5678 Review: This dance drama has some spirited dance performances, but is let down by a weak and unimpressive screenplay

A bunch of teenagers chase their dreams and fight against all odds to emerge winners in a dance contest

A poster of Five Six Seven Eight

Five Six Seven Eight

Story: A bunch of talented teenagers from a humble background, fight against all odds to emerge winners in a dance contest

Review: When it comes to a competition, the journey of underdogs has always been an inspiration. Director Vijay, Prasanna JK, Mrudhula Sridharan use the same trope in ZEE5's latest offering, Five Six Seven Eight, which can be billed as an extension of his 2018 film, Lakshmi, which also revolves around dancing. Only this time around, there are more kids in the fray and the battle to the victory comes with many more challenges.

The plot of Five Six Seven Eight revolves around a bunch of talented teenagers, who hail from a humble background, but want to pursue their passion for dancing and chase their dreams of winning a dance contest. Unfortunately, some of them can't really afford professional training. Their dreams get wings when Keshav, a new member from the gated community joins them and trains them. Just when things begin to look good for the teens, Keshav's life is in danger and the pack decides to fight against all odds and help him undergo a surgery to get back to normalcy. This means they have to strike a friendship with the rest of the teens hailing from an upper-middle class background as well.

When you are thrusted into a plot like this, you know what to expect from the series - series of power-packed dance performances, some average acting and a mediocre plot. Five Six Seven Eight is exactly that, a formulaic series where the director takes the well tested route. While the dance performances that are quite too many are interesting to watch, the series doesn't leave much of an impact when it comes to the story.

Ditya as Semba is definitely one of the highlights of the film and the child artiste manages to repeat what she did in her previous venture Lakshmi, with some more heavy-duty dance performances in this one. Barring the performances (acting as well) of the teenagers, the rest of the supporting characters don't strike a chord with the audiences and at times, come across as amateurish. The flashback portion comprising that of Balan Master is quite unconvincing, too and doesn't really leave an impact on the audience.
Sam CS's pulsating tunes and the high-octane performances by the lead cast are impressive. The web series could have worked better had the makers had experimented a little more with the story rather than stick to the run-of-the-mill plot which is further marred by unimpressive performances.

Verdict: Strictly for dance lovers!

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