Delhi 6 Movie Review

With Delhi 6, Rakesh Mehra brings together Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor, son and daughter of two Bollywood superstars (Amitabh and Anil Kapoor) of the 80s. Mehra’s last film, Rang De Basanti was critically acclaimed, raked in the moolah at the box-office and swept most awards. Undoubtedly the expectations are high, does Delhi 6 live upto it?

Delhi 6 is about Roshan (Abhishek Bachchan) a half-hindu half-muslim boy from US of Indian origin. He comes to India with his grandmother (Waheeda Rehman), who wishes to spend the last days of her life in her hometown. Roshan is amazed by the love, warmth and the sheer madness of the area. Soon he meets Bittu (Sonam Kapoor), who dreams of making it big at the Indian Idol and is quite desperate not to marry the guy her father chooses for her. What happens next forms the rest of the Delhi 6 tale!

Delhi 6 Review

10 things that didnt work in Delhi 6

  1. The pace of the film is too slow. The first hour is a complete drag, it picks up slightly post interval but the last 20 – 30 mins is a let down.
  2. The film lacks sense! There is something called Kaala Bandar in the area, which Abhishek explains (to the people) was seen, yet invisible! How can anything be seen, yet be invisible?
  3. The film reminds you of Ashutosh Gowariker’s Swades and Madhuri Dixit’s Aaja Nachle at times
  4. There is so much happening in the film and in the locality, add to it the many characters and stories that Mehra has squeezed into Delhi 6, it gets highly monotonous to sit through. You dont really know, what to see, where to see, what to understand or what to take out of the film!
  5. Sonam Kapoor has limited screen-time. It takes about quarter of an hour, for the most relatable character in the film, to actually mouth her first dialogue.
  6. The film ends up being too preachy.
  7. Without revealing much, the typical happy-happy ending actually works against the film. Not to mention the over dramatic scenes involving Abhishek during the climax.
  8. Abhishek Bachchan’s performance was disappointing to say the least.
  9. The cinematography was below average
  10. The whole lovemaking scene involving Cyrus Sahukar. Pathetic! Was that meant to be funny Mr Mehra?

The 3 saving graces of Delhi 6

  1. Sonam Kapoor – Brilliant as Bittu
  2. The character actors – did a fantastic job. Especially Vijay Raaz and Pawan Malhotra. Aditi Rao, Sonam’s aunt in the film, deserves a special mention – great screen presence.
  3. The music – A.R. Rehman rocks!

Overall, Delhi 6 is one of the biggest disappointments of the year. A ludicrous film that’s not worth the price of your ticket.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

What do you think of Delhi 6? Post your own Delhi 6 Reviews below

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120 Comments

  • too bad 4 sonam…i thnk shes too gud…bt 4 abishek well he shud retire nw……ws xpectin smthng big frm rakesh m mehra aftr rdb…….too bad!!

  • Ooopsss…. This is the movie I was waiting for a so long… Only two star… Anyway I have not seen the movie yet , so I will save my comments for later.

  • well i knew it about this movie…i just want to see Sonam Kapoor only coz she is rock.i think Abhishek bachan has to take retire now.

  • thanx for the review.. i was never planning to watch the movie in any case cos it strs my favorite flop star abhishek bachchan who is so pathetic to look at that prem chpra scores over him his last acts have all been dumb to speak the least ..and im sure commoners can act better than him .. from the promos it was damn clear what the film is all about.. the pigeon walk doesnt make the film work neither willl monkeys.. so than x indicine for showing me the light… i shall stay away and do the most prohibitive act…download from the torrent sites and watch after 5 days.. my money is safe with me..thanx again…abhishek b ..JAI HO

  • Will watch surely atleast once..Just coz of abhishek. We cant call him a flop star considering the acting of Bluff master , Dhoom, Sarkar.

  • This review is pretty much on the dot. While I am all for artistic movies, and enjoyed Saawariya, this was neither that or a typical masala flick. Throughout the movie I wondered if Aamir Khan would have made this movie better. To be fair to Abhishek though, this movie doesn’t have much of a plot, or a role for him. When he does get some dialogues, that’s when the movie actually gets interesting. Anyways, wait for it on dvd. Sonam Kapoor has very limited scope in this movie. All in all, not worth the $10.50.

