Delhi in Bollywood

In Hindi cinema Delhi is the most under represented city. Bombay has this song and most films are based there with names like this. Calcutta too has had its share with Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi and Do Bigha Zameen to Parineeta and Yuva.

But Delhi. Seems like this is city is lost in a black hole between between Mumbai and Simla. When Metro came out I thought it was about the Metro but I was in for a disappointment.

When Delhii Heights(with two i s) came out (although it showed an apartment complex that could only have been in Gurgaon), I though let me make my list of Delhi films and I’m not talking about Sarfarosh, or Chandni. The city does not show up in them. Please do not even start me on 1947 Earth to Lakshya because many of the locations were old monuments which we never go to.

Rang De Basanti and Cheeni Kum were shot in the city but both got a lot of elements wrong. Remember the room that the gori chick stays in and the empty courtyard of Qutub Minar in the climax of Cheeni Kum. Get real guys.

Ek Hasina Thi and Monsoon Wedding captured the city and its landscape very well blending it into the story. Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi used the older parts of the city (CP and North Delhi) to good effect. Chashme Baddoor captured life in South Delhi before south Delhi became popular.

But the best for me has been Khosla Ka Ghosla. This film told the story of a family looking for a plot to build a house and the ups and downs they go through. The film is very dilli like. The characters are what you will meet here everyday. Watch this flick for the all the things you find funny and exasperating about Delhi.

Any favourite city flicks that you have?