Delhi-6 Story

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Rakeysh Mehra
Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Ash King, Atul Kulkarni, Charlie Bayot, Cyrus Sahukar, Deepak Dobriyal, Divya Dutta, Gulshan Grover, K.K. Raina, Nello Del Gatto, Om Puri, Pavan Malhotra, Prem Chopra, Rishi Kapoor,Shefali Shah,Sonam Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Tanvi Azmi, Vijay Raaz, Waheeda Rahman
Music: A.R. Rahman
Lyrics: Prasoon Joshi
Genre: Drama
Recommended Audience: Parental Guidance
Approximate Running Time: 2hrs 18 min
Film Released on: 20 February 2008

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‘I am an American!’ proclaims Roshan mid way through the film, explaining why he has to go back; ‘My life is there.’ However it does not take long for Roshan to realise that home is where his heart is and that he has lost his heart somewhere in the lanes of Delhi-6. So much so that he admits later on that ‘India works!’ amidst all the chaos.

Welcome to life in Delhi-6, or in other words, Old Delhi where life still goes on with its own dynamics even in the face of modernism - the kind that we find outside our doorstep in every city in India. There is a Delhi-6 in every nook of India and that is why the film is truly about us. Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra decides it is time that we looked at ourselves in the mirror before pointing fingers. The narration of Delhi-6 kicks off in full swing as US resident Roshan (Abhishek Bachchan) volunteers to take his ailing grandmother (Waheeda Rehman) back to India. Though we are given the reason why the family would not go back to India ever again, we never really know why Roshan steps in.

Like the pious at the Ganges, Roshan soon finds himself immersing in the traditions and culture that the country has to offer. He tries to blend with the community and is surprised at the love and warmth that the place offers. He realizes that his grandmother is so much at home here, thus justifying her wishes to live her last few years back at Delhi.

This confidence though comes shattering down when Roshan realizes that everything is not picture perfect as the pictures in his camera (which I thought got more screen time than many of the other characters). Slowly snap-snap, Roshan learns that beneath all this lie the true colors. It comes in the form of ignorance, prejudice, hatred and malice, sometimes soaked in saffron, at times green. And all that takes to expose these people is something as frivolous as a monkey man.

Surely that would be enough to send him packing back to America. Right? If only he had not fallen for the cute girl next door, Bittu (Sonam Kapoor).

The same cards are played by Mehra yet again. Just like we saw in Rang De Basanti, a life of a group of ordinary folk is changed in one way or another, thanks to the entry of a foreign element. If it was a documentary filmmaker Sue McKinley that did the trick in Rang De Basanti, this time it is NRI Roshan who walks in the same shoes. And this time around Mehra is happy using Ramayana instead of the freedom movement in order to draw parallels. However, got to admit, it does not work completely.

Mehra’s previous enterprise Rang De Basanti was a huge success because it was more than a movie- it was a voice. It was a voice that set out to awaken the youth of today and stir the dormant feelings of patriotism within them. And Rang De Basanti did manage that to a great deal.

Here too Mehra takes it one step further. This time he touches on a whole lot more, from caste to fickle politicians. He mocks religion and all that jazz, and the superstitions and traditions that come with it. Even the ’tulsis’ and the reverent cows are not spared. Add to that the influence of reality television or the media. So do not be fooled into thinking that this is one of those movies that is all about a NRI falling in love with the corn fields and glasses of lassi. Here it is this outsider that brings in cognizance and rationality to the ensuing chaos.

But Rakeys Omprakash Mehra might manage to get away washing the laundry in public. Had it been a Boyle-like foreign hand behind it, we would have our own media hounding him and the moral police out on the streets the next day shouting slogans. So no takers? Beware, for Mehra opts to strip the common Indian, laying bare the hypocrisy and incoherence that precede love and tolerance.

He uses the common folk of ‘puraani-dilli’ to achieve this effect. Thankfully we are spared of one of those loud designer set pieces of Priyadarshan. So the folks are not as loud, or slapstick prone. They are kept real for most parts, though only comical enough to highlight the satire.

