Chalo Dilli

The last few weeks had been hectic and i thought i would gift myself a tiny break over the weekend. So, a dinner out gorging over handi mutton, was followed by a movie on demand at my home. I lay in my bed, determined to have a chilled out experience watching Chalo Dilli, eagerly looking forward to the funny rendition of simple things in life which only Vinay Pathak, the protagonist of the movie can perform to perfection.

Chalo Dilli is about the glorious misadventure of a lady corporate hi-flyer (who happens to own a Rs. 200 crore company and played by Lara Dutta), traveling to Delhi. And it so happens, almost like the very dead Murphy would say, that everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. Over the twisting and turning journey, the so very "particular", beautiful and well turned out, "successful" Mika Banerjee, realises the insignificance and fecklessness of  her pride, her panache and her penchant for independence in navigating through unforeseen travails that life presents. On the other hand, our dear friend Manu Gupta, easily wades through these tribulations, with a smile and a laugh. Manu is a not so succesfull trader from Chandni Chowk, and the contrast between the two main characters of the movie could not have been more stark. Nothing is a big deal for Manu, whether its traveling without a train ticket or facing a set of rogues or befriending small town politicos. He even manages to hook a lift for the two, with jeep-mounted gangsters. His ability to quickly make friends with anyone and everyone using his rustic honesty and some doses of street smartness, stands out even as Mika fumes and festers whilst hanging on to "Manu bhai saheb" for dear life.

Its only at the end of the long journey, which takes us through several small towns and villages of Rajasthan, that Mika figures what the big deal really is. Manu's wife has been in coma for several years now.While that saddens him at times, he refuses to run away from his problems. Our smiling samaritan refuses to live a life of regrets.

A truly Indian movie which could only have been made in India. (Slumdog Millionaire can take a walk!)

Keep Walking...with a smile!