3 Stars (out of 4)
Buy the DVD at Amazon
Buy the soundtrack at Amazon
Fans of Slumdog Millionaire who’ve never seen a movie put out by the Indian film industry should check out Delhi-6. By including some of the same elements as the 2008 Best Picture Oscar winner — shots of crowded Indian streets and a pulsing soundtrack by A. R. Rahman — Delhi-6 is a great introduction to Bollywood.
Abhishek Bachchan plays American-born Roshan, who travels to India with his dying grandmother, so that she can spend her remaining days at her home in the Chandni Chowk neighborhood of Delhi. Roshan immerses himself in the unfamiliar culture of Chandni Chowk, where pregnant cows cause traffic jams and holy men are called in to catch criminals.
Just as Roshan starts to fall in love with Delhi (and a girl who lives there), he gets caught up in a series of misunderstandings that inflame previously dormant religious tensions between the neighborhood’s Hindus and Muslims.
Delhi-6 takes its time without ever feeling slow. Roshan’s position as an outsider makes him the perfect travel guide to his grandmother’s neighborhood, his ever-present camera phone proof that he’s an American. The movie doesn’t have any typical Bollywood dance numbers, but music permeates the film.
The Indian committee that selects the country’s official entry in the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar category would be wise to consider nominating Delhi-6 for next year’s Academy Awards.
Loved the film, Specially liked the picturization of Maula mere maula …its just awesome and the shot of Jama Masjid is breath taking. Dil Gira Dafatan has been picturised such as a mix of Newyork & Delhi comes alive on screen. Massakali has been shot very beautifully, and Sonam looks even more beautiful. 3 hrs of awesome experience…
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Coulda done without the Black Monkey thing, though…especially when it added flashing lights! I thought the oldtimers had the best, most touching roles, with Waheeda Rehman (Roshan’s grandma) still lovely even so many years after her heyday, and Rishi Kapoor (as Roshan’s Mother’s old beau) downplaying his way into his best role in quite a while. Very touching, and such a big difference in volume from his role as the blustering producer in Luck by Chance.
I agree about the Black Monkey, JennyK. It was a little too literal, and the flashing lights were just silly.
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