Delhi 6
Starring- Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Waheeda Rahman
Director- Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Running time- 140 mins
Rating- **
Delhi 6 was unanimously expected to be the first hit of the year 2009. Its song Masakalli was on top of the charts.The quaint old bylines of Chandni Chowk, Delhi with postcode 6, were sepia-toned one notch giving it the old world charm. With his previous movie Rang De Basanti being one of Hindi cinema’s greatest, there was no way Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra could go wrong.
But he did- largely with the explorative mode of the script. Mehra established the basic storyline- NRI grandson comes back with dying grandmom back to her old Delhi home so that she can die there, and soon discovers Delhi-6 and subsequently India. Roshan wanders about Delhi interacting with the interesting bunch of loving peaceful residents. One of them is Bitu, (Sonam) a sparky ambitious girl refusing marriage and dreaming of being the country’s next singing star.
Love obviously follows next but a tad too late in the movie and that’s where the problems start. Once the premise is given, there is nothing for Roshan to do. No explanations on his life back in America, job, girlfriend and why does he just not do anything except observe others and try changing and sometimes interfering in their lives.
The hot topic which has got all tongues wagging is attacks by a black monkey man. All strange incidents and murders are quickly blamed on him. No one has ever really him, but the rumours get stronger day by day. The previously communally peaceful neighbourhood soon begans to doubt the other.
On the upside, each actor is handpicked by Mehra. Rishi Kapoor as the wise Ali, Supriya Pathak as the loving older sister in law, Waheeda Rahman-graceful in each frame- each of add wonderfully to the film. Atul Kulkarni’s meek act and Divya Dutta as the beautiful untouchable sweeper stand out amongst the performances This may not be his best performance, but you can see the hardwork put behind Roshan by the Junior B. Its good to have Sonam Kapoor back on stage.
One can tell Mehra knows Delhi. However the blend of a variety of themes under a large one does not leave a good taste in the mouth. The whole monkeyman is based on a real incident but sounds surreal in the movie. Roshan-Bitu’s love story gains prominence only in the last shots. The Ramayana depiction is not an apt metaphor for current events, (Mehra achieved the Bhagat Singh juxtaposition in Rang De Basanti perfectly)
The music features in ten best albums by AR Rahman. Masakalli, Delhi 6 title track and Genda Phool are on top of the charts. Prasoon Joshi’s lyrics are outstanding
Overall if you don’t go with any expectations, you may be able to feel good. But a movie with this star cast and a director like Mehra, its impossible not to expect and hence Delhi 6 is a let down.
