Delhi 6 - Movie Review

In Delhi 6, director Rakesh Omprakash Mehra has been able to visualize the scenario of the purani Delhi, its narrow gali, gathering of the people, small shops, rickshaw, havelis, temples and most importantly the pigeon which is the symbol of old Delhi. He has very well uplifted the backdrop but failed to synchronize it with the characters and the theme. It seems that somewhere in the middle his thread gets stuck and he lost the direction. Like Rang De Basanti, he has not been able to wrap up the loose ends. He has spread his characters all over but failed to assemble at the end.

Abhishek who plays Roshan came all the way from New York to fulfill his grandma’s (Waheeda Rehman) last wish to spent the rest of her life in India, in Old Delhi. No sooner Roshan stepped into the narrow bylanes, he got stuck with the neighbors. Visiting India is an all together different experience for him. He was surprised but at the same time excited to experience everything new. From fooding to lodging, Roshan slowly accustomed himself with the new environment. The culture and tradition of India touched his heart.

He came in contact with different personalities, first Bittu (Sonam Kapoor) a lively gal and aspiring singer who wished to make to the Indian Idol. (Om Puri and Pawan Malhotra) two brothers who always keep on fighting regarding some issues or the other, separating them was an one and a half inch wall, an untouchable (Divya Dutta) trapped by the rules of the society, a moneylender's (Prem Chopra) whose wife has an illicit relationship with a debtors (Cyrus Sahukar), another character (Rishi Kapoor) who still carries in his heart love for his first love (Tanvi Azmi). Last but not the least, the most important character of the flick which help the cycle of the film running is 'Kaala Bandar' that spreads havoc and tension in the locality.

Truly, Rakesh included many characters in his flick. In between all those varied roles, there lies a small and beautiful love story of Roshan and Bittu, the maker has very well showcased it. The strong bonding between Ali Uncle and Roshan is quite catchy. Everything was going fine until one fine day a Hindu Fakir claimed that 300 years ago a Mandir used to stand in the densely populated Muslim area and after that tension brewed in the area. He connected the Monkey troubling incident with the authenticity of the place and there created a dispute between the Hindus and the Muslims. Roshan who is half-Hindu and half-Muslim goes confused with the on-going tussle and wished to return back. His grandmother who came to India to breathe last in her motherland too upset with the incident and determined to go back but Roshan failed to put his step forward due to his love for Bittu.

Rakeysh is a good story teller but this time he slightly slips off. Songs of Delhi 6 are breath-taking. A.R. Rahman's music has done its job of luring the audience. 'Masakali', 'Ye Dilli Hai Mere Yaar', 'Rehna Tu', 'Maula' and 'Genda Phool' are amazing tracks. Prasoon Joshi's lyrics are golden. Binod Pradhan's cinematography is superb.

Speaking about the performances, Abhishek Bachchan played his part well. He has delivered another good performance. Sonam Kapoor was simple and outstanding, a new image was seen. Waheeda Rehman and Om Puri showed that they are experienced actors. Amitabh Bachchan has been wasted. Rishi Kapoor was fine.

In the nutshell, Delhi 6 is a good film but cannot be ranked excellent. The film will be an average grosser at the box office. No doubt that some aspects of the film is outstanding but some sequences disappoints the audience. Truth is bitter; sorry to say but Delhi 6 is an average show.

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