Filmy Dilli!

Mumbai has always been known as the home of Bollywood, or rather the Indian Film Industry. Delhi, for some obscure reason, was never really a hot spot for filming movies. It surprises me, as with its ample open spaces, green boulevards, historical monuments, and remnants of old-world charm, it appears to me as a pretty darn good destination for the Bollywood moghuls. But recently, it seems Bollywood has woken up to Delhi in a big way. And being a hard core Dilliwalah, I'm lovin' it!!

A host of movies in recent past have had at least some parts shot in this gorgeous, ancient abode of Dil walahs. Though I must say, I had never really given much thought to this while I was here. Only when I became a NRD (Non-Resident Delhiite), and spent two years of life in Pondicherry, did I begin to appreciate even a slight glimpse of my city in the movies! I still remember, watching Love Aajkal for the second time, when it was screened as part of one of the regular film festivals at the University. As soon as that particular stretch shot in Delhi (lasting not more than a few minutes) came on, I was hooting and cheering (highly atypical of me, as people who know me will tell you) like a rockstar's groupie!! The metro, Delhi haat, the wide roads, green tree-lined boulevards, the Red fort stretch of ring road...... all these must have passed in a matter of few minutes, but for me the thrill of that entire movie was encapsulated in those moments. Can you imagine, what would have happened If I had made it to Delhi 6's screening!? I saw that one too when I was in Pondy, and I still feel it is one of the best representations of the city, along with Delhi Heights, and now apparently Band Baaja Baarat, even though most of it was shot in Jaipur!! In fact, it sounds lame now, but as soon as the train used to enter Delhi on my return trips from Pondy, I would set my mp3 player to only play these two songs - ye Delhi hai mere yaar (Dilli 6) and Dilli by Rabbi Shergill (Delhi Heights) - while I soaked in the sights and sounds of the city!!! Tried to create my very own Filmy moments there!

In fact, I was excited about seeing Break ke Baad and Band Baaja Baarat only because of the AIIMS flyover and the green CNG low floor bus in their trailers respectively. And when the latter turned out to be entirely set in Delhi, with Dilli almost like a character in the film, with the Dilli wali lingo, and Delhi University campus proving to be icing on the cake, I couldn't help but salivate and begin to listen to Ainvayi Ainvayi at least ten times a day! Still waiting for a chance to catch these two movies.

I always used to rue the fact that Delhi could not boast of an extraordinary ode to itself, unlike Mumbai which has such a beautiful, immortal song dedicated to it (ye hai Bombay meri jaan). The only two songs that even come close are ye Delhi hai mere yaar (Dilli 6) and Dilli by Rabbi Shergill (Delhi Heights). The upcoming movie, No one killed Jessica, also features two songs on Delhi, but they don't even come close in terms of an ideal tribute. Though I must admit that some of the lyrics in aali re, like "Dilli hai dil waalon ki par hoton pe to gaali re", are unfortunately true. Looks like I'll have to take up this responsibility of penning down an ode to this city of mine on my own shoulders! Anyone up for composing?



Some of the films in recent memory which have had the life of an average Delhiite at their hearts are Do dooni chaar, Dil Dosti etc., and Pyar ke Side Effects. I have heard that the first one beautifully tells the story of an middle class Delhi household and its aspirations, while Dil Dosti etc. is I guess, the first film with proper DU life as its background. I wonder why more film makers don't exploit DU? And how can I forget Aisha, Sonam Kapoor's showcase for the elite, rich, pretentious and snooty Delhi, which shops in DLF Emporio and Khan market, has a luxury car for each family member, and frequents art galleries and polo matches. And I believe the rest of India, sees Delhi usually with this perspective only.

Another face of Delhi, that movie makers have now and then loved to show in their films, is its old world charm, Purani Dilli, and the various monuments adorning the city thanks to the Mughals, Lodis and the British. While Fanaa packed in a sort of Dilli darshan in its first half, the song Bol na halke halke from Jhoom barabar Jhoom too brought out the beauty of Qutub Minar. In Kurbaan, Delhi and its wide open spaces were showcased when at their best, in winters! The foggy streets, winter clothes, Rajpath, Jama Masjid..... though Delhi did not get much screen time in the movie, it was enough to get me hooked! But I was left wishing that DU really has lecturers who look like Kareena Kapoor!! And Delhi does come out at its best in winters, though immortalized in a rather crass and vulgar fashion in the song Dilli ki sardi! But more on Delhi and its winters in another post.

