his teacher, an old ballet maestro who recently moved to Bombay.
He commits himself to a form of art that is almost unheard of in India and works to show his family that he is capable of overcoming obstacles and making a living as a professional dancer.
Call Me Dancer is a narrative of optimism, heartbreak, and hard work. Manish and Yehuda try to figure out who & what they are. Yehuda is looking for a sense of purpose and a home to call his own. Manish aspires to dance on the international stage but struggles to break away from the constraints of his personal economic, and social surroundings.
Story in Short
The story is a motivational one as it soars on the incredible talent and charm of Manish Chauhan. When one hip-hop dancer in Mumbai unintentionally slips into a dance class, his world expands, and a passion is built. The rigorous ballet instructor acknowledges his skill and challenges him to pursue his professional dance dreams, giving him the confidence to resist family, tradition, and poverty. On the other hand, his parents demand that he pursue a conventional approach. But, despite his determination to become a professional dancer, all circumstances are stacked against the dedicated young dancer.
Worldwide Fame
Soon after the documentary caught viewers’ attention worldwide, “Call Me Dancer” had its world debut at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
