Delhi - A city lost in translation???. Review on Delhi 6

zarre zarre mein usi ka noor hai,

jhaank khud mein, woh na tujh se door hai;

ishq hai usse to sabse ishq kar

is ibadat ka yahi dastoor hai.

This sublime poetry in Amitabh’s baritone voice juxtaposed with the picturesque scenery shots of Delhi provide an excellent beginning to this most anxiously awaited film. The opening few moments calm your pulsating heartbeat and set you up for what you believe to be a treat. Your prophecy does come true, only to prove to be a huge disappointment in the second half.

Plot:

Waheeda Rehman is diagnosed of a brain tumour in America. To spend her last remaining days she wants to return to her roots; akachandni chowk (Delhi 6) and rest in peace amongst the people she knew. Her son had a tiff with dad Amitabh (already resting in peace) and does not want to return to India. Enter grandson ABCD (American Born Confused Desi) Abhishek who steps in to fulfill his grandmother's 'last wish'. The grandmother is welcomed with a shower of love and affection by the locals and Abhishek who is unfamiliar with the surroundings and the people finds it hard to stand on common ground and fit. With increasing interactions (with the backdrop of ramleela plays) and 'kala bandar' histrionics he begins to mix with the people and understand their psyche. He is very unsatisfied with the current state of affairs and decides to take matters into his own hands (Swades, RDB anyone??) by pulling off a drastic act which gets the whole bunch of locals flurry up in rage. Will he survive or will the consequences of his actions 'for the benefit of society' proove to be too hot to handle. You have to watch the movie to find that out.

Themes and characters:

The purpose of this movie as stated by Rakesh Mehra himself was to portray a person's journey back to his roots. The hustle bustle of Chandni Chowk is beautifully captured in the first half which goes in sync with the meticulously sketched characters. Each character comes across beautifully on screen be it the pan offering babu Rishi Kapoor, or the jalebi making guy at the nukkad. Then there is the fight between two brothers who have built a wall to separate their houses. The ladies of the household though cannot survive without gossip and chit chat via a loose brick in the wall. There is the rich lala played by Prem Chopra and the 'Hitler' policewaala Vijay Raaz. These characters bring along with them a uniqueness and depth about each one of them. The first half keeps you engrossed as the director builds each of these characters through frequent interactions with the NRI protagonist Abhishek. Then of course there is the bubbly Bittu (Sonam Kapoor), who wants to be an Indian Idol but keeps her dreams bottled up due to her orthodox father. Our NRI falls for the desi simple doe eyed girl (here balancing a dove on her head!) and then the story goes lacklustre. The antics of the 'kala bandar' (black monkey) is used as a metaphor to describe the evil in all of us. Sometimes that evil overpowers us and wreaks havoc.. but we do not accept our own consequences, rather blame our actions on the imaginary 'kala bandar' which resides nowhere but within our own hearts. This point becomes a bit repititive as Rakesh tries to drive home the same message as with RDB, that we have to stand up against that 'kala bandar' and take responsibility for our own actions. Deja vu anyone?? Sadly, lightning doesn't strike twice and the great potential shown in the first half goes kaputin the second. The climax drives a nail in the coffin.... as the viewer gets totally disconnected with the narrative and is not 'willing to suspend belief'. Even Amitabh's presence doesn't help much as the director opts to go for a tragic climax (as with RDB) with a hugely exxagerated twist at the very end. Alas! Abhishek is no Aamir and his acting skills need honing. And the 'kala bandar' idea is over-exploited. It would have have turned out much better if the director used it as a subtle message than the 'in your face' ploy which he uses.

Cast:

Abhishek does a so so job... but his character had a lot of scope. I'd rather not voice my concern over his acting skills in case Big B is reading my review!! Sonam does well in her limited role but its the supporting (read lead here) cast which keeps you glued to your seat in the first half. Each actor, and there are atleast a dozen of them.. play their part with consummate ease and you as the viewer connect with them instantly be it veterans like Rishi Kapoor, Waheda Rehman, Om puri, Prem Chopra or others. More than the names, you remember the character they played and this I believe is the ultimate praise for an actor.

Atmosphere:

Delhi gets its '15 seconds of fame' (here extended to 2hrs 18 mins) and the cinematographycapturing the by-lanes and the atmosphere is totally mind blowing. The bumbling nation capital has never been shown in its true spirit and kudos to Rakesh to show us Delhi, as it is.. However, there are a few concerns. The accent and the type of characters depicted are unique to Delhi so unless you have visited Delhi or have a vague idea of the people, it will be hard for you to connect with the narrative. Also the incident of the 'kala bandar' was unique to Delhi itself so people elsewhere may not be able to identify the significance of the events and the fear that the 'kala bandar' instilled in homes around the time. I myself, was born in Delhi (Pitampura), so I was able to connect the dots. This may not be the case for all. The director captures Delhi on celluloid but leaves the spirit of the city behind in the second half. It focuses more on bringing the story to an appropriate conclusion and its there where he disconnects with the viewer. The conclusion, apart from being highly dramatic is too abrupt to believe thus the great potential shown in the first half comes crashing down. Somewhere along the line, the director forgot that Delhi cannot be captured on canvas or celluloid because apart from being a city.. its a way of life. A way of life where people live on, even though facing hardships everyday. The moral is not to put an end to those hardships (as the director tries to convey) but to come out the other end.. ready to face life's challenges better than before. Maybe, he just couldn't convey that message across. Why?? Only the 'kala bandar' inside Rakesh knows. The music is good. Rehman pulls another one out of his hat. More than the songs, I found the backgroung score amazing!!

To sum up, Delhi 6 had great potential.. which it did fulfill till the first half but in the second half it loses track only to come to an abrupt climax not fitting to such a beginning. The director, by focusing on material aspects and individuals loses the pulse of the plot.. which is the vibe of the city, the city of Delhi. Watch it only for Delhi... and its unique bunch of people for its a city which is lost in translation. For a while you feel a pulse, but then the bumbling hustle-bustle gets buried in the recesses of the mind of the director........