5 Films - Where The Cities Have Character

Paris Je T’aime (2006)

22 directors and 25 writers combined to bring you 20 stories from Paris that explored universal themes and specific emotions that one may find in this romantic city. Through the different neighborhoods of Paris, the film explores the journey of love, relationships as well as a journey that leads to awakening. The only theme that binds the 20 stories is the setting, and the emotion of love that is uttered synonymously with Paris. Paris Je T’aime is an example of how the people shape a city and how the city shapes its people in return.

Salaam Bombay (1988)

This Mira Nair work is one of those films that can be made only once. The neo-realist treatment showed the city of Mumbai from a completely fresh vantage point and the ease with which it was done was commendable. Shot on real locations, this film shows the dark side of the city of dreams – right from the cluttered, notorious red-light area of Falkland Road to the dark and eerie juvenile home. With character actors like Raghuvir Yadav, Nana Patekar and Irrfan Khan in the midst and most lead roles played by real kids from the slums, Salaam Bombay tears the mask off a lucrative city.

Delhi 6 (2009)

Rehna Tu, Hai Jaise Tu; Thoda Sa Dard Tu, Thoda Sukoon --- Hardly a handful of people noticed that this seemingly simple romantic song is being sung not to a person, but to the city. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Delhi 6 captures the essence of Purani Dilli by taking you through its narrow lanes, the Ram Leela celebrations and the tapestry of its people. The story is dipped in culture, and unfolds via a set of characters that are the most representative sample of the area. With a climax that didn’t go down too well with the audience, Delhi 6 was a photo album of moving visuals.

Manhattan (1979)

Starring Woody Allen and Diane Keaton, this is a classic Woody Allen film that tells a profound story in the simplest of forms. The story revolves around a divorced New Yorker who is dating a high-schooler, who brings himself to look for love in his best friend’s mistress. An Allen trademark, Manhattan also encompasses the predominant lifestyle of a particular city, and chronicles it through the well woven story of deep and real characters. It is just another film where the city rises from merely being a backdrop for the scenes but merges with the lives of its people, turning it into a magnificent metaphor.

Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)

Set in a turbulent yet obscure town of Wasseypur, this marathon film by Anurag Kashyap is an epic noir tale of revenge where three powerful families vie for control in the region. Beginning in post-independence India, the film throws light on a lot of socio-political issues like the pre-liberalisation socialist mentality, the coal scams as well as covers the post-liberalisation capitalist mindset. What stands out in this ‘muslim mahabharat’ is the setting that is explored in a very rooted yet global manner and shows the town of Wasseypur in a way no one had imagined.

Published in DNA After Hrs (Pune) on January 20, 2013