Delhi 6 and Valkyrie - back to back

But before I start on that…. I am so excited!!!! The most fabulous thing in the world .. the most brilliant thing– AR Rahman and Gulzar winning an Oscar…. However, why didn’t Rahman mention Gulzar in his speech… but never mind!!!!

So back to Delhi 6 and Valkyrie… I love watching back to back movies. The thought when one movie is about to end.. hey I am going to watching another movie after this.. so its not really coming to an end!!! Though it didn’t happen that way this time…

Delhi 6

It started off on a good note. I liked the sights and sounds of Delhi.. was looking for it keenly .. found it the various characters.. the glimpses of food they show and of course the Ram Leela … It was nice .. well at first… and then…

Abhishek Bachchan is accompanying his grandma to Delhi (from US)… he has this accent which is quite nice.. doesn’t look fake.. he actually looks like an Indian dude America returned… who expresses astonishment at everything that happens here.. right from traffic.. to cows giving birth on the road (really?)… a politician barging into a ramleela and giving a speech… some things are deliberately ostensibly made to be delhi.. cow giving birth on the road… oh well!!!!

So anyway, here they are .. in old Delhi… the bylanes of old Delhi… which has been shown / built very nicely.. then come this bevy of characters .. a laala and his young wife.. 2 brothers who have fought and put a wall in between the house… a jamadaar.. a shopkeeper, a photographer.. all of them of various castes/ religions living together.. this togetherness emphasized by everyone running to rush the grandma to the hospital!! This part you can identify with.. I guess anyone can because it is true of any city in India!!!

And then comes the Black Monkey.. which has been used as a .. I cant say a metaphor.. used as a.. as a .. ok I am not getting the word for it.. but basically the story revolves around these characters .. and how the black monkey weaves in and out of each of their stories.. now again this is something a delhi-ite will identify with… many many years ago, there was this rumour of there being a “monkeyman”.. towards east delhi / north delhi side…and the news channels were interviewing people wherein the people said all kinds of things .. showing scars and scratches that the monkey had made.. saying its a giant monkey etc.. … of course it was not as sensationalized as it would have been in the present context!! But yeah I remember it very well!!!

Everyone takes support of Black Monkey for their own purpose.. one guy to flee.. one woman to hide her affair.. kids to hide their mischief.. and of course it becomes religious / political.. with people saying monkey is muslim / hindu…and politicians jumping into the jambouree!!!!

I really liked the concept!! How this “Black Monkey” incident has been used to reflect on insecurities.. and how it totally becomes something else all together…

What I didn’t like was that the movie becomes too preachy in the 2nd half!!! A scene where Abhishek Bachchan talks about how there is god in each one of us… RDB sent a strong message but without being preachy!!! And the heaven scene wherein Abhishek Bachchan is with his Grandfather (Amitabh Bachchan) is a bit too much!!!!!

So the movie was ok.. not that great… the concept was really nice though!! But you end up feeling strange when the movie gets over!!!

ps : The music is most awesome!!!

Valkyrie

After Delhi 6 got over, we thought of watching Valkyrie.. but we had not booked the tickets.. the deal hatched with my husband right then being we will watch it only if we get the back row seats… so I fought, clawed my way through the ticket counter.. and actually got the "2nd row from back" tickets.. I really wanted to watch another movie.. so we got the tickets and we were back in the theatre.. the person at the snack bar asking us.. weren’t you here a while back??Believe me… it a joy to be back inside the theatre within 5 mins of a movie ending!!!

So Valkyrie is based upon a real incident (which incidentally I had heard about ) .. in the sense that .. I had watched a series on discovery/ NGC on all the failed attempts made on Hitler.. there were 15. This was the last I think.. and a few months after this incident Hitler committed suicide.

Tom Cruise plays the role of the protagonist, Col. Stauffenberg who is recruited into a team of people trying to kill Hitler and take over Germany. He looks extremely strange .. he shouldn’t be … right???? Esp being Tom Cruise.. I think it’s the hair style!!!!

So anyway, the entire movie revolves around this plot.. how they plan and try to assassinate Hitler and take over Germany irrespective of the assassination!!! They fail and are all killed.

That is essence of the story. I liked it .. though I wont call it riveting! It was nice and crisp!!! Yeah.. good to watch!!!