Delhi 6 - Review

Well the much awaited Delhi 6 is finally out. With Masakalli making waves all over the place, the hype was enough to ensure a great opening weekend. But the question is, does the movie stand forth to the expectations.

Set in Delhi, the movie deals with the tale of an American Indian Roshan (Abhishek B) who has come to Delhi to leave his grandmother (Waheeda Rahman) so that she can spend her final days in her "Watan"
From the start, the movie keeps talking about a "Kaala Bandar" a.k.a Black Monkey who is terrorising the streets of Delhi, killing a few as well. Although the audience is expected to look at this seriously, it has been shown with some poor humour. (One sees a lift of the joke from Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, wonder if is the UTV connection.)
Roshan comes to Delhi and instantly falls in love with India, its people, its ways (read a Cow giving birth in the middle of the road) & its madness.
Along the way he meets a lot of family members and neighbours and takes particular fancy to one Bittu (Sonam Kapoor). Bittu has only one aim, to become the next Indian Idol. She does not want to get married & does not get along too well with her always angry father Madangopal (Om Puri). Madangopal also has a brother Jaigpopal (Pavan Malhotra), whom he doesn't meet eye to eye with. They share one roof divided by a wall.

The first half of the movie has a weak narrative where not much happens & you begin to wonder where this is going. There are a lot of scenes involving the Ram Leela play, which definitely could be cut down on. They come abruptly and leave you a bit irritated.
Here again, there are a lot of references to cast-ism, where an untouchable woman Jalebi (Divya Dutta) is not allowed for a puja, or the Babri Masjid issue (a Mosque built over a temple). There is room for a lot of cliches here, be it a politicians typical speech or the local policeman Ranvijay (Vijay Raaz) accepting a bribe.

The second half sees a new story unfolding. The Kaala Bandar tale spirals into a Hindu-Musilm question (Why again?). The story drifts far away from the original plot and you begin to wonder what is the motive of the storyteller.
As the movie progresses the target drifts way off track & reaches a different issue all together, something that is more social than entertaining.

The absolutely brilliant music by A.R Rahman has been reduced to mere filler items. The timing of the songs are poor . They could have been the soul of the film, yet they end up being the frills, leaving Masakalli as the only saving grace.

From the performances, Deepak Dobriyal as Mamdu the jalebiwalla is top notch. The scene where his shop is burnt and he is in tears truly moves one. Rishi Kapoor too, as Roshan's uncle is great.
A special mention for two stellar performances, Atul Kulkarni as the dumb Gobar & Divya Dutta as Jalebi. They both stand out and do more than justice to their small albeit impactful roles.
Sonam Kapoor looks beautiful, displaying an old world charm, she is perfectly cast for the role and acts well, but unfortunately, she is wasted. You don't get to see enough of her, and one looks forward to seeing her future work.
Abhishek Bachchan is good in parts, with not too many lines, he has a hybrid accent & his typical expressions irritate at times. He does not impress.

Rakesh Omprakash Mehra fails after delivering a knockout performance in RDB. The story itself is weak, and even though he has assembled a perfect cast, most of whom do great justice to their roles, the narrative itself doesn't impress. He drifts from where he starts and tries too hard to deliver a social message.

To sum it up, No, it does not meet expectations & even an absurd cameo by Amitabh Bachchan doesn't do much for the film. It has definitely got its moments & some soul, but unfortunately the body doesn't support it. It is strictly a one time watch & go for it with no expectations.

Critical: 2.5/5
Commercial: 3/5