Delhi 6

I am a little late than promised with writing about Delhi 6, so sorry. Term 8 has started. Suddenly going back to class after a 17 day break caught me napping. In between was glued to the TV screen watching Slumdog conquering the Oscars. Now back to Delhi 6.

Coming after the resounding success of RDB, Delhi 6 has to keep up to a lot of expectations. Which, I felt, it does quite well. Most of the people I went to watch Delhi 6 with was complaining about the ending of the movie. I agree it was a little too stretched and melodramatic. But then RDB had the same flaws. Otherwise it is not right to compare the two movies. RDB was more radical and youth focused. Hence, it is certain to attract a lot of attention. Delhi 6 is about characters. Each of which is different, balancing their own complexities. Such a movie requires great performances more than a great story. And Delhi 6 is great in this respect. The performances of all the characters are great. Though not so much Abhishek Bachchan though. His character does not develop too much through the movie and it does not seem there is any conflict within him. May be it is the character or his execution.

On the other hand Sonam Kapoor is marvelous. Her stellar performance as a character caught between marrying the groom of her father's choosing and becoming the Indian Idol is the mainstay of the movie. Besides her other the other characters in the movie, especially Waheeda Rehman, Pawan Malhotra and Vijay Raaz, too excel in their roles. Then there's Rishi Kapoor who is proving to be a safe bet for any kind of character these days. Be it the film producer of Luck By Chance or the father's friend in Delhi 6.

However, despite all the great performances in Delhi 6 the best of them do not even appear in the movie. A R Rahman. Two Oscars in the bag, but Delhi 6 is way better than Slumdog.

PS: There is this little bit of Harry Potter inspiration in the movie as well. In a scene reminiscent of Harry's conversation with Dumbledore in an empty King's Cross station after Harry's battle with Voldemort in the Deathly Hallows, Abhishek meets his grandfather, played by his father, when he is shot by Mamdu. Was that deliberate? Or did the director think there was not enough overlap between Potter fans and the people who would see Delhi 6?