Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra is undoubtedly one of the finest storytellers that we have around. His films, beginning from Aks right up to the present Delhi 6 bears out that truth. Here he tackles a very different theme from his previous two offerings and narrates a story, the material of which is the stuff that nostalgia is made of. Of course, unlike Rang De Basanti, it does not capture the imagination throughout its duration, but it has more than enough moments which tug at the heartstrings.
In brief, the story is about Roshan (Abhishek Bachchan), a typical NRI young man, who comes down from New York to Delhi 6 the pin code of Chandni Chowk, with his grandmother, played superbly by Waheeda Rehman. His daadi wishes to die in her own soil. As he accompanies her back, he has absolutely no idea when the mass of confusion and contradictions which is India, creeps upon him and embraces him, just like it has done millions of others, down the ages. Having grown up in a sanitized environment, Roshan is unprepared for the plethora of sights, sounds and smells which assail his senses in Chandni Chowk, where his daadi is welcomed back with open arms. This is the dominant stream of thought which is running through the film, of how Roshan, who came for a few days to Delhi, finds himself loath to go back. Ironically, the very social structure of familiarity and bonds which tugs at Roshan's heart and makes him want to stay back, is the very structure which is stifling for someone like Bittu (Sonam Kapoor) and she is dying to break free and be a free bird. This is the girl that he meets and falls in love with. It is a gradual process for Roshan, who first views India as a typical tourist and considers exotic, stuff like kite flying, eating jalabis, the Ramleela, bit is slowly sucked into this vortex of contradictions which is India; a place where even today, a sweeper would be considered an untouchable.
The film's screenplay, which is written by Mehra himself, along with Kamlesh Pandey and Prasoon Joshi, unfolds at its own pace. There is a sense of unhurried languor about the manner in which the story unfolds. The film has many parallel stories running along side the story of Roshan; there is Bittu;s story there is the story of the two brothers (Om Puri & Pawan Malhotra), up in arms against each, but whose wives are constantly talking to each other through a hole in the wall. There is the story of Uncle Beg (Rishi Kapoor), who still cannot forget his first love. But bigger than all of this, there is the story of modern India, who like the Kaala Bandar alluded to in the film, has a dark, ugly side to it as well.
Delhi 6 is created out of a lot of love and a lot of pain, which comes across in the movie. Both seem to go almost together in the movie as two sides of the same coin. The director manages to hold up a mirror to modern Indian society but it is not probably as scathing as the one in Rang De Basanti. The mood here is much more complex. What Mehra truly succeeds in doing in this film, is create a wonderful palette with vibrant colours, sounds and characters. It is these which really remain with one long after the movie is over.
The characters of Delhi 6 seem to be so alive and so throbbing with feelings and emotions that they are palpable even while one is watching them on screen. These fascinating characters are brought to life by the very accomplished actors who don their colours. The first among them is Waheeda Rehman. She is grace personified and is quite fantastic in the movie. Each of the others like Divya Dutta, Om Puri, Pawan Malhotra, Vijay Raaz and Deepak Dobriyal deliver thundering performances. Rishi Kapoor is impeccable as always. Raghuvir Yadav, Supriya Pathak, Tanvi Azmi, Atul Kulkarni, Prem Chopra and Cyrus Sahukar, who make up the rest of the supporting cast, also throw in their weight.
Of the leading pair, Abhishek Bachchan is in quite good form and manages to make Roshan come alive. He does not make him a caricature but is able to play him out with truth and honesty. Sonam's Bittu is a perfect foil to Abhishek's Roshan and she lends her role a certain charm and is extremely likeable. One would really like to see a lot more of this actress.
Too much has been written about the music of Delhi 6, specially its 'Masakalli' track, which was almost an overnight success. AR Rahman's music is different and quite scintillating. Besides the 'Maskalli' number, there are other gems in store in the form of 'Rehna Tu, Yeh Dilli Hai, Maula' and the traditional bhajan. Prasoon Joshi's lyrics perfectly complement the maestro's music.
The look of this film is awesome. Delhi, and Chandni Chowk and the older portions of this city, have been the subject of many cameras, be it for still photography or for cinema. There doesn't seem to be anything new to capture but Binod Pradhan proves that belief to be false with his cinematography in this movie. It is nothing short of brilliant, the manner in which he negotiates the lanes of Chandni Chowk and captures the oft captured images of monuments like Jama Masjid etc.
Rakeysh Mehra succeeds to a great extent in narrating an absorbing tale in Delhi 6, but it lacks the flawless a treatment of his earlier Rang De Basanti. There are places where one feels that the film is meandering. Also, the end of the film, its climax really, somehow does not seem to settle very well. His treatment seems to be a little off in that bit of the movie. But, overall, he manages to make a film, with which every Indian can identify, no matter where he may be living. The film, is in short, Rakeysh Mehra's ode to Delhi.
