Delhi-6
Encyclopedia
Delhi-6 is a 2009 Hindi
-language film directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
and starring Abhishek Bachchan
, Sonam Kapoor
, Om Puri
, Waheeda Rahman, Rishi Kapoor
, Atul Kulkarni
, Deepak Dobriyal
and Divya Dutta
. The film is reportedly based on Mehra's growing up years in Chandni Chowk
area of Old Delhi
. It is Mehra's third film after Aks and Rang De Basanti
. The acclaimed score and soundtrack
of the film was composed by A. R. Rahman
. The film released on 20 February 2009. The film generally received mixed reception from critics and was a commercial failure.
) accompanies his dying grandmother Annapurna (Waheeda Rahman) to their ancestral property in crowded Delhi. Roshan is initially stunned by the mad rush of various neighbors: Ali Baig (Rishi Kapoor
) the renaissance man, feuding brothers Madangopal (Om Puri
) and Jaigopal (Pavan Malhotra
), their wives and families, Mamdu (Deepak Dobriyal
) the halwai, Gobar (Atul Kulkarni
) the simpleton, Sethji and many others. However, Roshan eventually warms to the place and wholeheartedly embraces the sense of community in it. He accompanies his grandmother to the Ramleelas, hangs out at Mamdu's sweet stall, plays with the children, and gradually becomes steeped in the culture of the place.
Roshan is also slowly exposed to some sobering realities. When Annapurna faints (due to fluctuating blood sugar levels) and they scramble to get her to a hospital, he finds the roads choked by traffic because of an impromptu ceremony around a cow in labor; he is further surprised when his grandmother, despite her stupor, stumbles forth to seek the blessings of a sacred cow; and he is astounded when the local police seem to encourage the practice. Roshan begins to understand the feuds and social issues in the community. Madangopal's sister Rama (Aditi Rao Hydari
) is unwed (at an age when spinsterhood is a significant social no-no) and Jaigopal's electrical business is going nowhere. The lecherous old local money lender Lala Bhairam (Prem Chopra
) is married to a young girl who, in turn, is having an affair with a young photo-studio hand Suresh (Cyrus Sahukar
). Suresh is a double timer who is also pursuing Madangopal's daughter Bittu (Sonam Kapoor
). Bittu secretly wants out of the stuck-in-time Old Delhi; she secretly prepares to audition for a popular reality show Indian Idol
in the hope that she will win her way to Mumbai. Roshan comes to appreciate Ali Baig's cosmopolitan tastes and is surprised to learn that Ali Baig fancied his mother many years ago, and has since never married. And Roshan comes to empathize with the lower-caste trash collector girl Jalebi (Divya Dutta
) who must endure untouchability at social functions except for when some of the brutish locals seek company. Roshan also crosses paths with the loutish inspector Ranvijay who blithely stretches his authorities to manhandle the locals, and becomes acquainted with the local assembly-woman who displays political power at every opportunity.
In the meantime, the news media is all abuzz with tales of a fearsome terror known only as the "Kala Bandar (The Black Monkey)". This miscreant (never shown clearly in the film) attacks people, steals various articles and has also caused the death of a few innocent people. (These deaths are mostly accidental, as in the example of a pregnant housewife who was supposedly startled by a silhouette and fell down a flight of stairs or the example of an unfortunate man who was briefly zapped by a live electric wire.) Nonetheless, the local news picks up on every move by the kala bandar and loudly blares about all his exploits. Jaigopal, the self-proclaimed electronics genius, theorizes that the kala bandar likely has an electrical circuit (to zap his victims) and may be electrocuted by water; this rumor is quickly propagated through the locality.
