Zarre zarre mein usi ka noor hai
Jhaank khud mein wo na tujhse door hai…
So began the film.
Rakesh O Mehra has done it again. His latest poetry on celluloid is a multilayered explosion of sights and sounds that is an assault on one’s senses. And through this implosion of conflicting ideas that forms the very basis of the fabric named India, it holds the mirror and nudges us to take a second glance. Delhi six is all about introspection. Religion, caste, money, ego… before blaming others, look within. More than cinema, it is a lucid dream that is essentially the visual monologue of the director.
Binod Pradhan’s stunning cinematography and Reheman’s sound add context and texture to the movie. Pradhan’s work has an inconspicuous documentary style and every frame is a photograph. And by far this is the Maestro of Madras’s greatest work (Never mind slumdog…jai ho). The beauty of the film lies in its thought provoking yet simple and free flowing story line.
Realistic? Hell yeah! Yesterday on my way back the auto driver charged Rs 10 instead of the stipulated fare of six. When we- the four commuters, ganged up on him, he explained how he was suffering financially while drivers of another route went scot free with rule breaking because they were from a more ‘cohesive’ community that the police couldn’t bully. “Them Muslims…they will turn us minorities in our own country” pat came the reply. From my seat beside the driver I looked in the rear view mirror and saw a man who could be anyone from my uncle to your dad! The mirror announced- ‘Objects in the mirror are closer than what they appear.’ Irony? Maybe......
62 years post independence; yet it continues! Perhaps it’s time to take another look in the mirror?
Photo courtesy: http://delhi6.co.in
