Today I saw a movie ‘Chalo Dilli’ directed by Shashant Shah. I really liked the movie. Simple engaging, interesting and a piece of good acting by everyone.
These simple movies attract me more than high budget, multi starrer nonsense films… now see ra.one WTF??...
Chalo Dilli was nice little light hearted entertainer. Story was lara (mihika) misses her delhi flight due to various circumstances that start erupting as soon as she leave her office to airport…one person that was common in all these circumstances was Manu Bhaisahab (Vinay pathak). leading to these events Mihika misses flight, then taxi…then train and all this time Manu bhaisahab is with her... how??.. now that’s what the movie is about. Now mihika is some ceo of one of the major investment banking firm in Mumbai, and is goin to delhi to meet her husband (played by akshay kumar, special thanks to him :P) on her birthday. Manu bhaisahab is from dilli chandni chowk based, garment retailer.
Story has many predictable turns, but on every turn something is different (not the same old incidents). Story is funny at times, like on the situations when Mihika just can’t take the normal middleclass Indian lifestyle, as she is used to top notch society. little little elements of innocent human nature has also been reflected which brings smile to your lips. Sometimes movie is bit draggy, but soon something new happens that takes up my interest. Dialogues of the movie are again very good and catchy, especially mihika’s conversation with the taxi service provider guy at Jaipur international airport. Dialogues are witty, very apt and have nice touch of day to day dialect. Arshad syed the writer as well as dialogue writer for the film has done a nice job. I appreciate him especially for his dialogues.
Little details which make scenes amusing are not avoided, as - when mihika starts for Mumbai airport from her office, she encounters book selling and flower selling kids on the signal who pester her for giving them 2rs for food. Then those kids start peeping in her laptop on which she is working. She gets irritated and shifts to other side of the car, where also two eunuchs approach her asking for money and and knocking briskly on her car window. When they leave Mihika locks the car internally. This sequence really makes you go into the film and Mihika's irritated mood, coz every person in Mumbai each and every day goes through these situations on traffic signal, sometimes we really get irritated coz of them, esp. when your getting late for a flight.
Characters have done justice to the roles. Lara is ravishing as ever, Vinay pathak is best in his role sometimes you feel for him (when u have to) sometimes you hate him doing yucky things. Other characters like truck driver, dhabe wala kid, dhabe wala owner, taxi driver and hotel manager of Red tomato palace are all adding flavour to the movie.
The only disappointing and unnecessary fragment of the film is the, item song featuring Yana gupta, it is totally out of place and movie looks much better by forwarding the song.
It is a sure watch "one time", for dialogues and if you like small budget light hearted flicks.
Most amusing thing for me was, there was a huge paper cutout of a colorful camel saying "Padharo mhare des" kept at Jaipur Internation airport, as shown in the movie. Now I wonder is it really like that there??? A huge paper camel standee-poster… hehe J.
I would give this film 
.5 (3.5 thumbs up /5).
I really wish to travel like this taking flavor of each and every place :).