The film takes several turns. After some initial friction, Roshan and Bittu warm to each other. Roshan intervenes when Bittu is about to receive a prospective suitor arranged by Madangopal. He echoes Bittu's desire to pursue other dreams; this drives the suitor away and brings Madangopal's wrath upon him. He gradually begins to fall in love with Bittu, but is confused when Bittu expresses her affections for Suresh (she believes he will support her dreams). Around this time, the kala bandar attacks Old Delhi. The simple-minded locals bring in a tantrik Shani baba to exorcize the demonic influence of the kala bandar. After an extended havan ceremony, the tantrik baba, clearly an self-aggrandizing actor who dislikes the inter-religious equality practiced in the community, speculates that the local mosque must have been built over the ruins of a temple that was demolished for the purpose, and he thus initiates a vicious cycle of animosity in the previously harmonious Hindu-Muslim community. After the initial peaceful demonstrations (by rallies and angry meetings), a mob goes on rampage and attacks some of the Muslim members of the community and their shops. This prompts one Muslim shop-owner, Mamdu, to set fire to the tree temple. Roshan attempts to make peace, but is rebuffed because of his mixed religious parentage. The locals ultimately settle on the fact that the kala bandar is hiding out in the sooni galli (a dark lane known to harbor evil presences) and must be destroyed. They command the simpleton Gobar to fetch a lock of hair from the evil enemy so that the tantrik can burn it and complete the exorcism.
Roshan becomes aware of Bittu's plan to elope with Suresh, and that Suresh is a low-life two timer. He dons a monkey mask and monkey outfit and stealthily follows Bittu by leaping across the rooftops. In the meantime Gobar ventures into the sooni galli where Jalebi gives him a lock of her hair so he may return in triumph and bring peace to the community. At that moment, Roshan (in his monkey outfit) intercedes in Bittu and Suresh's rendezvous and causes the cowardly Suresh to flee. Bittu raises a loud alarm before Roshan unmasks himself, Roshan tells Bittu he loves her where she also responds to his feelings,the two share a hug, whereupon the angry locals storm the place. Believing Roshan to be the kala bandar, they beat him to within an inch of his life and Mamdu shoots him. Then, Gobar comes up with a startling deduction about the reality of the kala bandar; that the kala bandar is in fact the vices residing inside the people of Delhi 6 and something that the people must defeat within themselves. In the end Roshan survives and marries Bittu.
's nephew Imran Khan
would make his debut with this film, but this was later revealed to be Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
. Frequent changes in casting made headlines, with Hrithik Roshan
being set to play the main character and then he being reportedly replaced by Ranbir Kapoor
Even Akshay Kumar
was supposed to play the lead, but refused. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
stated that Abhishek Bachchan
was always the first choice for Delhi-6. Date problems for Abhishek Bachchan
delayed the film, but it all worked out in the end with Abhishek portraying the lead actor in the film. Sonam Kapoor
was paired as the leading female character opposite Abhishek Bachchan. Rishi Kapoor
and Tanvi Azmi
are also a part of the film. The film went on the floors 20 February 2009. Amitabh Bachchan
plays the grandfather to Roshan, played by Abhishek Bachchan, whereas Waheeda Rahman plays the grandmother of the same. Gulshan Grover
plays Abhishek Bachchan's dad in the film. Editing for the film was done by Meghna Aschit and Rakeysh's wife Bharthi. In an interview Rakeysh said that he was not involved with the editing.
. Following the screening was an interactive Question and Answer round, consisting of the director with the rest of starcast and a vast audience. During this interaction, Rakeysh spoke about his key influences and the theme of the film, while the film's actors described their experience of working with Rakeysh. A video featuring Abhishek and Sonam's interview can be watched in the reference along with this section. The official trailer for the film was released on 4 January 2009 which featured scenes from Delhi
along with Jama Masjid
, theatre groups, Red Fort at night, Sonam Kapoor coming out of a public escalator at central park in delhi and finally Abhishek watching Sonam dancing with the pigeon "Masakalli" on her head.
's continued absence from the project led to a delay in the film getting released. The film's back ground score remained incomplete and hence a delay in release by one week. The film finally released on 20 February 2009 and premiered in New Delhi on 19 February 2009. The film had its first screening on 15 February 2009 in New York.
has given the film a 33% rating with 3 fresh and 6 rotten reviews. The average
score is 3.3/10.
Pratim D. Gupta of The Telegraph
gave two thumbs up to the film calling it a must-watch for just its "overwhelming audio-visual eruption". Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India rated the film three out of five stars, saying, "Watch it for the message of Delhi-6 and the ekdum desi India-feel". Anupama Chopra
of NDTV
said that the film is a noble failure, "Delhi-6 is ambitious and well-intentioned, but good intentions don’t always translate into good cinema". Rajeev Masand
of CNN-IBN gave it 3 stars, saying that it's a story with heart and Delhi-6 isn't great cinema like Mehra's Rang De Basanti and has frustrating climax. Rachel Saltz of New York Times stated "Delhi-6 can be maddeningly vague, which robs its ending..of the impact it intends". Shashi Baliga of Hindustan Times
gave the film 3 out of 5 saying "Mehra sure has his heart in the right place. But couldn’t he have allowed himself… and us, a little more fun?"
