Plot

Mad About Dance is an 2014 Indian dance film. The film is directed by Saahil Prem.

Essentially a dance film, it focuses on the youth, their dreams, anxieties, disappointments and hopes for their future. The film is based in the quaint and beautiful university town of Sheffield and brings to light the stories of Asian students who leave their home and country and go to study abroad...Their struggles, their heartbreaks, their trials and triumphs.—Mad About Dance

"M.A.D" which is an acronym for "Mad about Dance" is a Hindi film set to release on 22 September 2014. As the name suggests it's a dance film about fighting in streets and proving who has got better dance skills.—D

Aarav Anand (Saahil Prem) walks into a bank to ask for a Rs 25 Lakhs loan to form his own dance crew to represent India at the world dance championships, where India has never qualified in the past. Aarav has no guarantor nor any fixed income. The Bank officials press him for details on why he thinks he will succeed.

Aarav recounts his past. He lies to his parents to enroll into an MBA program at Sheffield university, when his real purpose was to join the dance crew of renowned dancer Caeser (Mark Monero) who is also based out of Sheffield. Sheffield has a population of 7 Lakhs and is a town full of students. In Sheffield, Aarav meets Salim Qureshi (Kiyani Aziz), who helps Indian students set up base. Salim tells Aarav to stay away from Caeser & he feels that foreigners cannot be trusted. Salim gets Aarav a room which costs 60 pounds a week, which is still very expensive for Aarav.

Salim introduces Aarav to Dipen (Abhishek Saha), who lives in a room next door to Aarav. Dipen offers to share his room with Aarav which will reduce both their rents by half. The other people in the apartment are GG / Gagan Gulati (Raashul Tandon), who is the spoiled brat of rich parents and changes girlfriends each week & Atul Murali (Akilesh Unnitan) who is a brilliant student from Kerala & learns Karate but is short on confidence. Aarav befriends GG by helping him win a football-based video game, that GG was passionate about.

GG helps Aarav by introducing him to Aashira (Amrit Maghera), who is a backup dancer (and the only Indian origin member) in Caeser's crew. Aashira is Salim's sister but hates Indians as her father is an Indian & had abandoned his family to marry a white woman. Aashira doesn't help Aarav. Caeser's right hand man Henry challenges Aarav to a dance-off, but Aarav decides to walk away not wanting to escalate the matter further.

Aarav walks by another aspiring dancer named AJ on the streets. AJ has come to Sheffield to become a dancer but could not get anywhere. This scares Aarav as AJ was an exceptional dancer. Nobody is willing to help Aarav, and everyone asks him to stay away from Caeser. He runs out of money and has to a take a job at Dipen's uncle's restaurant that pays 10 pounds for 4 hours (much lower than the minimum wage).

Atul finds the location of Caeser's dance studio. As an audition, Caeser asks Aarav to beat Henry (Jon Jo), one of his crew, in a dance off. Henry is far better than Aarav and beats him hands down. At the end, Caeser asks Aarav to go home. Henry then insults Aarav & the entire Indian subcontinent race saying that they are fit to be waiters & cabbies but can never be one of the natives. Henry tells Aarav to go back to India.

Aarav is distraught at being rejected and at Henry's comments. He wanders around aimlessly for weeks when Aashira approaches him. Aashira thinks Aarav is good (and that she believes he should not have lost against Henry that day) & wants him to teach her his moves. In return she offers him knowledge of the dance crew & tips on how to fight a dance battle to win the dance off. Aashira says that while Aarav is a good dancer, he does not know how to fight a dance battle, and hence he lost to a seasoned battle performer like Henry. Aarav helps Aashira. Aarav & Aashira get close & she even kisses him.

Aarav runs into Henry & he insults him & Aashira again. He then challenges Aarav to a crew dance off, in which 7 dancers go up against each other. Aashira asks Aarav to apologize to Henry to bury the matter, but GG encourages Aarav to prepare for the dance off. They hold auditions & select Amit, Amy (Emiko Ishii), Mike, Atul Murali (Akilesh Unnitan) and Dan, but are still one short. Henry comes by to mock them, & Aashira joins Aarav's crew as the 7th member. Aarav is obsessed with this last chance to prove his worth to Caeser. He wants to win at all costs, but his crew is not as dedicated as him. Aarav starts getting frustrated.

Dipen works at his uncle's restaurant & saves a portion of his salary with his uncle to pay for his MBA studies. When the time comes, the uncle refuses to pay the amount due to Dipen, cheating him out of his hard-earned cash. Dipen approaches Aarav for help, but Aarav is blind with his own problems & insults Dipen. Aarav's crew loses the dance off, while Dipen is badly injured while trying to commit suicide by setting fire to his uncle's restaurant.

To help Dipen, Aarav decides to enter the crew into a national dance comp with first prize of 10,000 pounds & second prize of 5000 pounds. Aarav believes that even 5000 pounds will be enough to help Dipen for the first year. As he is no longer obsessed with winning, the crew comes together enthusiastically.

All is going well when on the eve of the competition, Amit has to pull out of the crew to join a lucrative job offer from a multinational. Aarav lets him go with his best wishes. To complete his team, Aarav approaches AJ (Salah Benlemqawanssa) (a discard from Caeser's crew). AJ had offered his sympathy to Aarav in the past, & Aarav is confident that AJ would join his crew.

AJ joins the crew at the very last minute & Aarav's crew starts winning the early rounds with ease. They reach the finals against Caeser's crew and put up a spirited performance. The judges rule a tie between the 2 teams. Aarav is disappointed and challenges Caeser to a Dance off in the streets. Aarav & crew put up an Indian ethnic dance performance to which Caeser has no answer. Aarav wins the dance off.

Back in the present Aarav gets the loan.