Delhi 6

Brilliant !!!! Simply brilliant !!!!  Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has done it again ..... he is creating a distinct style of his own.  One in which the issues of modern day India are symbolised through history or mythology and looked at from the eyes of a neutral foreigner.  Rang De Basanti set the trend and Delhi 6 has carried it forward.  

The film explores the life of the lead protagonist Roshan (Abhishek Bachchan) who is a young American born of Indian parents and how his life takes a dramatic turn when he comes to India with her grandmother (Waheeda Rehman).  

In Delhi 6 in the narrow lanes of Chandni Chowk he finds a whole range of human emotions, issues of modern India and the dual face of India's social fabric.  Uncle Baig (Rishi Kapoor), Madan Mohan Sharma (Om Puri), Jaigopal (Pawan Malhotra), Imam Saab (K K Raina), Gobar (Atul Kulkarni), Mangdu (Deepak Dobriyal), lala (Prem Chopra), Jalebi (Divya Dutta) and constable Ranvijay (Vijay Raaj) play small but very powerful cameos in bringing out the inter-play of religion, family honor, superstition and caste in the modern yet conservative India.  People are good at heart but are very gullible; everybody has a good and an evil side.  Cyrus Sahukar (Piddhu and Simi Girebal fame) plays a sleazy photographer who actually becomes one of the central part of the plot and has done a remarkable job. 

And not to forget Bittu Sharma (Sonam Kapoor)......she has given a very powerful performance as a middle class Indian girl who is akin to the pigeon (called Massakali) with the tied feathers or a little goat waiting to be slaughtered.  

The storyline is aptly set in comparison to the story of Ram being shown in the Ramlila.  Raghuvir Yadav's folk singing talent have been very well utilised to create that narrative and provide symbolism.  

The music of A R Rahman is brilliant much better than his Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire score. 

There are some strong moments in the film.  At one point Waheeda Rehman wants to be in her Delhi home because she wants to die and get mixed with the soil of her homeland.  But later under a lot of distress over communal tensions around her she comments "ab to yahan marne ko bhi dil nahi karta".  Similarly Atul Kulkarni delivers the punch line towards the end "Kalaa bandar to hum sub ke andar hai".  

There is a mad fakir who keeps showing everybody the mirror and there is an English speaking  Sadhu (akhilendra misra) who promises to rid the city of the menace of the kalaa bandar. Rishi Kapoor has a small but touching role of a silent lost lover who still lives life king size. 

The film is cinematically and visually appealing much more so than this year's best film at the Oscars.  Who says that India has arrived because of the success at the Oscars this year; the reality is that Danny Boyle became successful by using Indian talent.  This movie again establishes that modern Indian movie makers are becoming more true to their profession and are making serious cinema which not only entertains but also makes one think.  A toast to the brilliance of one of the best director now we have - Rakeysh Mehra. 

Rating : * * * * *