However, Arthur J Pais of Rediff.com gave the film a much better verdict remarking the film's innovative style and storyline. Amanda Sodhi posted an in-depth write-up about Delhi-6 on PassionForCinema.com, defending the film against flak it was receiving.
Following the negative critical reception of the film, Amitabh Bachchan
made a controversial comment against the critics. Bachchan said that Delhi-6 portrays the philosophy that the system needs strength, honesty and needs to look within. "The system...needs strength..needs an honesty... needs to look within... a philosophy, ironically, portrayed so beautifully in Delhi-6 and an aspect, so mercilessly criticised in the reviews and opinions," he wrote on his blog. He also criticised the film reviewers for negatively publicizing Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire
in India.
could not be attained by Delhi-6 given the diminishing collections as the week progressed.
is the lyricist. The music was released on 14 January 2009 at the Indian Idol 4 competition. The first video of the song "Masakalli" was released featuring Sonam and Abhishek with a pigeon. However, the song was not part of the original film. According to the director, "The song was not really meant to be part of the narrative. I mean, who would think of putting in a song about a dove in a film like 'Delhi-6'? It just happened. When I came to the pre-climax portion of my script, I was stuck. I needed a continuity link taking the narrative to its finale". Other videos released include the title track Delhi-6, the romantic interlude Rehna Tu
as well as the folky Genda Phool, an adaptation of a folk song from Chhattisgarh
.
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
-language film directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing Rang De Basanti , for which he won Best Director awards at the 2006 Filmfare Awards and National Film Awards and received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film...
and starring Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan is an Indian actor and producer. He is the son of Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and is married to actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai....
, Sonam Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood films. Kapoor made her acting debut in the unsuccessful film Saawariya opposite newcomer Ranbir Kapoor, which earned her a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She earned her first commercial success in I Hate Luv...
, Om Puri
Om Puri
Om Puri is an Indian actor who has appeared in both mainstream Indian films and art films. His credits also include appearances in British and American films. He has received an honorary OBE.-Early life:...
, Waheeda Rahman, Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor, film producer and director.-Early life:Born in Chembur Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School,Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv...
, Atul Kulkarni
Atul Kulkarni
Atul Kulkarni born 10 September 1965 is an Indian actor who has won two National Awards and has superstar status in Marathi film industry after successful movies like Valu and Natarang....
, Deepak Dobriyal
Deepak Dobriyal
Deepak Dobriyal is an Indian film and theatre actor.He worked in many films like Not a Love Story, Teen Thay Bhai, Gulaal, Delhi 6, Omkara, Maqbool, Daayen Ya Baayen, Shaurya, 1971, 13B, The Blue Umbrella, Tanu Weds Manu and Mumbai Cutting.-Ealy life and education:Deepak's parents belong to Kabra...
and Divya Dutta
Divya Dutta
Divya Dutta is an Indian actress from Ludhiana, Punjab, India who appears in Hindi and Punjabi films.- Career :She did her schooling from Sacred Heart Convent, Ludhiana...
. The film is reportedly based on Mehra's growing up years in Chandni Chowk
Chandni Chowk
Chandni Chowk , originally meaning moonlit square or market, is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, now in central north Delhi, India...
area of Old Delhi
Old Delhi
Old Delhi , walled city of Delhi, India, was founded as Shahjahanabad by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in 1639. It remained the capital of the Mughals until the end of the Mughal dynasty....
. It is Mehra's third film after Aks and Rang De Basanti
Rang De Basanti
Rang De Basanti is a 2006 Indian drama film written and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. It features an ensemble cast comprising Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Madhavan, Kunal Kapoor, Siddharth Narayan, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni and British actress Alice Patten in the lead roles...
. The acclaimed score and soundtrack
Delhi-6 (soundtrack)
Delhi-6 is the soundtrack album to Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's 2009 bollywood film Delhi-6. A. R. Rahman scored the film, his second collaboration with Mehra after Rang De Basanti and Prasoon Joshi penned the lyrics. The music was released on 14 January 2009 at the Indian Idol 4 competition...
of the film was composed by A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
. The film released on 20 February 2009. The film generally received mixed reception from critics and was a commercial failure.
Plot
Roshan (Abhishek BachchanAbhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan is an Indian actor and producer. He is the son of Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and is married to actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai....
) accompanies his dying grandmother Annapurna (Waheeda Rahman) to their ancestral property in crowded Delhi. Roshan is initially stunned by the mad rush of various neighbors: Ali Baig (Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor, film producer and director.-Early life:Born in Chembur Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School,Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv...
) the renaissance man, feuding brothers Madangopal (Om Puri
Om Puri
Om Puri is an Indian actor who has appeared in both mainstream Indian films and art films. His credits also include appearances in British and American films. He has received an honorary OBE.-Early life:...
) and Jaigopal (Pavan Malhotra
Pavan Malhotra
Pavan Malhotra is a Hindi film and television actor. He has played lead roles in Buddhadev Dasgupta’s National Film Award-winning Bagh Bahadur and Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro both released in 1989...
), their wives and families, Mamdu (Deepak Dobriyal
Deepak Dobriyal
Deepak Dobriyal is an Indian film and theatre actor.He worked in many films like Not a Love Story, Teen Thay Bhai, Gulaal, Delhi 6, Omkara, Maqbool, Daayen Ya Baayen, Shaurya, 1971, 13B, The Blue Umbrella, Tanu Weds Manu and Mumbai Cutting.-Ealy life and education:Deepak's parents belong to Kabra...
) the halwai, Gobar (Atul Kulkarni
Atul Kulkarni
Atul Kulkarni born 10 September 1965 is an Indian actor who has won two National Awards and has superstar status in Marathi film industry after successful movies like Valu and Natarang....
) the simpleton, Sethji and many others. However, Roshan eventually warms to the place and wholeheartedly embraces the sense of community in it. He accompanies his grandmother to the Ramleelas, hangs out at Mamdu's sweet stall, plays with the children, and gradually becomes steeped in the culture of the place.
Roshan is also slowly exposed to some sobering realities. When Annapurna faints (due to fluctuating blood sugar levels) and they scramble to get her to a hospital, he finds the roads choked by traffic because of an impromptu ceremony around a cow in labor; he is further surprised when his grandmother, despite her stupor, stumbles forth to seek the blessings of a sacred cow; and he is astounded when the local police seem to encourage the practice. Roshan begins to understand the feuds and social issues in the community. Madangopal's sister Rama (Aditi Rao Hydari
Aditi Rao Hydari
Aditi Rao Hydari is an Indian film actress. A classical bharatanatyam dancer, she made her acting debut with Sharada Ramanathan's acclaimed film Sringaram and rose to fame after her performance in Sudhir Mishra's 2011 film Yeh Saali Zindagi....
) is unwed (at an age when spinsterhood is a significant social no-no) and Jaigopal's electrical business is going nowhere. The lecherous old local money lender Lala Bhairam (Prem Chopra
Prem Chopra
Prem Chopra is an actor in Hindi and Punjabi films. He has acted in over 400 films. He is famous for his soft spoken diction despite being a villain in most films.-Personal life and education:...
) is married to a young girl who, in turn, is having an affair with a young photo-studio hand Suresh (Cyrus Sahukar
Cyrus Sahukar
Cyrus Sahukar is an MTV India VJ and Bollywood actor. He is known for his comic wit in shows like Semi Girebaal and other such satirical comedy shows, hosting and spoofs.-Early life:...
). Suresh is a double timer who is also pursuing Madangopal's daughter Bittu (Sonam Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood films. Kapoor made her acting debut in the unsuccessful film Saawariya opposite newcomer Ranbir Kapoor, which earned her a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She earned her first commercial success in I Hate Luv...
). Bittu secretly wants out of the stuck-in-time Old Delhi; she secretly prepares to audition for a popular reality show Indian Idol
Indian Idol
Indian Idol is an adaptation of the Pop Idol format. It started airing in India with the first season in 2004-2005 and followed that with second , third and fourth seasons...
in the hope that she will win her way to Mumbai. Roshan comes to appreciate Ali Baig's cosmopolitan tastes and is surprised to learn that Ali Baig fancied his mother many years ago, and has since never married. And Roshan comes to empathize with the lower-caste trash collector girl Jalebi (Divya Dutta
Divya Dutta
Divya Dutta is an Indian actress from Ludhiana, Punjab, India who appears in Hindi and Punjabi films.- Career :She did her schooling from Sacred Heart Convent, Ludhiana...
) who must endure untouchability at social functions except for when some of the brutish locals seek company. Roshan also crosses paths with the loutish inspector Ranvijay who blithely stretches his authorities to manhandle the locals, and becomes acquainted with the local assembly-woman who displays political power at every opportunity.
In the meantime, the news media is all abuzz with tales of a fearsome terror known only as the "Kala Bandar (The Black Monkey)". This miscreant (never shown clearly in the film) attacks people, steals various articles and has also caused the death of a few innocent people. (These deaths are mostly accidental, as in the example of a pregnant housewife who was supposedly startled by a silhouette and fell down a flight of stairs or the example of an unfortunate man who was briefly zapped by a live electric wire.) Nonetheless, the local news picks up on every move by the kala bandar and loudly blares about all his exploits. Jaigopal, the self-proclaimed electronics genius, theorizes that the kala bandar likely has an electrical circuit (to zap his victims) and may be electrocuted by water; this rumor is quickly propagated through the locality.
The film takes several turns. After some initial friction, Roshan and Bittu warm to each other. Roshan intervenes when Bittu is about to receive a prospective suitor arranged by Madangopal. He echoes Bittu's desire to pursue other dreams; this drives the suitor away and brings Madangopal's wrath upon him. He gradually begins to fall in love with Bittu, but is confused when Bittu expresses her affections for Suresh (she believes he will support her dreams). Around this time, the kala bandar attacks Old Delhi. The simple-minded locals bring in a tantrik Shani baba to exorcize the demonic influence of the kala bandar. After an extended havan ceremony, the tantrik baba, clearly an self-aggrandizing actor who dislikes the inter-religious equality practiced in the community, speculates that the local mosque must have been built over the ruins of a temple that was demolished for the purpose, and he thus initiates a vicious cycle of animosity in the previously harmonious Hindu-Muslim community. After the initial peaceful demonstrations (by rallies and angry meetings), a mob goes on rampage and attacks some of the Muslim members of the community and their shops. This prompts one Muslim shop-owner, Mamdu, to set fire to the tree temple. Roshan attempts to make peace, but is rebuffed because of his mixed religious parentage. The locals ultimately settle on the fact that the kala bandar is hiding out in the sooni galli (a dark lane known to harbor evil presences) and must be destroyed. They command the simpleton Gobar to fetch a lock of hair from the evil enemy so that the tantrik can burn it and complete the exorcism.
Roshan becomes aware of Bittu's plan to elope with Suresh, and that Suresh is a low-life two timer. He dons a monkey mask and monkey outfit and stealthily follows Bittu by leaping across the rooftops. In the meantime Gobar ventures into the sooni galli where Jalebi gives him a lock of her hair so he may return in triumph and bring peace to the community. At that moment, Roshan (in his monkey outfit) intercedes in Bittu and Suresh's rendezvous and causes the cowardly Suresh to flee. Bittu raises a loud alarm before Roshan unmasks himself, Roshan tells Bittu he loves her where she also responds to his feelings,the two share a hug, whereupon the angry locals storm the place. Believing Roshan to be the kala bandar, they beat him to within an inch of his life and Mamdu shoots him. Then, Gobar comes up with a startling deduction about the reality of the kala bandar; that the kala bandar is in fact the vices residing inside the people of Delhi 6 and something that the people must defeat within themselves. In the end Roshan survives and marries Bittu.
Cast
- Abhishek BachchanAbhishek BachchanAbhishek Bachchan is an Indian actor and producer. He is the son of Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and is married to actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai....
as Roshan - Sonam KapoorSonam KapoorSonam Kapoor is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood films. Kapoor made her acting debut in the unsuccessful film Saawariya opposite newcomer Ranbir Kapoor, which earned her a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She earned her first commercial success in I Hate Luv...
as Bittu - Waheeda RehmanWaheeda RehmanWaheeda Rehman , is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood movies and is known for many successful and critically acclaimed movies from 1950's, 60's and early 70's most notably C.I.D. and Guru Dutt classics such as Pyaasa , 12 O'Clock , Kaagaz Ke Phool , Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam...
as Annapurna (Dadi) - Rishi KapoorRishi KapoorRishi Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor, film producer and director.-Early life:Born in Chembur Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School,Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv...
as Ali - Om PuriOm PuriOm Puri is an Indian actor who has appeared in both mainstream Indian films and art films. His credits also include appearances in British and American films. He has received an honorary OBE.-Early life:...
as Madangopal - Divya DuttaDivya DuttaDivya Dutta is an Indian actress from Ludhiana, Punjab, India who appears in Hindi and Punjabi films.- Career :She did her schooling from Sacred Heart Convent, Ludhiana...
as Jalebi - Tanvi AzmiTanvi Azmi-Early life and family:Her maiden name before marriage was Saunhita Kher. She is the daughter of famous Marathi-Hindi actress Usha Kiran and Dr. Manohar Kher...
as Fatima - Atul KulkarniAtul KulkarniAtul Kulkarni born 10 September 1965 is an Indian actor who has won two National Awards and has superstar status in Marathi film industry after successful movies like Valu and Natarang....
as Gobar - Aditi Rao HydariAditi Rao HydariAditi Rao Hydari is an Indian film actress. A classical bharatanatyam dancer, she made her acting debut with Sharada Ramanathan's acclaimed film Sringaram and rose to fame after her performance in Sudhir Mishra's 2011 film Yeh Saali Zindagi....
as Rama Bua - Supriya PathakSupriya PathakSupriya Pathak Kapur is an Indian actress hailing from a long line of performers. She is famous for her role in the Indian sitcoms Khichdi and Idhar Udhar.-Family:...
as Vimla - Deepak DobriyalDeepak DobriyalDeepak Dobriyal is an Indian film and theatre actor.He worked in many films like Not a Love Story, Teen Thay Bhai, Gulaal, Delhi 6, Omkara, Maqbool, Daayen Ya Baayen, Shaurya, 1971, 13B, The Blue Umbrella, Tanu Weds Manu and Mumbai Cutting.-Ealy life and education:Deepak's parents belong to Kabra...
as Mamdu - K.K. Raina as Haji Sulamaan
- Pavan MalhotraPavan MalhotraPavan Malhotra is a Hindi film and television actor. He has played lead roles in Buddhadev Dasgupta’s National Film Award-winning Bagh Bahadur and Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro both released in 1989...
as Jai Gopal - Amitabh BachchanAmitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
as Dadaji - Vinayak DovalVinayak DovalVinayak Doval is an Indian film child actor.-Career:He appeared as Bobby in the film Delhi-6 ; he was offered the role through his experience in theatre, having competed against some 5,000 candidates.-Personal life:...
as Bobby - Prem ChopraPrem ChopraPrem Chopra is an actor in Hindi and Punjabi films. He has acted in over 400 films. He is famous for his soft spoken diction despite being a villain in most films.-Personal life and education:...
as Lala Bhairam - Vijay RaazVijay RaazVijay Raaz is an Indian film actor. His breakthrough came when he played the role of Dubeyji in the movie Monsoon Wedding. Since then, Raaz has been cast in small, often comedic roles, in many Hindi movies, often depicting the character of a common man.-Early life and career:Raaz was born and...
as Inspector Ranvijay - Cyrus SahukarCyrus SahukarCyrus Sahukar is an MTV India VJ and Bollywood actor. He is known for his comic wit in shows like Semi Girebaal and other such satirical comedy shows, hosting and spoofs.-Early life:...
as Suresh - Hussan Saad as Bhisham
Development and casting
In the early stages of development it was rumored that Rakeysh was going to cast newcomers for his next film. It was even reported that Aamir KhanAamir Khan
Aamir Hussain Khan is an Indian film actor, director and producer who has established himself as one of the leading actors of Hindi cinema....
's nephew Imran Khan
Imran Khan (actor)
Imran Khan is an Indian American film actor. He is the nephew of actor Aamir Khan and producer-director Mansoor Khan.Khan rose to stardom for his debut role in the 2008 blockbuster film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na. The film won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut...
would make his debut with this film, but this was later revealed to be Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na is a 2008 Bollywood film, written and directed by Abbas Tyrewala. The film stars Imran Khan and Genelia D'Souza in pivotal roles...
. Frequent changes in casting made headlines, with Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.After having appeared in films as a child actor in the 1980s, Roshan made his film debut in a leading role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai for which Roshan earned his Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Male Debut...
being set to play the main character and then he being reportedly replaced by Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood movies.Making his acting debut in the 2007 film Saawariya, for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut, Kapoor went on to earn critical praise for his performance in Wake Up Sid...
Even Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar is an Indian film actor, producer and martial artist who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films. When he began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films and was particularly known for his appearances in feature films commonly called the "Khiladi series",...
was supposed to play the lead, but refused. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing Rang De Basanti , for which he won Best Director awards at the 2006 Filmfare Awards and National Film Awards and received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film...
stated that Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan is an Indian actor and producer. He is the son of Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and is married to actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai....
was always the first choice for Delhi-6. Date problems for Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan is an Indian actor and producer. He is the son of Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and is married to actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai....
delayed the film, but it all worked out in the end with Abhishek portraying the lead actor in the film. Sonam Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood films. Kapoor made her acting debut in the unsuccessful film Saawariya opposite newcomer Ranbir Kapoor, which earned her a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She earned her first commercial success in I Hate Luv...
was paired as the leading female character opposite Abhishek Bachchan. Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor, film producer and director.-Early life:Born in Chembur Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School,Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv...
and Tanvi Azmi
Tanvi Azmi
-Early life and family:Her maiden name before marriage was Saunhita Kher. She is the daughter of famous Marathi-Hindi actress Usha Kiran and Dr. Manohar Kher...
are also a part of the film. The film went on the floors 20 February 2009. Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
plays the grandfather to Roshan, played by Abhishek Bachchan, whereas Waheeda Rahman plays the grandmother of the same. Gulshan Grover
Gulshan Grover
Gulshan Grover is an Indian actor, who has acted in over 400 films through a career spanning over 30 years.Gulshan Grover is one of the first Indian actors to have made a successful transition from Bollywood into Hollywood and international Cinema....
plays Abhishek Bachchan's dad in the film. Editing for the film was done by Meghna Aschit and Rakeysh's wife Bharthi. In an interview Rakeysh said that he was not involved with the editing.
Promotion
The film was first unveiled on the Dubai International Film FestivalDubai International Film Festival
The Dubai International Film Festival is an international film festival based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Launched in 2004, it aims to foster the growth of filmmaking in the Arab world.-Overview:...
. Following the screening was an interactive Question and Answer round, consisting of the director with the rest of starcast and a vast audience. During this interaction, Rakeysh spoke about his key influences and the theme of the film, while the film's actors described their experience of working with Rakeysh. A video featuring Abhishek and Sonam's interview can be watched in the reference along with this section. The official trailer for the film was released on 4 January 2009 which featured scenes from Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
along with Jama Masjid
Jama Masjid
Jama Masjid also Jami Masjid, refers to the Friday Mosque, where Jummah or weekly Friday noon congregation prayers of Muslims take place...
, theatre groups, Red Fort at night, Sonam Kapoor coming out of a public escalator at central park in delhi and finally Abhishek watching Sonam dancing with the pigeon "Masakalli" on her head.
Release
The film was supposed to be released on 13 February 2009, but A. R. RahmanA. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
's continued absence from the project led to a delay in the film getting released. The film's back ground score remained incomplete and hence a delay in release by one week. The film finally released on 20 February 2009 and premiered in New Delhi on 19 February 2009. The film had its first screening on 15 February 2009 in New York.
Critical reception
As of 11 March 2009, Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
has given the film a 33% rating with 3 fresh and 6 rotten reviews. The average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score is 3.3/10.
Pratim D. Gupta of The Telegraph
The Telegraph (Kolkata)
The Telegraph is an Indian daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Kolkata since 1982. It is published by the ABP Group and the newspaper vies with the Times of India for the position of having the widest widest circulation of any newspaper in Eastern India.According to the Audit...
gave two thumbs up to the film calling it a must-watch for just its "overwhelming audio-visual eruption". Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India rated the film three out of five stars, saying, "Watch it for the message of Delhi-6 and the ekdum desi India-feel". Anupama Chopra
Anupama Chopra
Anupama Chopra is a noted author, journalist and film critic. She has written several books on Indian cinema and has been a movie reviewer with NDTV and India Today.-Career:...
of NDTV
NDTV
NDTV is an Indian commercial broadcasting television network founded in 1988. It was founded by Prannoy Roy, an eminent journalist and current chairman and director of NDTV Group. NDTV currently has more than 1,000 employees producing news from over twenty locations in India...
said that the film is a noble failure, "Delhi-6 is ambitious and well-intentioned, but good intentions don’t always translate into good cinema". Rajeev Masand
Rajeev Masand
Rajeev Masand is an Indian film critic and entertainment reporter for CNN-IBN. Masand started his career as an entertainment correspondent at the young age of 16...
of CNN-IBN gave it 3 stars, saying that it's a story with heart and Delhi-6 isn't great cinema like Mehra's Rang De Basanti and has frustrating climax. Rachel Saltz of New York Times stated "Delhi-6 can be maddeningly vague, which robs its ending..of the impact it intends". Shashi Baliga of Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....
gave the film 3 out of 5 saying "Mehra sure has his heart in the right place. But couldn’t he have allowed himself… and us, a little more fun?"
However, Arthur J Pais of Rediff.com gave the film a much better verdict remarking the film's innovative style and storyline. Amanda Sodhi posted an in-depth write-up about Delhi-6 on PassionForCinema.com, defending the film against flak it was receiving.
Following the negative critical reception of the film, Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
made a controversial comment against the critics. Bachchan said that Delhi-6 portrays the philosophy that the system needs strength, honesty and needs to look within. "The system...needs strength..needs an honesty... needs to look within... a philosophy, ironically, portrayed so beautifully in Delhi-6 and an aspect, so mercilessly criticised in the reviews and opinions," he wrote on his blog. He also criticised the film reviewers for negatively publicizing Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...
in India.
Box office performance
The film, has grossed Rs 80 million on the day of its release and grossed Rs 330 million worldwide. Out of this the Indian share is Rs 275 million (Rs 27.50 crores). In the UK, Delhi 6 grossed $160,000 in its first three days. The film at the time of its release had the best opening of 2009, grossing around 30 crores overall so far. In India, the film put up strong first weekend numbers given the strong collections from the multiplexes and single screens in Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Baroda, Bangalore, Kanpur,Surat etc. Mumbai was relatively behind. In East Punjab, Delhi-6 had recorded around 1.3 crores net in 3 days. On the other hand, overseas in America, the film reported 90 screens to weekend collections of $602k gross. However, collections started to diminish as the week progressed and word-of-mouth review about the film spread. Trade analysts said that the standard set by Rakeysh's previous film Rang De BasantiRang De Basanti
Rang De Basanti is a 2006 Indian drama film written and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. It features an ensemble cast comprising Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Madhavan, Kunal Kapoor, Siddharth Narayan, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni and British actress Alice Patten in the lead roles...
could not be attained by Delhi-6 given the diminishing collections as the week progressed.
Music
A.R. Rahman is the music director of this film. Prasoon JoshiPrasoon Joshi
Prasoon Joshi is an Indian lyricist, screenwriter and advertising copywriter. A prolific Writer-Poet whose first book of 3 books "Main aur Woh" was published when he was 17 years of age, an internationally acclaimed Indian advertising professional, Bollywood film songwriter, as well as a...
is the lyricist. The music was released on 14 January 2009 at the Indian Idol 4 competition. The first video of the song "Masakalli" was released featuring Sonam and Abhishek with a pigeon. However, the song was not part of the original film. According to the director, "The song was not really meant to be part of the narrative. I mean, who would think of putting in a song about a dove in a film like 'Delhi-6'? It just happened. When I came to the pre-climax portion of my script, I was stuck. I needed a continuity link taking the narrative to its finale". Other videos released include the title track Delhi-6, the romantic interlude Rehna Tu
Rehna Tu
"Rehna Tu" is a Hindi song composed by A. R. Rahman, featuring lyrics by Prasoon Joshi for the 2009 Bollywood film Delhi-6. The song was performed by Benny Dayal, Tanvi Shah and Rahman himself, who is the main vocalist....
as well as the folky Genda Phool, an adaptation of a folk song from Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....
.
Inspiration
Reports of "Kala Bandar (Black Monkey)" attacks in the city of Delhi as shown in the film are inspired by real reports of much publicized monkey or monkeyman attacks in and around Delhi in 2001.External links
- Delhi-6 at Planet Bollywood
- Kala Bandar - The Most Thoughtful Song of 2009 at Bobby Talks Cinema