    PS – Indian actors should NOT attempt American accents. It does not fly at all!

  • I watched the film DELHI-6.sorry indicin critics but i like it.it is not a great movie but it’s a good one .abhishek and sonam has done terrific job .others,each and every actor has acted too well.
    and last but not least ,a.r.reheman has given an OUTSTANDIG music.
    I AM GOING WITH A PERFECT 3 OUT OF FIVE STAR.

  • Swapnil, I know you are just a Abhishek Bachan/Sonam Kapoor fan, and dont want to let them down. But being a fan of theirs doesn’t mean you support all their movies. I think Guru and Saawariya were excellent, good movies respectively. But in this one they barely had a role. Abhishek was quiet throughout the movie, and when Sonam Kapoor tried flirting with him, his reply was “right”. There was no chemistry between the two of them, whatsoever. Abhishek, either needs better movies, or just needs to learn how to act, but Ive seen him in Guru, Yuva, and I know he is fully capable of being an amazing actor.

    Next up: Mani Ratnam’s Raavana; expectations from that are mammoth esp after Guru. I personally love him, one of the finest directors in Indian cinema.

  • Not going deep inside the story and plot because till end I could not find a single rational storyline, not even parallel one, not eve an askew one. NRI returns to Chandni Chowk from Amrika with his ailing grand-ma (her last wish). The boy definitely like any firang desi is amused at everything. The traffic jams, cows giving birth in middle of the road, padosi behaving, interfering and yak-yakking like family members, the narrow lanes adorned with gazillion shops. Almost everything. His NRI mind is looking for an identity in the chaotic assembly. He is confused soul. So much so that by the middle of the movie he imagines one whole song where Amrika and Delhi are mixed. Watch it to believe how grossly that was shot.

    The infamous ‘Monkey-Man’ that created a menace in Delhi few years back is the central character. Others are just supporting cast. Great performers but sadly irritating after some point of time. There are so many characters that director is busy introducing them right till the end. Zoya recently showed truck loads of them but you can identify them and remember them in LBC. In this case, you get assaulted. There is nothing that you carry when you walk out. Music? Yes, to an extent. The music no doubt is outstanding one, this truth is already established. But, the songs are placed so absurdly you almost feel sorry for A.R. Rehman. ‘Rehna tu’ in particular (which is a soft romantic number) will disappoint you the most.

    ROPM tried to preach us the lesson of unity in diversity but he failed. Abhishek and Sonam’s much talked of chemistry is invisible. Bilkul thanda, barf jaisa. It is sad to watch artists like Sheeba, Supriya, Om Puri, Pavan Malhotra, Rishi Kapoor being wasted. Mass assassination. And the preaching that every human has monkey inside along with the god doesn’t go down well. I did not feel for any character or situation. Waheeda’s stubbornness of not returning to Amrika gets a jolt when her grand-son yells at her and she gets teary-eyed. I did not feel sympathetic towards her. Abhishek gets shot. I did not care whether he lives or die. Sonam who looks gorgeous in any outfit is totally wasted. She gets to howl again like Saawariya in the end and this time it’s for real yet I did not feel anything for her. Few scenes here and there brings in some moments but then that’s long forgotten by the time you try to finally listen to Mr. Director and look for monkey inside you. But it’s too late by then and the show is over.

  • The infamous ‘Monkey-Man’ that created a menace in Delhi few years back is the central character. Others are just supporting cast. Great performers but sadly irritating after some point of time. There are so many characters that director is busy introducing them right till the end. Zoya recently showed truck loads of them but you can identify them and remember them in LBC. In this case, you get assaulted. There is nothing that you carry when you walk out. Music? Yes, to an extent. The music no doubt is outstanding one, this truth is already established. But, the songs are placed so absurdly you almost feel sorry for A.R. Rehman. ‘Rehna tu’ in particular (which is a soft romantic number) will disappoint you the most.

  • I didn’t like Rang de Basanti as well as Delhi6. yaah.. as u said Indicine Team.. the movie is slow but the story is about some ignorants who live in Delhi6 ( is it old Delhi?) and their culture or their belief whatever. The movie won’t work overseas for sure, it might please some of you but not all.

    Indicine Team: this movie can’t be compared to Swades or Ajah Nachle.. these 2 movies were far better than Delhi6..

