Latest news with #DilliDark
News18
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Dilli Dark Makers Asked By CBFC To Add Unique Disclaimer
Last Updated: CBFC asked Dilli Dark makers to add a message clarifying it doesn't depict real Delhi and isn't meant to offend. Directed by Dibya Das Roy, it addresses racism and social issues. If you're going to watch Dilli Dark in the theatre, you might notice something different at the start. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has asked the makers to add a special message before the movie begins. Dilli Dark, directed by Dibya Das Roy, is a funny but serious movie about racism and social issues in Delhi. The CBFC wanted the filmmakers to add a note saying the movie doesn't show the real Delhi and isn't meant to hurt or offend the people living there. People involved with the movie said the board was worried that some might think the film is attacking Delhi or its citizens. So, this message helps explain that the movie is just a story and not about hurting anyone. An insider told Mid-Day, 'While understanding the satirical tone, the board felt that the narrative might be interpreted by some as a generalisation of Delhi and its residents. The disclaimer was suggested to prevent a backlash." The disclaimer says that the movie is a made-up story. It doesn't show the real life or spirit of Delhi, and it's not meant to hurt or offend the people who live there. Dilli Dark, praised at various film festivals, tells the story of a Nigerian MBA student living in Delhi who faces both obvious and hidden racism. A senior member of the film team, who wished to stay anonymous, said, 'If adding this disclaimer stops people from misunderstanding the film, we're fine with it. But since the movie is already rated A, we don't really think the disclaimer is necessary." Some strong language in the film has also been muted. Dilli Dark is a 2023 Indian drama film made in both English and Hindi. It is directed by Dibakar Das Roy and stars Samuel Abiola Robinson, Geetika Vidya Ohylan, and Shanatu Aham. The film was shown at various film festivals. The plot revolves around Michael Okeke, a charming young man from Nigeria, left his home six years ago to make a life in the busy and often chaotic city of New Delhi. Though he has mixed feelings about the city, he hopes to find true love and a better job. However, life in Delhi pulls him into a tough world revolving around the '4 Cs": cell phone, cocaine, cash, and clients. First Published:
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
‘Dilli Dark' is a film about the outsider syndrome and some really dark horses
Michael Okeke, the protagonist of the film Dilli Dark, is young, dark-skinned and African. He smarts as Delhi looks at him as an outsider, and then realises that the outsiders are already here—as neighbours, in history books, and in the subconscious of every 'Delhiite' who got here before he did. It is not personal, it is a reflex. As his friend Debu says: 'It's not ok, just the way it is.' Debu (played brilliantly by actor-writer Shantanu Anam, a Delhi boy), for instance, as a Bengali, will always be suspect in the eyes of his north Indian landlord for his non-vegetarianism. Mansi (Geetika Ohlyan, who played the cop with tantrums in Soni) the godwoman's life will always be precarious in the city until she attracts big-league devotees and gets a spot on the slick chat shows. As for Yakut, the Abyssinian lover of Razia Sultan, whom Debu suggests Okeke adopt as role model, he was top gun only for a while when he had the heart of Delhi's queen and roamed around with her on a big white horse. Dilli Dark is Dibakar Das Roy's first feature. He has directed films in various formats. And he may well turn out to be a worthy inheritor of Dibakar Banerjee's mantle of being the director par excellence of 'Delhi films' —Khosla ka Ghosla, Oye Lucky Oye, LSD, and so on. He has the potential. His sense of comedy is spot on; he now only needs to make his storytelling and character-building more layered. Dilli Dark created quite a buzz on the festival circuit last year, and is set to have its release in Delhi theatres this weekend.
