http://ibnlive.in.com/news/masands-movie-review-delhi6-a-film-with-heart/85915-8-p0.html
Masand's Movie Review: Delhi-6, a film with heart
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman, Rishi Kapoor
Direction: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
That director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra feels genuine affection for his
characters is evident in every scene of Delhi 6. He knows them well, he's
familiar with their lives, and he embraces their quirks and their
contradictions. Delhi 6, is indeed a film about its characters.
A series of patched-together vignettes from the lives of these colorful souls
who baffle our protagonist Roshan (played by Abhishek Bachchan), a half-Hindu
half-Muslim NRI boy who arrives from New York to deposit his grandmother
(played by Waheeda Rehman) to the family home in Old Delhi.
Before he knows it, Roshan finds himself getting involved in the lives of his
new friends and neighbors. The two sparring brothers who can't see eye to eye
(played by Om Puri and Pavan Malhotra), but whose wives and kids operate as a
perfectly functional familial unit who exchange pakoras and gossip through the
loose brick in the wall that separates their homes. Or the sixty-something
Laalaji (played by Prem Chopra) whose trophy wife invites her lover home
through the balcony window for passionate afternoon romps. Or the affable
streetside jalebi-wala (played by Omkara's Deepak Dobriyal), the local bully
cop (played by Vijay Raaz), the dim but earnest temple worker (Atul Kulkarni),
and the low-caste sweeper girl (Divya Dutta).
>From Ram Leelas and jaagrans to cows who stop traffic because they give birth
>in the middle of the road, Roshan's Dilli-darshan is an eye-opening
>experience, one he takes in sportingly, armed with a camera-phone and the
>liberal use of the word 'cool' in his wobbly American accent. There's also the
>matter of his growing friendship with his neighbor's daughter Bittu, the
>20-something Indian Idol-wannabe (played by Sonam Kapoor).
Repeatedly through the film we are reminded of an ambiguous monkey-man scare
that has gripped the city, and towards the film's final act that hysteria leads
to an unfortunate Hindu-Muslim confrontation that threatens to divide friends
and shatter long-standing relationships.
Working perfectly well as an ensemble piece, even a journey of Roshan's
self-discovery, Delhi 6 slips in its last half hour when Mehra decides to
suddenly turn this into a message movie. Problem is the message itself is so
simplistic, and yet it's hammered home with preachy dialogue and scenes that
make you cringe. It's a far cry from Mehra's Rang De Basanti whose message came
woven subtly in the film's narrative, and didn't jump out at you in the end
like it does here.
Delhi 6 also delivers a disappointing climax, not least because it betrays the
filmmaker's otherwise fearless spirit, and sees him instead pandering to what
one assumes must be commercial diktats. As for the ridiculous cameo in the end,
it's unnecessary and the entire scene in fact is such a shameful cop-out in
what might have otherwise been a brave, personal film.
Despite its flaws there is inherent beauty in Delhi 6 that cannot be ignored.
There is warmth at its centre, and much of that warmth is provided by AR
Rahman's spellbinding music which is used liberally in the film, and
contributes to some of the film's finest, finest moments including the
seemingly spontaneous choreography of the Genda Phool song, and the sheer
visual delight of the Masakalli song picturisation.
The film also benefits enormously from Binod Pradhan's remarkable
cinematography, his camera alternating between its role as silent spectator
when the characters go about their daily duties amidst the hustle-bustle of
Chandni Chowk's crowded by-lanes; then lavishly and breathtakingly capturing
the city's gorgeous topography in all its splendor.
At the core of Delhi 6, however, are its real heroes, its characters. Played
magnificently by an ensemble of some of the finest actors you're likely to come
across, it's difficult to point out who is better than whom.
The names that come to mind immediately are Pavan Malhotra, Deepak Dobriyal,
Vijay Raaz, Divya Dutta, Sheeba Chaddha and luminious new discovery Aditi Rao
Hydari who stars as the gentle Rama bua. As an old friend of Roshan's father,
Rishi Kapoor brings such depth to what is really a small character role; and to
see actors like Prem Chopra and Supriya Pathak on screen in significant parts
after what seems like years brings a smile to your face. Then you have Waheeda
Rehman who is the portrait of quiet dignity even in scenes where she has little
to do.
Of the leads, Abhishek Bachchan jars in the early bits because of that labored
accent, but warms up to you eventually. He does well with minimal dialogue,
relying on his eyes and his expressions to do the communicating, especially in
those scenes with Sonam where he's expected to strum up romance and chemistry
in between looks of sheer bewilderment at her constant yapping. But it's Sonam
Kapoor, his co-star who is the revelation in Delhi 6. She's a firecracker
performer, instinctive and uninhibited in what isn't even a conventional female
lead.
In the end Delhi 6 isn't great cinema like Mehra's Rang De Basanti but it's a
pleasing tapestry of tender moments and of diverse characters who engage you in
their lives. It's a very watchable film and for that I'm going with three out
of five for director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Delhi 6. The muddled message and
the frustrating climax aside, it's a film with heart.
Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
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