Now, while writing this, I realize what a mammoth task I have taken upon in trying to chronicle Delhi's tryst with Hindi cinema. I still haven't even touched upon two of Hindi film Industry's biggest and most high-impact hits, both with the Aamir Khan stamp of quality cinema - Rang De Basanti, and 3 Idiots. While for RDB, Delhi provided the perfect setting for the portrayal of political activism, as well the exuberance and "Don't give a Damn!" attitude of today's youth (with IHC masquerading as DU!!), in 3 Idiots, it just played a titsy bitsy role, with a cameo by the iconic CP. In fact, RDB led to the first massive media-led movements for social justice, and brought the common man out on the streets in wake of the Jessica lal murder case (if I remember correctly). A unique case of life imitates art, and vice versa too, cuz now the highly anticipated film No one killed Jessica brings to screen that very same pioneering mass activism movement.

So before a myriad other films featuring Delhi start flooding my brain, I will wrap this up, hoping to catch Band Baaja Baarat and a simple request to the film-wallahs, ye Dil maange more of Dilli! And if you have Delhi in your film, you have my ticket!

Delhi University: The road to DU.

After more than a month of oscillating between periods of extreme workaholism and utter wastage of time (the latter eclipsing the former in both frequency and duration), I have finally decided to get back to the instrument of my salvation. This is one of the rare occasions where the mind is brimming with topics to write about. But the past few weeks have been very nostalgic with regards to the years spent in Sri Venkateswara College, or lovingly called as "Venky", University of Delhi. And all thanks to Facebook, the glue holding so many people all over the world together with their near and dear ones. The trigger seemed to be the uploading some of the photographs from the good ol' days in Venky, along with conversations and chats with many of my fellow guinea pigs. So here's an attempt to capture the best and worst of those days, while they are still slightly fresh in my memory.

Unlike most ambitious kids nowadays, I had never given much thought to what I would wanna do with my life after school. Yes for sure, there was the standard dream of becoming a doctor, given a keen interest in biology and total disdain for engineering. I had coasted through my years in school with pretty good grades without much hard work. I guess, that proved to be my undoing. I just couldn't get myself to put in the effort required to clear the onerous entrance examinations to get into a medical school. Very casually, after the board exams of class 12th ended, I indulged in all the delights deprived to me during the Boards, actually there was just one, watching television. I would eventually pick up the books, for an hour or so, just before going to bed. To me, that was more than enough. As for joining one of the myriad coaching institutes mushrooming all over, grilling students into entrance-exam clearing machines, it was out of the question. Hell, I'm too good for that! I was ashamed of even taking tuition for maths in 11th and 12th grades, though gave in to my mother's insistence. But that was as far as I'd bend. I stood my ground and staunchly refused to take classes for Physics, Chemistry or Medical entrance exams. Needless to say, each and every entrance exam was a zor ka jhatka, jo kaafi zor se laga.......! Still I kept up the charade of preparing for these exams for the two months after board exams. By the time I had realized that I don't stand a chance of clearing any of them, at least that year, it was time for the madness that descends on Delhi annually, the Delhi University admissions! Every year, from June 1st to 15th, admission forms are up for sale for the 80 odd colleges and numerous other departments and institutes that constitute the great University of Delhi (DU). Lakhs of students from all over India grapple for 60,000 odd seats in these colleges. And then from 25th June to 15th July the admission mayhem begins. This is seriously, one of the most entertaining phases in the year on Indian news channels. Their coverage of the newbie school students taking their first steps out in the "real world", some with their over-protective parents haggling along, while others trying to make it on their own, makes for an entertaining watch! Fashion trends are keenly observed, and college rivalries are played out at their optimum. Student Unions get into the act of impressing and attracting new followers and voters, and offer various sops and "assistance". Its an exciting time all around, as it was for me, making rounds of the South and North Campuses, attending orientation programmes, buying forms, trying to decide on the most favorable course and college option. It helped that I had secured enough marks in 12th to score a decent college and course. Like many others who appear for the afore mentioned entrance exams for medical and engineering colleges casually in their first attempt, I had a PLAN B - which was, not to waste one year, take admission in DU, (also can be read as, block some other kid's seat), spend that one year sincerely preparing for these entrances, and cracking them next year. It seemed easy and simple enough. So I took admission in B.Sc. life sciences, at Sri Venkateswara College, a five minute bus ride away from my home. It was an easy enough choice on the college, but not so much on the course. Though I was not severely inflicted with Decidophobia at that time, I was still switching from Life sciences to botany to anthropology to geology to english to history to chemistry. But keeping in mind my Plan B, I went for Life sciences, thinking it would be ideal for my medical preparation. So after a horrifying interview at St. Stephens, I took admission in Venky, and thus became a part of the elite DU alumni.