As expected, the supporting cast does deliver the goods. The characters are really not well sketched out, but they all chip in with their best. Veterans like Rishi Kapoor, Om Puri, Pran and Waheeda Rahman goes about their task with elan. Even lead lady Sonam Kapoor does manage to hold well in the ensemble, though the role is hardly meaty.

But the ones who do manage to impress are the ones in smaller but yet more significant roles. Vijay Raaz as the imperious ‘public servant’, Divya Dutta as the spunky jalebi or Atul Kulkarni as the naïve Gober are all wonderful talents on display. Deepak Dobriyal who plays the role of Momdu also deserves a special mention, as he owned several of those sequences that involved him.

Abhishek Bachchan does a decent job, but he hardly looked the part. His grins and fake accent did not help the cause, and I am not surprised that this role did change a lot of hands during the casting stages. It is only towards the second half that he really begins to seem comfortable.

The mixed bag however, turns out to be the writing department handled by Mehra and lyricist Prasoon Joshi. Sure, the dialogues are great and several of them do get you in splits. But the script had the tendency to be a lot wayward and episodic. It becomes evident that they were trying to string up together a lot of ideas and messages, using the real life incidents of the monkey man to their advantage.

To make matters worse, the central character of Roshan is not established well and as a result one does not exactly connect with him. He is thrown into the turmoil, with a lot of his actions left unanswered. It worked well in Rang De Basanti because we were not supposed to connect to Sue’s character and she is only used as a plot device to introduce us to the real subjects. Here Roshan’s character ends up making the sacrifice trying to be that medium. Even the love story between Roshan and Bittu is found wanting.

The editing was all over the place and did not complement well. It looks like a rushed job, and seems a lot of scenes were left back at the editing table. Even the interval point plays out awkwardly. The leisurely pace of the film changes as we head to the final few reels, only to slow down again for preachy overtones and an obligatory romantic pit stop. Even the encounter that Roshan has with a particular person he hardly knew through life did not seem convincing enough, in spite of all its religious subtexts. As the director tries to switch gears from the satire mode to more dramatic and emotional domain, it tends to lose footing.

Amidst all this chaos, the music score emerges as a blessing, blending in and elevating the proceedings. Rahman has dished out a thali of sorts, throwing up various genres in his soundtrack. And in the hands of Mehra, it is ensured that the music is better presented, than mere eye candy pop numbers. While ‘Masakali’ draws in the crowd, it is wonderful to see how ‘Rehna Tu’ plays out, as a wonderful ode to the city that we embrace.

Delhi-6, might not go on to create the kind of impact that Rang De Basanti did. However even with its rickety screenplay and weak characterizations, it still is a lane worth strolling through. It gives enough to ponder about as we take in the good with the bad. And more importantly it attempts to show us our home, both honestly and earnestly. And that, my friends, is very much the need of the hour!

