Made in Delhi

Abhishek Bachchan talks about his life- changing role in Delhi 6 — a film unveiled at DIFF.

When it comes to unveiling a Bollywood film, a bit of theatrics come with the territory. The Award-winning director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who released the trailers for his upcoming film Delhi 6, did not disappoint.

Playing up to the press, the captain arrived in an abra along with the stars Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor, and docked at the Madinat Arena before proceeding to the indoor press conference venue. As expected, Bachchan was his at his charming best as he introduced the film as a movie that showed the real India on celluloid.

"The film is about an NRI, [Non Resident Indian] based in New York, who brings his ailing grandmother to Delhi [the Indian capital]. His enchanting journey and his self discovery is what makes Delhi 6 special. It is also a movie that most foreigners would relate to. It's a lot more enchanting and enthralling than the picture of India peddled by the magazines. It's more real," says Bachchan.

A minute-long theatrical trailer, that initially showed Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor dancing with some pigeons in a quaint locality called Chandni Chowk and that culminated with some disturbing political unrest scenes, was also adequately demystified by the Dostana star.

"This movie is not intending to spread any social message of unity or peace. But what it will do is to make a person question the kind of decisions they make in their lives. It will make you think," said the actor, who has had a successful year with Sarkar Raj and Dostana becoming box-office hits.

"It's a wonderful time to be an actor. I get to play so many diverse roles and right now I am happy to let it all happen," says Bachchan.

The magnum opus, which cost Rs400 million (Dh32 million) also spelt a dream come true for Bachchan.

"Rakeysh and I had planned to make our first movie together 12 years ago. But that did not materialise. So it is safe to say that it took us 12 years to make our dream come true. And from my part, it has been a life-changing experience," adds the actor.

Mutual admiration

He also set the records straight by saying that the Delhi 6 (the numeral being the pin code for Old Delhi) was not an autobiographical account of the director's life.

"As much as I admire Rakeysh, the movie is not about the director," he added.

The mutual admiration was reciprocated equally by director Mehra, who was was all praises for his supremely talented cast. According to him, adequate rein was given to all the actors.

"After three days of shooting, I realised that my actors would not listen to a word of what I had to say. But jokes apart, they were so good that I knew that even if I spend a day sleeping in the make-up room, they would have done a better job at the scenes," he adds.

The comfort level between one-film-old Kapoor and the established actor Bachchan was palpable too. Formulaic hard-sell replies prior to a film's release and "wonderful" were some of the words that were commonly used in the hour-long press meet.

"Abhishek was a wonderful co-star. Also, he gave me acting tips and it did not feel as if he were 10 years older than me," quips Kapoor. Her not-so-subtle dig elicited a "no comments" reply from Bachchan.

"I did not even listen to the script before jumping on board. I could not believe my luck that a director like Rakeysh Mehra would approach me for a film. But after hearing the role, I fell in love with her eccentricities and quirks. She represents the Indian youth," she adds.

Kapoor made her debut with acclaimed filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period drama Sawaariya.

Delhi 6, which was shot back-to-back in three months, is slated to hit the theatres in February 2009.