    The best part is the song and the scene of (Mazaak Ali) that’s all. Sonam Kapoor’s acting was good, Abhishek wasn’t ( Abhishek in this movie was like someone slapped him to do this role!!)

    It’s not worth yr ticket or to be watched on a big screen, only on a dvd.

  • i wonder what amitabh bachchan has to say about this movie which also shows delhi underbelly ..the crowded streets cows on the road etc..he had earlier slammed slumdog for showing the poverty line of india ..wonder what he has to say about his sons movie which also shows our old beliefs and customs and which is also going to be shown internationally..somehow delhi 6 doesnt strum your heart the way his earlier film did rakesh mehra i.e
    i want to know why big b lent his voice to a movie which i consider is no less in showing the indian values as similar to what we saw in slum dog ..which btw has won so many accolades..this one will not even win hearts …awards are a far off affair

  • also as someone pointed out the chemistry between sonam and abhishek is absent..you should have sen these two on the indian idol show where they sat at a distance and made cussy remarks over each other.. both must be full of huge egos ..after all their fathers are in limelight..one for acting in the movie slumdog and the other for slamming it…!!!!

  • This movie is very very very good movie. Delhi 6 will be the first hit movie of 2009. Abhi and Sonam rockssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

  • @ Nitu

    I understand that you are an abhi fan.But that doesnt make this movie to be called a good one.It certainly lacks a good storyline.I would say it is going to be a big flop of 2009.

  • finally mangaed to see the movie from the net and true to my sense ..is the worst movie ever…the flop king has scored another to his mushroomig cap of flops.. i now understand who the kala bander was in the film…abhishek bachchan.. this guy is so wooden that a table top will emote better…the entire movie is clumsily made .. i think only low iq people can follow whats happening .. i must have taken 50 stoppages before i completed the film ..the songs seemed out of place ..waheeda rehmans character was totally forgotten in the mayhem that was going on in the movie in the name of cinema .. this one beats cc2c by many miles…yes it is a flop no two thoughts about it

  • Hi caramel,
    i shocked by reading your comments on the film RANG DE BASANTI
    Did’nt u like the film??????????????…………………..ha ha ha ha ha ………………..ha ha ha ha
    ALL INDICINE READERS PLEASE REPORT THIS COMMENT

  • Swapnil: is it by force or what?!!!!! I didn’t like the direction of the movie, I didn’t like Aamir Khan’s acting in the last scene.. was a crap.. I just loved the comedy scenes of Aamir and the song Rang de basanti.. but I don’t consider it as one of his best movies, therefore when I knew that Delhi6 was made by the hands of the same director I had a doubt.. that might not be a good one!

  • Swapnil, What’s wrong if Caramel did not like RDB? For that matter, I enjoyed RDB except the climax. Climax was totally screwed. And then showing youth blabbering ‘hum ye kar denge’, ‘hun wo kar denge’ was too cliched. The suicidal climax was irrational to say the least.

  • Hello everyone, After watching RDB i was really anxious to see Delhi 6 but after watching the movie i was really deppressed , the movie is all crap yar ,I think Abhishek needs to work more hard to be called Juniur Bachan but the only thing that made be watch the whole movie was “SONAM KAPOOR” she was looking
    damm cute and the songs by mr Dilip kumar(now A R rehman) was as usual stunning .

  • I managed to see Delhi 6 Monday night. Till now because of the recession,I was very hesitant to go and see a movie which has been hammered so badly by the critics.Oops .. I meant to say ‘film trade analysts’. I haven’t written much film reviews thro’out my life (Only 2 before this) , but Delhi 6 prompted me to write one.

    Yeah .. you guessed it right. I LIKED it. A director of a film has all the rights to make a film and tell a story in a way he wants. Sometime they mould their film making with ‘feel good fundas’ for a box office appeal. Having tested the box office success with RDB, Rakeysh Mehra goes the way he wants to go and show cases his real style of film making. That’s Delhi 6. The film takes me back to the childhood days , when we all used to watch serials like Hum Log and Buniyad. Its really refreshing.

    I guess everyone should be knowing the story by now. Those who feel RDB was better , you can draw parallels between RDB and Delhi 6. Here are few of them –
    The songs are used up to first stanzas and they gel well with the execution of the film
    In RDB, the Bhagat Singh drama runs parallel with the cotemporary story so does the Ramleela in Delhi 6.
    At the end, user is left with something to think about and ask a question “Do I need to change the way I am living my life ?”

