5cr for Sainik Farms wedding – no big deal!

When Bollywood needed a place to show unhurried, spoilt luxury, as in Aisha, it chose South Delhi. But while that and Band Baaja Baaraat showed the ‘posh’ side of Delhi, No One Killed Jessica depicted the unabashed display of power and wealth, often political, which is also typical of that part of the city. Nila Madhab Panda, who’s set part of his next film in South Delhi, sums it up when he says everything about this area is bigger, more expensive, more exclusive – and also more ruthless and ambitious!
'Just because South Delhi girls shop at Emporio doesn’t mean they ignore Sarojini'
Be it the designer boutiques in the bylanes of Hauz Khas Village, the uber posh malls or the street shopping in Sarojini Nagar market, South Delhi is undoubtedly Delhi’s fashion hub, with the most fashion-conscious (and fashion-savvy) people living here.Rajshree Ojha’s Aisha showed this through its characters. Says stylist Pernia Qureshi, who gave Sonam and her friends the ‘South Delhi look’ in the film, “Aisha is very typically South Delhi in the sense that she is aware of what is happening in the world of fashion. She is more of a leader in fashion. Aisha is the ultimate ‘it’ South Delhi girl. I didn’t have to look for inspiration much because I am a South Delhi girl too. I live in Defence Colony.”
For the movie, says Pernia, “We mixed and matched designer and high street with street shopping. One of the sequinned tops worn by Ira Dubey in the movie was bought for `100 from Janpath. That’s what South Delhi girls do. Just because they shop at Emporio doesn’t mean they ignore Sarojini. From Aisha’s pink gloves while gardening, to her pink toothbrush, a South Delhi girl was kept in mind, because they pay attention to stuff like their mobile covers and diaries. Also, the men in South Delhi too are extremely label conscious, and hence the look of the men in the movie was quite dapper as well.”
'English mixed in with the Hindi is very South Delhi'
If you are hearing the word aap too often, chances are you are in a conversation with a South Delhiite, says Devika Bhagat, the writer of Aisha. Sophisticated in nature, South Delhiites tend to stay clear of tu tadaak, she says. “Unlike in any other urban city, those in Delhi with a higher standard of living (like many in posh South Delhi, we assume) use a mixture of Hindi and English when they speak – their command over English is as good as their command over Hindi. In Mumbai, however, their Hindi is not very strong, so they speak a bastardised mix of Hindi, English and Marathi. But in Aisha, the girls and the others speak proper Hindi as well. The English mixed in with the Hindi is also very South Delhi – as compared to, say, West Delhi, where there’s a lot more Punjabi mixed into the Hindi, with a smattering of English. Besides the posh, Hinglish-speaking Aisha, we had the character of Randhir Gambhir, who’s from West Delhi, who has a proper Hindi accent with Punjabi roots. Also, Delhiwalas say aap often – they’re fairly polite, they don’t use tu or tum that often.” Polite, and Dilliwalas?! But then, perhaps in South Delhi drawing rooms, South Delhiwalas are!
'Everybody is somebody in Jessica Lall’s Delhi'
Delhi is about power. Aur taqat sirf taqatwar logon ke paas hoti hai,” says Meera, a character played by Rani Mukerji in No One Killed Jessica. The movie displayed the ugly side of moneyed South Delhi, recreating the real-life case of the murder of model Jessica Lall by Manu Sharma. It recreated that side of South Delhi where the display of political power and money is common, and the glamour of the ‘party circuit’, like the upmarket do at Qutub Colonnade where Jessica was killed, is easily dispelled by it. Rajkumar Gupta, director of No One... explained this scenario to DT in a previous interview, saying, “Delhi is an enigma; it’s like a person who changes everyday. It’s a warm and beautiful city with lots of history, with cross-cultural influences, and then on the other hand, it’s a city that’s unsafe for women, which has a lot of arrogance and corruption. It comes from power and money. You see, everybody is a somebody in Delhi. While your neighbours are warm, you’ll go out and see how much disrespect there is for the human form here.”
5cr for Sainik Farms wedding – no big deal!
Anushka Sharma’s character in Band Bajaa Baraat introduces the viewer to the upscale South Delhi with the words, “Sainik farms... Yahaan dulha helicopter mein utarta hai. Paanch crore tak ka budget toh koi baat hi nahi.” This pretty much sets the tone for the depiction of the farmhouse weddings that are a part of South Delhi culture. Maneesh Sharma, director of BBB, says, “The wedding scenes were shot in a farmhouse in Mehrauli, but the premise had to be Sainik Farms, because that place is as upscale South Delhi as it gets. And for a Sainik Farms family, a wedding budget of 5-10 crores is really no big thing. Toh jo film dekhega, immediately identify karega with this fact. It is romantic, and yet, not imaginary, but real.” Chanda Narang (Shena Gamat), the celebrity wedding planner from South Delhi, is portrayed as a cunning businesswoman, who, on the outside, is upmarket in a very South Delhi way. And, anything that is not classy, is not good enough for her.
'Everything in South Delhi is whittled down to a status symbol'
Another, almost unique, aspect of South Delhi is the farmhouse party – scandalously lavish, private and unashamedly decadent. Nila Madhab Panda, whose next directorial venture, Babloo Happy Hai, is set in South Delhi in parts, puts it, “The farmhouse culture, the raves, the party culture – this city is high on parties... In Delhi, everything is blurred, a guy could drink to the gills and still have no qualms about driving back home. So, for me, Babloo Happy Hai had to be based here in Delhi... My film explores the commodification of love, and what living and breathing brands for the youngsters in these areas does to other aspects of their lives. Everything in South Delhi is whittled down to a status symbol – the house, the cars, the places to go to, even girlfriends and boyfriends. It drives you, your sexuality even. And then, the malls and the brands – the mall culture is now so endemic to this part of the world. Everything from shaadi to birthdays is dependent on malls. Which mall you go to, which brands you wear, ‘honey, which brand is this?’ is the prime question... South Delhi, for me, is akin to living life king-size... South Delhi means, in my mind, ‘larger-than-life’, including the fathers of the ‘jaanta nahi mera baap kaun hai?’ kids, if you know what I mean. And all about ‘class’ – not in terms of refinement, but status, money, and possessions.”