Ram Leela, NRI returning to the country, exuberant India and all that made me think Delhi 6 was going to be Swades revisited. But the soundtrack enthralled me, Sonam looked awesome, Abhishek seemed to look cute and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra was directing it. In my books, those were good enough reasons to be excited about a film. A million phone calls, super nagging messages and an annoyed friend were put on the line to acquire the tickets to the first day last show. ‘Don’t go! It’s a bad movie.’
‘Abbe acchi pikchur hain dekh le!’
‘Its random’
‘You will fall asleep!’
And in spite of all this, I maintained my excitement and plonked myself in the cushy seats.
And I wondered if signed up for a sightseeing trip to Chandni Chowk!
There’s the madness of Delhi, the soul of Chandni Chowk and all that, but you hope in the heart of your heart that all this is leading somewhere, that all this is building up to something. After all when Prasoon Joshi, Kamlesh Pandey and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra have written the film, you want to shut that little voice in your head that says ‘Kya ho kya raha hai?’. I couldn’t keep that voice shut for long.
The director clearly indulges himself in nostalgia, trying to recreate his Delhi and he struggles to form a medium to give out a social message. He ends up doing the former much more effectively. You find it hard to take the intense moments of the film seriously and certain metaphors are so downplayed that they are lost in the exuberance of ‘Delhi 6’.
Performances are awesome. Right from Waheeda Rehman who brings a sparkle to the screen to Sonam Kapoor who seems fresh and real, the cast keeps you enthralled.
But there were too many moments where I looked away and tinkered with my phone or laughed on better friend’s jokes (his jokes weren’t awesome, so you know). In my humble opinion, the second half of the film is much better (however absurd). Its fast paced, things happen, characters react and the story attempts to go somewhere. But sadly, it says in the confines of Delhi 6!
‘So random the movie is! I still am confused what the end meant,’ said the sister. Last I heard, the makers were confused about the ending themselves. We can see why!
Verdict: Watch only if you have the time and patience. Definitely a let down… I remember walking out of Rang De Basanti with a dazed feeling. I remember thinking about the characters for at least a week after I saw the film. I doubt Delhi 6 will have 1/10th of that impact on me.
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