Sunday, March 1, 2009

Delhi 6 - TWO and a half stars

Was waiting for this to arrive as the promos just made you want to see it...even a solitary poster was intriguing...so Rakeysh definitely got the PR and mktg right

The first 80% of the movie is cute, beautifully connecting everyday events with one non everyday event. The music makes the ride memorable and like any other Rakeysh film the cinematography, art direction, screenplay are luverly

He has gotten out of AR Rahman a kind of music that sounds hip, new, cool -- which settles over the film like a sensual silky piece of cloth. The music will ring in your ears long after you leave the cinema hall

There is an unforgettable song which is an Abhishek dream sequence, the whole song is like a painting and captures exactly those events -- ones we would normally see in a dream which are a bhel puri of the happenings of the previous few days

Sonam Kapoor looks good and acts just fine. Some new actors don't go down too well just because they don't have a voice and diction to match other huge talents. But not this girl, she is a "complete" talented package. Watch out for her and remember you saw it here first.
Trust Rakeysh to make simplicity look gorgeous and aspirational eg. how Sonam was picturised

I also wonder who designed Sonam's salwar khameezes - lovely and simple using unusual color palates and designs

Abhishek was his usual cool self, the role seemed tailor made for him. He carried the American accent well, without over pronouncing and made it look effortless. His impromptu dance steps in the terrace song "gende ka phool" was also cool

And then we come to the last 20% and you just say...WHY OH WHY?
Why did Rakeysh have to suddenly jump into the "explanation" mode which not only explains scenes which could have very well been left to the viewers imagination but also goes on to "preach" about everything in between. The last 1/2 hour is quite unbearable and almost makes you forget the breezy and nice earlier bits. Even the normally cool dude Abhishek looked strange mouthing off preachy dialogues. He had the "am I really saying all these things?" look on his face throughout those painful scenes

AND I don't want to hear anyone say that if we don't explain "so called" symbolic scenes then Indian audiences wont understand it. I completely disagree

On another note, I also don't like people saying "audiences have changed" , such movies [eg. DCH, RDB, Chak De] couldn't be made in the 80s...I ask -- if the film makers were not prepared to take risks then the audience had to make do with what was available. NOW better movies are available and hence people are appreciating them. It is like saying India can never have honest politicians because we as citizens won't appreciate them. What choice do we have if we have to choose between thieves, dacoits and murderers?
Henceforward if anyone throws these arguments at you, you know what to say!

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