Interview | 바카라�Delhi Is My Muse바카라�: Dibakar Das Roy On His Debut Feature Dilli Dark

Absolutely, I think it's a mandate for independent films to have an OTT release as default instead of a theatrical one. Although, we didn't want a token theatrical release and wanted to go all out. If the message goes out, people will discover the joy of how an indie film like ours can be equally entertaining as the masala ones. The divide that exists between so-called parallel or art cinema and commercial cinema바카라�we want to really help bridge that gap. The problem obviously is distribution and visibility. I think, post-pandemic, a lot of behavioural changes started happening, which made people visit movie halls only for the loud and punchy blockbusters, yet they have forgotten that before COVID, many superb indie comedies reigned on the big screens.

It takes a lot out of us to put ourselves out there. There are people who are writing in every day and I make sure that I'm replying to each comment and review. It's hard because not a lot of the cinema chains are patient with us. We've been doing an intense social media campaign. But, the press has been very kind in the last couple of days because journalists and film reviewers have really shown up and written about it and that's heartwarming. But it's hard getting people in and spreading the word. We are kind of hoping word of mouth gets out today and tomorrow, so we can make a difference.

A lot of incidents in my life and those I바카라�ve witnessed around me, have inspired this film. But there were also certain internal triggers that made me start questioning what it really means to be a dark-skinned person.

There바카라�s one particular incident I remember when I was in San Francisco. Two Black men were sitting behind me and laughing. I was quite young then and still struggling with deep insecurities about my dark skin. I often felt uncomfortable in public spaces. At one point, they asked me where I바카라�m from and I replied, 바카라�I바카라�m from India바카라�. They burst out laughing and blurted out, 바카라�Damn, my Indian brother바카라�you바카라�re blacker than we are!바카라� That moment really made me reflect. What does it mean to be dark-skinned? And what does it mean to be able to laugh at that?

Especially in a place where people are so careful about being politically correct or incorrect, that whole exchange triggered a lot within me. Of course, stories like these take time to fully form. There were many layers to it. For example, there was an African student I met in Delhi who had come to study film. When he arrived, he realised the medium of instruction at the college was Hindi. He couldn바카라�t understand it, so he would come and sit in our studio instead. He said, 바카라�I바카라�ve paid to be here, but I don바카라�t know what to do.바카라� So really, it바카라�s a collection of many such moments and encounters that have shaped the story.

I think Delhi is the perfect encapsulation of a flawed individual who's still allowed to be beautiful. Delhi is extremely vibrant바카라�whether it is its cultural, colonial or political history or its food, spirituality, architecture or music. I identify as a Delhiite, even though I've had this toxic on and off relationship with the city, but I truly love this place. Despite having lived in so many cities and even outside India, I believe Delhi is my muse. I've written a lot about it and I am going to write more about it. There are references to Delhi바카라�s history in my film, where it isn바카라�t just quintessentially 바카라�Indian바카라� but always inherently cosmopolitan. People from all over the world are living here, as they did, hundreds of years ago. I think it has always been a city of immigrants and it welcomes people from various walks of life with an open heart. Though its complexities too, persist.

There is a lot of literature, songs and movies about Delhi that are part of an ingrained subconscious. In Delhi 6 (2009), an element that I particularly like is the story of the monkey man, who was this urban legend floating around Delhi at that point of time. And I love magic realism and urban legends, which I attempted to bring forth in my film. The whole 바카라�Africans eating human meat바카라� is another urban legend that goes around. Even in Bombay, I've heard people saying the exact same thing. The idea is that there바카라�s an entire world of inspiration around Delhi바카라�from books, urban legends, films and everyday stories. But ultimately, you have to create your own. You have to walk through its lanes and observe the city as it naturally sparks something within you. I바카라�m just really grateful to be one of the few who바카라�ve had the chance to put something out there as my own homage to the city.

Indeed! My nickname is Debu. We wanted a character who바카라�s had similar experiences바카라�like struggling to find accommodation or dealing with landlords who have issues with non-vegetarian food. Debu is thus Michael바카라�s anchor in the city, who is not only of a similar skin tone but understands where he comes from. I don바카라�t know if you바카라�ve seen photos of me and Shantanu Anam who plays Debu in the film, but when we바카라�re placed side by side, we actually look quite similar! So yeah, it felt right.

This was always the intended vision. We wanted to leave things open-ended. At the same time, we wanted to highlight the diversity of India바카라� recognising and respecting the fact that there are communities across the country made up of people from all over the world. So, in one sense, it바카라�s an homage to that diversity. And in another, it바카라�s a statement about identity: like I mentioned earlier, if you spend even a year in the city, you become a Delhiwala. Michael바카라�s final line is also a kind of tribute to Delhi. When the Siddi tribesmen ask him where he바카라�s from바카라�Africa, perhaps바카라�he replies, 바카라�No, I바카라�m from Delhi.바카라� So in that moment, it바카라�s clear: he belongs here.

I think at this point, it바카라�s just a matter of having courage. I don바카라�t have advice or tips for anyone, but I can share the things that have always motivated me and kept me from being jeopardised creatively. There are challenges, of course. We바카라�re constantly bound by formulas. And people on both sides of the debate are aspiring to either conform or break away from those same formats. But for me, the key is to be unafraid to experiment. I바카라�ve experienced pushback too. At film festivals, especially some in India, I바카라�ve been told that my film isn바카라�t a 바카라�festival film.바카라� Because to them, a festival film means pretty visuals, slow pacing, long takes, and serious, brooding characters. On the other hand, I바카라�ve also had production house executives say, during a screening, that my film won바카라�t work because it isn바카라�t commercial.

But I believe there바카라�s space for authenticity바카라�and that space doesn바카라�t need to be labeled commercial or non-commercial. If something is authentic, it can be entertaining in its own way and it will resonate. The most important thing is to experiment and to understand why you바카라�re creating what you바카라�re creating. You바카라�re allowed to make mistakes. This is my debut feature, and I know it바카라�s not perfect. But what I do know is that it came entirely from the heart바카라�it바카라�s honest and real. And to me, being flawed is okay; being authentic matters more. It바카라�s great to have idols, but at some point, you have to put your own soul into the work and offer that to the world.

Thank you very much!  We바카라�re actually working on getting it out to Nigeria바카라�we바카라�re currently in discussions with studios and platforms there. A lot of people have reached out to us. There바카라�s a guy who is the head of a Bollywood fan club in Lagos and he keeps asking, 바카라�When is it coming? We바카라�re dying to watch it!바카라� We바카라�re really trying to make it happen. In fact, just last week at Cannes, there was an Indo-Nigerian film summit. Someone reached out to us asking if they could talk about our film there. Nigerian film producers are discussing collaborations with Bollywood. I think there바카라�s a lot of potential there바카라�so much we can do together.