    For those who have seen the movie and could not understand the ideologies conveyed in the film, here is an interpretation –

    The Kala Bandar – Most of you might think the film should have been named “Kala Bandar”. To me the bandar is an common enemy. Remember the Hindu and Muslim mob forget their fights and run behind the Kala Bandar towards the end. Its the inner beast within you which you should be able to kill. I loved this device.
    Masakkali – Its used to depict Sonam Kapoor’s current state of life. A pigeon with tied wings.
    Ramleela – This runs parallel with the story and was used as a tool beautifully to show age old issues in India like Choot-Achoot etc.
    The cast was fantastic. Om Puri, Pawan Malhotra, Atul Kulkurni, Waheed Rehmaan,Rishi Kapoor …blah blah blah. It was such an pleasure to watch all the powerhouse performers of Indian Cinema on the screen together. The music works big time and has been used effectively. You better know why Rehmaan sir deserved an Oscar. Abhishek is superb in the film.
    No matter some people feel his US accent was fake. But hey , Did Shahrukh Khan use it in Swades ? The answer is NO. Sonam Kapoor is an pleasure to watch. I wish she had a bigger role.

    Final words? .. Go for it ! Watch Abhishek getting amused to see the Ramleela, watch Sonam Kapoor dance to the tune of Masakkali, watch Vijay Raaz as a sarfira cop, watch the charming Rishi Kapoor … Watch it to Celebrate India !

  • This abishek bachan just seems to be getting worse with each movie. What the hell was the director thinking when he decided to cast him in this horrible piece of worthless crap of a movie. I guess abhishek thinks that just because he’s amitabh’s son any movie he will make will become a hit by default. This movie was so boring that within 10 or 15 minutes I lost all interest. There was absolutely no story line, and abhishek just sleeps walks through most of the movie, I was so confused and nothing was making any sense to me. Just stay away from this movie everyone its really bad.

  • abhishek bachchan is such a zero wonder what aish sees in him ..his new look is so pathetic that wonder he bothers to see the mirror anytime of the day?!!!! the movie is as atrocious as it gets ..the second wk friday collections all over have been poor..so this is asecond flop for sonam kapoor..and the umpteeenth for the bachchan guru ..wonder if directors will take a note and stop signing him up…his look with and without the monkey mask is the same!!! i could not inderstand how any girl could fall in love with such a kaala bandar!!..this was a foolishly made and emoted film mr mehra must be shattered now with the result ..he should know ..people audience is never wrong…

  • Well, for me it was a very sensitive , a simple, warm ,cultural , definitely with a politica lmessage and why not, cry of the hour. I just simply fell in love with the movie. It takes lot of guts to make a movie like this.
    Happy tht for once songs were not sung around trees or silly, disco jamm. No Idiotic disco bhangra It was pictuerised in India, shows the way Delhi_6 really is.It is an amazing movie. people should thnik about the each line thats said or written. Rehnu tu was so well meant , Love fo r Nation, City, fellow countrymen
    and yes for LOVERas well. what a beauty and sensitivity.
    This coorporate worldis changing lives fast and leaves no time for little details which acutally are so vital and enhance beauty of a human.

    I just LOVED THIS MOVE and cn´t have enough of it.
    There are so many insensitive and worthless movies made by lot of youth ICONS, which are disasterous.
    GO WATCG AGAIN; if ou didn´tlike it for the first time. don´t smoke or drink a Beer for a day but watch the movie.

  • For those of you who want to deliberately punish or torture yourselves, and love inflicting pain on yourself, this is the perfect movie for you all. Acutally any of abhishek’s movies would be good, this one and his last movie drona. I guess his dad must be paying all these directors under the table to take him in their movies, and what ever losses they make I guess his dad secretly pays them for it. I totally agree with the last comment what the hell does aish see in him and his look lately is so stupid he looks like some villager with the moustache or whatever he is trying to support, I guess she was just in it for the money.

  • hi caramel,
    sorry, i m not forcing u for RDB.i think it’s insult of the film if i force someone to like RDB
    i understand that everyone has different choice
    but all i can say to u is that watch RDB once again

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