Rating: 2.5/5

Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman, Rishi Kapoor, Om Puri, Prem Chopra, Atul Kulkarni, Supriya Pathak, Pavan Malhotra

Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Delhi-6 is the story of Abhishek Bachchan who brings his grandmother Waheeda Rehman who has been diagnosed as being terminally ill back to India to die “at home”. However, having been born and brought up in America, Roshan has no clue what has hit him when he comes to Delhi and his granny’s locality.

Set in the galis of old Delhi, Bachchan’s immediate neighbours are Om Puri and his family. Om Puri is fighting with his brother Pavan Malhotra and therefore each one of them is busy trying to supersede the other. Sonam is Puri’s daughter. He wants her to get married and settle down. She however is too busy auditioning for Indian Idol and hopes to go from being a middle class nobody to a somebody. Also in the famous family chowk is a Muslim mithaiwala who is much a devout Muslim as he is a follower of Hanuman. And that truly is what director Rakeysh Omprakasha Mehra has tried to show in that small Delhi-6 locality where everyone knows each other. The area is one day attacked by a kala bandar (monkey) which is believed to have been attacking all of Delhi. This alleged monkey then becomes the excuse for the two religions who up to now have been living in harmony to start attacking each other. Each religion believes that it’s the other who is behind all these attacks. In one such attack by the kala bandar the Muslim mithaiwalas shop is attacked. Since his shop is located opposite a masjid, one of the Hindu pandits brought in to deal with the monkey business, says the attack is because hundreds of years back there stood a temple here and not a masjid. This leads to friction and fights between the two communities. Each is out to kill the other.

Abhishek who was just coming to terms with the chaos and madness that is India, finds it difficult to comprehend why friends can turn foes over night. He tries to explain and stop the fights but it gets him nowhere. At the same time he sees Om Puri finalise Sonam’s wedding. This makes our lover boy realize how much he actually loves her – and interestingly India – too! The day Sonam decides to run away from Delhi, is when Bachchan decides to tell her how he feels. But on that very night the fight between the Hindus and the Muslims reaches its peak. In an attempt to divert their attention from each other, he dons the costume of that infamous monkey and runs all through the chowk.

He also manages to catch up with Sonam and just when he tells her how much he loves her, he also gets caught by the mob who beat him to death. Will he survive the anger of the mob that are all wired up? Delhi-6 seems to be an extension of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Rang De Basanti. It has a similar nationalistic preachy feel to it. Does he pull it off as successful as he did with RDB? I don’t think so. This film would have sounded much better on paper then it does on screen. The whole notion of a kala bandar resulting in religious intolerance is something that is difficult to handle. I wish he had used a stronger aspect to bring that forth.

On the other hand the buzz of Delhi has been captured well in every frame. Those living outside of India will find that connect with that feeling of wanting to be in both places. The song in the second half which juxtaposes Abhishek’s life in the US with the people and life in India is beautifully done. Hat’s off to the director and technical team there.

Coming to the acting, Abhishek has delivered one of his better performances. In fact it could be called one of his best till date. Sonam Kapoor is a bystander for most of the movie but her act in the climax lets you know that the girl can act. Waheeda Rehman, Om Puri and Rishi Kapoor let you know why they are considered the stalwarts of this industry with their understated performances. Divya Dutta and Atul Kulkarni are good in their small parts as well.

All in all Delhi-6 is a film that most will find difficult to slot in one genre. It’s not just a romantic film. Nor is it a drama only. And that’s what is going to trouble Delhi-6 the most. It has a little of many things but not enough of everything!