Again Mehra wants to paint us saffron!
First thing that captured my attention towards Delhi 6 during its promotional days. Writer-director Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra, second A R Rehman in top form and third Sonam Kapoor dancing on rooftop with pigeon Masakkali on her head. Hype and hopes were already surrounding around the venture as director’s last maverick outing was Rang De Basanti. A young NRI (Abhishek) from New York takes his dying grandmother (Wahida Rehman) back to her own land to spend last days where our hero with faux, annoying American accent meets all other caricatures which populates this misfire. A mythical creature is born in Ramleela festive days called kala-bandar who supposedly beats, robs people. How NRI is drawn into circus resulted which eventually turns ugly in communal riots is what Delhi 6 is all about. Mehra’s conceit of using kaala-bandar to tell his story as a satirical drama (at least initially it gave me that impression) works a little in beginning. How minor accidents and coincidences are blown out of proportion by locals and fueled by media junket does its bit. And it has Rehman’s some of the best works and Prasoon Joshi’s fresh lyrics (Dil Gira Daffatan, Rehna Tu). But director fails to control the tone of the film and couldn’t resists turning his material into a message movie. Communal riots, superstitions, castism, Indian living united in diversity? Are we still on that? It’s becoming a drag quite frankly.
Delhi 6
Written and Directed by Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra
