Delhi-6

<p>Roshan accompanies his dying grandmother Annapurna to their ancestral property in where he is initially stunned by the mad rush of neighbours: Ali Baig the renaissance man, feuding brothers Madangopal and Jaigopal, their wives and families, Mamdu the confectioner, Gobar the simpleton, Sethji and many others. Roshan accompanies his grandmother to the s, hangs out at Mamdu’s sweet stall, plays with the children, and gradually becomes steeped in the culture. When Annapurna faints due to fluctuating blood sugar levels and everyone scrambles to get her to a hospital, Roshan finds the roads choked by traffic because of an impromptu ceremony around a cow in labour; he is further surprised when his grandmother, despite her stupor, stumbles forth to seek the blessings of the cow and the local police seem to encourage the practice. Roshan begins to understand the feuds and social issues in the community. Madangopal’s sister Rama is unwed and Jaigopal’s electrical business is going nowhere. The lecherous old local money lender Lala Bhairam’s wife Shashi is having an affair with a young photo-studio hand Suresh, a double timer also pursuing Madangopal’s daughter Bittu who secretly prepares to audition for a popular reality show . Roshan is surprised to learn that Ali Baig fancied his mother many years ago and has since never married. Roshan also comes to empathize with the caste-oppressed trash collector girl Jalebi, and crosses paths with the loutish inspector Ranvijay who blithely stretches his authorities to manhandle the locals. On the other hand, the media is all abuzz with tales of a miscreant known as the ” ” who attacks, steals and has caused the death of a few innocent people. After some initial friction, Roshan and Bittu warm to each other. Roshan intervenes when he learns of Madangopal trying to get Bittu married against her wishes, but earns Madangopal’s wrath. While supporting her dreams, he gradually begins to fall in love with her. Bittu too begins to reciprocate but is left saddened by the news of his return to America. Later when Roshan confronts Bittu after Madangopal fixes her marriage forcibly, he is disappointed when she expresses her plan of eloping with Suresh in order to achieve her dreams, unaware of his hidden affair with Shashi and his other intentions. Around this time, the Kala Bandar attacks Old Delhi. In order to exorcise the demonic influence of the Kala Bandar, the locals bring in a tantrik who speculates that the local mosque must have been built over the ruins of a temple that was demolished for the purpose, thus initiating a vicious cycle of animosity in the previously harmonious Hindu-Muslim community. After the initial peaceful demonstrations, a mob goes on rampage and attacks some of the Muslims and their shops, including Mamdu’s sweet shop. This prompts 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 (a dark lane known to harbour evil presences), and command Gobar to fetch a lock of hair from the evil enemy so that the can burn it and complete the exorcism. Roshan realizes his affection for Bittu. He decides to stop her and confess his love upon Ali Baig’s advice. So he dons a monkey outfit, stealthily following Bittu by leaping across the rooftops. In the meantime Gobar ventures into the 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, expresses his feelings for her which she reciprocates. The angry locals storm the place and beat up Roshan, believing him to the Kala Bandar, before Mamdu shoots him. Gobar then proclaims that the Kala Bandar is in fact the vices residing inside the people of Delhi 6 and something they must defeat within themselves. The neighborhood realizes this and arranges for an ambulance. Roshan does not respond to the treatment, leaving people to believe that he died. In the meanwhile, the nearly dying Roshan meets his dead grandfather who reveals that there is a in his own heart and that is why he wanted to ask forgiveness to his daughter-in-law, Roshan’s mother, for not accepting her inter-religious marriage. Soon, he responds to the treatment and survives, much to everyone’s happiness. He remembers Ali Baig’s words, “Who can ever wish to leave Delhi’s lanes?” rejoicing all with his wish to stay there forever. Roshan narrates that it is the Kala Bandar which is like the demon king , which can create hatred and divide among human beings. At the end he concludes that he returned to his home, which he now considers to be Delhi 6. Gobar concludes it is the Kala Bandar (inside everyone’s hearts) who killed Roshan. Meeting his dead grandfather in a dream, Roshan searches for his phone, which in reality drops from his hand as the screen cuts black. He is revealed to be dead after his ashes are immersed in a river through the same earthen pot his grandmother had purchased for her own ashes to be immersed after her death. The narration closes with Roshan recalling her words, “You will merge with the soil of which you are born.” 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 ‘s nephew would make his debut with but this was later revealed to be (2008). Frequent changes in casting made headlines, with being set to play the main character and then being reportedly replaced by . Even was supposed to play the lead but refused. stated that was always the first choice for . Date problems for caused delays, but it all worked out in the end with Abhishek portraying the lead actor. Post the refusal from , was paired as the leading female character opposite Abhishek Bachchan. and are also a part of the film. The film went on the floors on 20 February 2008. plays the grandfather to Roshan, played by Abhishek Bachchan, whereas plays the grandmother of the same. Production designer , who had earlier worked with Mehra on and , recreated inner lanes of at , a town in Rajasthan with similar architecture. Also for some scenes, historic was digitally added to the frame as a backdrop. Editing was done by Meghna Aschit and Rakesh’s wife Bharti. In an interview, Rakesh said that he was not involved with the editing. was first unveiled on the . Following the screening was an interactive question and answer round, consisting of the director with the rest of the star cast and a vast audience. During this interaction, Rakeysh spoke about his key influences and the theme of the film, while 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 was released on 4 January 2009 which featured scenes from along with , theatre groups, at night, Sonam Kapoor coming out of a public escalator at Central Park in Delhi and finally Abhishek watching Sonam dancing with the pigeon “Masakali” on her head. The film was supposed to be released on 13 February 2009 to avoid clash with , but ‘s continued absence from the project led to a delayed-release. The background score remained incomplete and delayed-release by one week. was finally released on 20 February 2009 and premiered in New Delhi on 19 February 2009. It had its first screening on 15 February 2009 in New York. also released a promotional based on the film. As of 11 March 2009, has given the film a 40% rating with 3 and 6 reviews. of gave two thumbs up, calling it a must-watch for just its “overwhelming audio-visual eruption”. Nikhat Kazmi of rated it three out of five stars, saying, “Watch it for the message of and the India-feel”. of said that the film is a noble failure: ” is ambitious and well-intentioned, but good intentions don’t always translate into good cinema”. of gave it 3 stars, saying that it’s a story with heart and isn’t great cinema like Mehra’s and has a frustrating climax. Rachel Saltz of stated ” can be maddeningly vague, which robs its ending…of the impact it intends”. Shashi Baliga of 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?” Arthur J Pais of Rediff.com gave a much better verdict remarking the film’s innovative style and storyline. Amanda Sodhi posted an in-depth write-up about on , defending it against flak it was receiving. is the music director of this film. is the lyricist. The music was released on 19 January 2009 at the competition. The first video of the song “Masakali” 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 ? 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 . The official track listing. Reports of (Black Monkey) attacks in the city of Delhi as shown in the film are inspired by real reports of much publicized attacks in and around Delhi in 2001.</p>