Illegal houses demolished in Kukatapally

Illegal houses demolished in Kukatapally

HYDERABAD: Revenue authorities demolished several illegally constructed houses on government land at Shamshiguda near Kukatpally early on Monday morning. Tension prevailed for sometime as the authorities demolished as many as 182 illegally constructed houses at Yellamma Banda and Dattatreya Nagar. The families were fast asleep when the authorities arrived to demolish the houses this morning. Though locals tried to resist the demolitions, police prevented them. The Balanagar mandal revenue authorities found that a six-acre land located at Sy No. 57 had been occupied by encroachers two months ago. "As all the officials were busy with election related works, the squatters could not be removed earlier. Taking advantage of the situation, the occupants constructed houses," special deputy collector (land protection officer) V Venkateswara Rao told TOI. The revenue authorities arrived at Yellamma Banda and Dattetreya Nagar at Shamshiguda along with 250 policemen, six JCB machines (earth movers) and 70 workers at 5 am and demolished a total of 182 houses, including 120 houses at Yellamma Banda and 62 houses at Dattatreya Nagar. Another 20 houses, the construction of which had been done till the basement level were also demolished. "The officials came at 5 am and woke up all the families. They did not even give time for us to take away our belongings," said S Gauramma, a dhobhi who hails from Mahbubnagar. Another mason, B Venkateswarlu who came from Kandukur of Prakasam district had taken a house for rent two months ago. "I was paying a rent of Rs 1,500 per month. I did not know that the house was constructed illegally on government land. The house owner does not not reside here," he said. A housewife C Eswaramma said she had purchased a plot of 80 sq feet at Yellamma Banda from one Anasuyamma two months ago. "I spent over Rs 4 lakh to construct the house. I took a loan from moneylender with huge interest. Now, the revenue officials demolished my house. Anasuyamma has cheated me by selling government land," Eswaramma said. Surprisingly, the families have been getting electricity bills for the past two months and have also been getting daily water supply. The land protection officer, V Venkateswar Rao, Chevella revenue sub-divisional officer Ratna Kumar, Serlingampally tehsildar K Damodar Reddy and Balanagar deputy collector and tehsildar Sudhakar Rao were all present at the site during demolition. "We came to know that four persons, including Anasuyamma, Vema Reddy, Material Anjeneyulu and Jagadeesh who belong to local area are behind the land grabbing. A complaint will be lodged at Kukatpally police station against them to register criminal cases," land protection officer Venkateswara Rao said. Kukatpally inspector V Surender Reddy said when the demolition was taking place, five persons were taken into preventive custody and released later. He said a complaint was yet to be lodged by the revenue authorities against the land grabbers.

KCR puts off Delhi visit

KCR puts off Delhi visit

HYDERABAD: TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao postponed his New Delhi tour yet again. KCR was scheduled to leave for New Delhi on Monday.Without stating any reasons for the postponement, a senior TRS leader said the visit has been rescheduled for next week.

Obama Say no to Bangalore, yes to New York

Obama Say no to Bangalore, yes to New York

Say no to Bangalore and yes to Buffalo,’ seems to be the latest mantra of US President Barack Obama as he struggles to bring the ailing American economy back on track. Meeting one of his major election promises, Obama announced end to years of tax incentives to those US companies which create jobs overseas in places like Bangalore. Instead, the incentives would now go to those creating jobs inside the US, in places like the Buffalo city - bordering Canada in upstate New York. "We will stop letting American companies that create jobs overseas take deductions on their expenses when they do not pay any American taxes on their profits," Obama said at White House announcing the international tax policy reform. "We will use the savings to give tax cuts to companies that are investing in research and development here at home so that we can jump start job creation, foster innovation, and enhance America’s competitiveness," Obama said. The new tax laws are expected to majorly hit countries like India, China and Philippines, where US companies have been outsourcing their work. Hitting hard at the current taxation system, to which he had been very critical since his election days and as a Senator, Obama said: "It’s a tax code that says you should pay lower taxes if you create a job in Bangalore,India, than if you create one in Buffalo, New York." Reiterating his campaign rhetoric, the US President said: "The way we make our businesses competitive is not to reward American companies operating overseas with a roughly two per cent tax rate on foreign profits; a rate that costs taxpayers tens of billions of dollars a year." Obama said he wants US companies to remain most competitive in the world. "But the way to make sure that happens is not to reward our companies for moving jobs off our shores or transferring profits to overseas tax havens," he argued. Announcing a set of proposals to crack down on illegal overseas tax evasion, close loopholes, and make it more profitable for companies to create jobs here in the US, Obama said his series of tax reforms would save USD 210 billion in the next 10 years. Under new measures, American companies would also have to disclose before the IRS details of the income American citizens are generating in overseas accounts. "For years, we’ve talked about stopping Americans from illegally hiding their money overseas, and getting tough with the financial institutions that let them get away with it," he said.

