Directors' cut with Delhi

In our concluding edition of the series, we let the directors tell you about their eternal affair with Delhi, a muse that reinvents itself for each of their stories.
They’re all having an affair – and no, this is not filmi goss, but sirf sach, aur sach ke alawa aur kuch nahi. They love Delhi, you see, and are not shy about admitting it. That is why these filmmakers keep coming back for more.While for some it’s about returning to their roots, to the Dilli of their bachpan, for others, it’s the wonder of discovering Delhi for the first time. Like Rajshree Ojha of “Aisha” did. “Delhi’s like an onion,” she states with wonder, “and as you keep peeling off the layers, you keep discovering it.” Or like Dibakar Banerjee, who admits, “The films I made reflect Delhi for no other reason except that I grew up in Delhi. My style of filmmaking, till date, is based on characters and environments and usages and attitudes that I know in detail.” And they all caress the city from behind the lenses, making her look beautiful, and discovering the joys of making a film in Delhi all over again.
It is Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s memories of the Delhi he knew as a youth that made “Rang De Basanti” so poignant, it is Maneesh Sharma’s Pitampura lifestyle that let him see Punjabi weddings from close quarters that made “Band Baaja Baaraat” so much fun to watch. And of course, it is Danish Aslam’s fave college hangout, Dilli Haat, that became the backdrop for a scene in “Break Ke Baad”. “When people looked at me, and when they saw my film, the first thing they said was, ‘Yaar, iss bande ko Dilli badi pasand hai’. And that’s true. My movie is my take on the Delhi that I love,” says Maneesh. And some even admit Delhi makes them feel jealous! “Whenever I come here, and see the wide roads, big houses and the luxury of space, I am reminded of my own house in the overcrowded city of Mumbai,” says Imtiaz Ali. Ab yeh pyaar nahi toh aur kya hai?
And it is this love for Delhi that has made them what they are, they say. Like Rakeysh says, “I am an ardent Dilliwallah – everything that I’ve got in life, I’ve got it from Delhi. In all my works, more and more of that gets reflected.” Or as Ajay Kanchan, who’s directing a film on Chandrashekhar Prasad, the slain JNU student leader, says, “For a realistic filmmaker like me, Delhi is where the real stories are; stories with national and international impact.” And so are the locations. “Old Delhi is a microcosm of India,” says Rakeysh. “Delhi is an enigma; it’s like a person who changes everyday. It’s a beautiful city with cross-cultural influences,” says Rajkumar Gupta, who’s ready with “No One Killed Jessica”, based on a real Delhi story.
With so many people in love with it, no wonder the city’s becoming another mayanagri. Lekin kya in sab ka pyaar Dilli ko Dollywood bana payega? Dekhte rahiye...
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