Chalo Dilli (Hindi)

Sashant Shah

Cast:

Vinay Pathak and Lara Dutta

Rating:

**1/2

Mihika Banerjee is the kind of woman who is grossed out very easily. Manu Gupta is the kind of man who burps and farts all around. So when the two meet,as inevitably they do in this road movie,inspired by Hollywood classic Planes,Trains and Automobiles,there are initial fireworks which turn the fastidious uptight miss into a rumpled,carefree mess. In a good way.

The only way this sort of film can work is if the two people play well together. In the dull first half,nothing of the kind happens. Mihika,the not-a-hair-out-of-place CEO (Dutta),and Manu,the dukaandaar from Chandni Chowk (Pathak),are as cookie-cutter as they can get. She is in a short skirt with high stilettos. He is portly in printed polyester. The plane from Mumbai to Delhi gets diverted to Jaipur,and there commences a journey which uses all manner of transport: trucks,camel carts,jeeps,trains,and yes,cars.

The second half opens up the story,and gets more characters in just when we are about to drowse off . There’s a pitstop in a tiny Rajasthan town which boasts a hotel called Red Tomatoes,in whose basement Manuji enjoys an “only for gents” item number (at which point it has to be said that Yana Gupta’s attempt at reprising Laila O Laila is a total loss). Around then,Dutta decides to let down her hair,literally,getting in more expressions. Pathak is allowed welcome wiggle room,and camaraderie ensues. A sentimental climatic twist ends up being surprisingly not schmaltzy,and gives an interesting touch to Chalo Dilli,though it could have been crisper.