Chiranjeevi to meet cadres

Chiranjeevi to meet cadres

HYDERABAD: Prajarajyam party president K Chiranjeevi would soon embark on an elaborate exercise to interact with mandal-level and village-level PRP leaders over the next 10 days. Though the schedule has not been finalized, messages have been sent to all contestants to shortlist at least 20 names in their respective constituencies who sincerely took the party to the masses. These 20 leaders would have direct interaction with the party president and they in turn would be asked to identify 50 leaders at the mandal-level and village-level, who would have an opportunity to meet the party president and share their experiences over dinner. Party sources said that the dinner diplomacy was being planned to keep the cadres’ morale high till the day of counting, May 16. Strangely, Chiranjeevi would be doing an exercise which his arch political rival and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu completed well before the conduct of elections in the state. Meanwhile, the PRP president was on a high on Monday with more than satisfactory feedback from contestants in East Godavari, West Godavari and Visakhapatnam. The review meetings held to assess the party’s performance in East Godavari and West Godavari ended on a buoyant note with party leaders exuding confidence that the party would win 28 out of the 34 assembly seats. Contestants who attended the meeting claimed that women and first-time voters in both the Godavari districts came out in large numbers to cast a `decisive vote’. The polling percentage in both the Godavari districts was as high as 81.5 per cent. The PRP president has reviewed the party’s performance in 22 districts and the last one on the list is Krishna district, which would be reviewed on Tuesday. In response to a query, contestants from West Godavari said that they would strive for the victory of any candidate from Palacole, in case the party president decided to retain the Tirupati assembly seat. In another development, the party demanded the state government to announce and ex gratia of Rs 1 lakh to 38 people, mostly poor farmers, who died of sun stroke across the state in the past 48 hours.

NRI Swine Flu case Negative in Hyderabad

NRI Swine Flu case Negative in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD : All four persons, who had arrived here from abroad in the last few days and were suspected to be suffering from H1N1 flu, have tested negative for the virus. The samples taken from an NRI from Ontario in Canada, who was admitted to a hospital here after he complained of flu like symptoms on May 3, have also tested negative for the H1N1 virus, professor, respiratory medicine at government Chest hospital Dr Sudhakar said. The doctor said that the NRI, who was kept in isolation, has been discharged from the hospital after tests proved negative at the national institute of communicable diseases, New Delhi. "Since Sunday evening no new case was reported while the passenger from Ontario in Canada has been discharged from hospital today," he added. About 3,000 passengers, coming from the US, Latin America and Europe, were screened during the last one week and only four passengers from Mexico, San Francisco, Frankfurt and Ontario had reported some flu like symptoms. The Andhra Pradesh medical and health department with the coordination of Hyderabad international airport authorities has deputed a team of doctors at the airport and Chest hospital or the screening of the suspected patients. Dr Sudhakar said a nodal agency which is looking after these disease is working round the clock to provide necessary assistance to people.

Rahul Im confident Left will support PM

Rahul Im confident Left will support PM

NEW DELHI: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he was sure that the UPA would form the next government at the Centre. “We will form the government,” he said, while addressing a press conference in New Delhi. ( Watch )Confident that the Congress would return to power, he claimed the BJP-led NDA was finished on the ground. "But in a democracy, if it so happens, we have no choice," he said in reply to a question whether Congress would sit in the opposition. Significantly, Rahul gave clear signals of working with the Left parties in the post-poll scenario, saying Congress is always open to post-poll alliances. He added he was confident that Left will support Manmohan Singh as prime minister. Asked if Congress would support the Left parties, which had supported the UPA for over four years, in forming the government, Rahul Gandhi appeared to be sarcastic when he said "we will consider that if the Left gets 180-190 MPs. We will consider them. I hope they are able to achieve that. If they do, I will be first person to say let us support Left". Gandhi was asked whether the Congress would consider a post-poll tie up again with the Left for forming the government in case of a hung verdict. "....on a lot of concepts we agree with the Left like education and health. There is a lot of meeting ground with the Left. There is absolutely no meeting ground with BJP for what they did in Gujarat and Karnataka and burnt Christians in Orissa. There is a lot of common ground to do with the Left. There is a reasonable amount of common space," he replied. Referring to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CB) removing Bofors accused Quattrocchi from its ‘most wanted’ list, Rahul said, “Quattrocchi issue is a dead issue. There is no interest in it.” Referring to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CB) removing Bofors accused Quattrocchi from its ‘most wanted’ list, Rahul said, “Quattrocchi issue is a dead issue. There is no interest in it.”

Charu Arora telugu actress