Cast: Manu Rishi, Vijay Raaz, Rajendranath Zutshi, Vishwajeet Pradhan
Director: Vijay Raaz
The year 1947 holds great importance in the lives of the people on both side of the border. The consequences of India-Pakistan partition - be it in the form of assassinations, communal riots or atrocities against women - which spread across the two countries, and marred the lives of many forms the plot of 'Kya Dilli Kya Lahore'. Actor Vijay Raaz's directorial debut 'Kya Dilli Kya Lahore' shows the pain and horror of Partition through the lives of Samarth Pratap Shastri (Manu Rishi), an Indian cook of Pakistani origin and Pakistani soldier Rehmat Ali (Vijay Raaz) who lived in Delhi's Chandni Chowk for close to 3 decades.
Set in 1948, post Independence period, 'Kya Dilli Kya Lahore' revolves around Pakistan's attempt to steal the blue-prints of a secret tunnel which is expected to be constructed by Indians from Lal Quila to Lahore. Following the orders of his senior, who is injured during Indo-Pak firing, Rehmat sneaks into the Indian post with the sole intention to get access to the confidential file. What begins as the heated argument over the decision to divide India and Pakistan, leading to exodus which further erupted into mass killings, soon turns into the playful exchange of teasing remarks about the days Rehmat and Samarth spent in their original cities Delhi and Lahore, respectively.
Dialogues in the film which offers an interesting mix of humor and pathos play an instrumental role to convey the thoughts and personalities of the film's two protagonists. While Samarth's one-liner 'Dil ki baat samajhtey nahi ho tum', when attacked by Pakistani counterpart exudes a strong sense of betrayal, Rehmat's quotes, 'Bada bhai samjha hota toh Pakistan ban na hi nahi tha', 'Hum Chacha Nehru karte reh gaye aur bhatije tum nikle' and 'Lahore mei kabza kiya tune , aur jhootey ho gaye hum' bring out the pain of Partition. Raj Zutshi, who plays an Indian postman in the film communicates the premise of the story with 'Ghadi aur chain ke liye desh baech diya'one of the most hard-hitting dialogues of the film. So yes, 'Kya Dilli Kya Lahore' manages to leave an indelible impact with its sharp, witty, layered dialogues.
Manu Rishi is as impressive and flawless in playing his part of an Indian bawarchi as penning down the dialogues of 'Kya Dilli Kya Lahore'. Whether it is his efforts to make his family believe that he is a solider and not a cook, or the ease with which he tricks Rehmat into believing that he would share the confidential file in exchange for his chain and wrist watch, Manu succeeds in making his character honest, realistic and not a caricature or a cliche. But it is the actor-turned-director Vijay Raaz who steals the show. It is the manner in which he highlights the personality of his character in all his films which make him such a unique actor. His quirky one-liners, angry retorts and the good old days he spent in the bylanes of Chandni Chowk sparkle effervescently throughout the film. With 'Kya Dilli Kya Lahore' Vijay has proved that he is a personality who can make cine-goers relate to, laugh at, treasure and remember for many many years. While reliable actor Raj Zutshi gets an opportunity to shine, Vishwajeet Pradhan hams through a few scenes.
What clearly doesn't work in favour of the film is its background score and songs composed by Sandesh Shandilya of 'Kahie Khushi Kabhie Gham' fame. Had it been appropriate and effectively employed, the impact could have been more intense. At close to two hours, 'Kya Dilli Kya Lahore' is slow paced and might not interest those who want lots of action and love roller coaster ride through the story.
Rating: 3
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