Scroll.in
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scroll.in
‘Dilli Dark' review: An occasionally sharp, scattershot comedy about prejudice
Michael Okeke (Samuel Abiola Robinson) left Nigeria six years ago to make a home for himself in Delhi, but it hasn't been easy. He still has to spell out his name – 'It's not OK OK. It's Okeke'. That's the least of his problems. Racial slurs come his way from adults and children alike. He is even accused of cannibalism. Although he wants to be a marketing manager, he sells drugs to pay his bills – thereby fulfilling one of the stereotypes about his community. His fortunes change when he meets Maansi (Geetika Vidya Ohlyan), a self-declared spiritual guru. Michael's survival comes to depend on a woman who claims that she can work miracles on infertile women. Dibakar Das Roy's Dilli Dark is ambitious and provocative, a comedy that is consciously in bad taste. Completed in 2023 and out only now, Dilli Dark applies the lack of luminosity contained in the title liberally and literally. From exploring Michael's encounters with prejudice to the darkness that is waiting to leap out at every turn, the 101-minute film squeezes its premise dry. A story that starts out by highlighting racism becomes a generalised diatribe about the city's uglier side. Das Roy's screenplay fires over Michael's shoulder at Delhi's cruel attitude towards outsiders, the tendency of its residents to stereotype any experience they don't understand, and the all-round coarseness of life in the capital. Delhi's well-recorded instances of treating people from African countries badly suggests that whatever is happening to Michael isn't fictional. The plotting holds until Michael joins forces with Maansi. Up until this point, Dilli Dark successfully shows just how thick Delhi's air is with bias and apathy (and pollutants). Having no home to return to, Michael tries to make his peace with poor digs, a neighbour (Shantanu Anam) who is clueless about how appalling he sounds and dodgy employment prospects. But how can Michael get a job in a company without possessing a work visa? Bold in conception, occasionally sharp and even savage, the film loses focus with Maansi's increasing prominence. The narcotic-fuelled antics at Maansi's ashram and her dealings with Michael not only decrease his importance but also derail interest in his journey. Samuel Abiola Robinson, the actor from the charming Malayalam comedy Sudani From Nigeria (2018), does a decent job of playing a punching bag. Michael's permanent bad mood and naivete cannot diminish the horrors of what is being done to him. Among the secondary characters, Stutee Ghosh has a hilarious cameo as a child-seeking wealthy woman who consults Maansi. Various actors in bit roles nail the unthinking racism about dark complexions and foreigners for which Delhi, as well as the rest of India, is notorious. The film boldly holds up a mirror to ugliness, but then assembles too many people in the frame. Although Dilli Dark eventually abandons its grotesque edginess, there are standout moments, including a hilarious dream sequence and a kerfuffle involving meat left over in a fridge. Play
Hans India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Dilli Dark: A bitingly funny, unapologetically messy portrait of outsider life in Delhi
Set against the chaos and contradictions of modern-day New Delhi, Dilli Dark is a loud, unfiltered, and sometimes uneven satire that isn't afraid to swing wildly between sharp social critique and absurdist comedy. It's the kind of film that might make you wince one moment and laugh the next—often at the same thing. At the heart of it all is Michael, a Nigerian student trying to find his footing in a city that both seduces and rejects him. By day, he presents the picture of academic ambition, earnestly recording hopeful video diaries about building a new life. By night, he sells cocaine to Delhi's upper crust—people who happily snort his goods while treating him as a curiosity, a joke, or worse. Samuel Abiola Robinson plays him with a careful balance of vulnerability and wry detachment, capturing the fatigue of constantly performing different versions of himself just to survive. Much of the film's strength lies in how it portrays the double consciousness of being a Black man in a city that sees you as both invisible and hyper-visible. Michael is a character constantly walking a tightrope—exoticised, fetishised, feared, but rarely understood. His attempts to find peace lead him to an ashram, where he meets a spiritual guru (played with sly brilliance by Geetika Vidya Ohlyan) who promises enlightenment but seems more interested in his supply than his soul. Ohlyan is easily the standout here. With razor-sharp timing and a wardrobe that oscillates between goddess and grifter, she skewers the self-help industry with deadpan charm. One scene, involving a televised spiritual brawl and a frantic hunt for cocaine, is so deliriously over-the-top it somehow circles back to being insightful. Visually, the film veers between grim realism and comic surrealism. At times, it resembles a fever dream—smoggy streets, blaring neon signs, and the ever-present hum of Delhi traffic forming a claustrophobic backdrop to Michael's existential drift. There's little subtlety here, but that's precisely the point. Dilli Dark prefers its metaphors painted with a broad brush: white powder, black bodies, murky morals. It's not delicate, but it is deliberate. The film also flirts with myth, drawing parallels between Michael's story and that of Razia Sultan, a historic queen rumoured to have loved a Black man—only to see him killed by a prejudiced crowd. This recurring motif adds a layer of tragic romance, reinforcing the idea that history has always had room for desire but not for equality. Dilli Dark isn't perfect—it stumbles in places. But it's bold, abrasive, and oddly moving in its own chaotic way. If nothing else, it's a vital, defiant shout from the margins—one that deserves to be heard.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Dilli Dark Movie Review: A clever satire that sometimes trips over its own ambition
Story: A dark comedy set in chaotic Delhi, following Michael Okeke (Samuel Abiola Robinson), a Nigerian MBA student. As he navigates judgment, stereotypes, and cultural clashes, Michael's journey is both hilarious and heartbreaking, revealing the absurdities of urban life and identity in a city that never slows down. Review: Dilli Dark, written and directed by debutant Dibakar Das Roy, is a bold and inventive dark comedy that tackles race, identity, and the chaos of urban India through the eyes of Michael Okeke (Samuel Abiola Robinson), a Nigerian MBA student trying to survive—and belong—in Delhi. The film's intention is as striking as its execution is uneven. From the outset, the film hits hard, showing Okeke as an outsider in a city that prides itself on cosmopolitanism but fails to mask its everyday racism. Robinson plays Okeke with subdued charm and pathos, drawing the audience into his world—a space of suspicion, stereotypes, and social exclusion. The scene where he's judged for buying fairness powder or accused of cannibalism shows how quickly bias can spiral into absurdity. The satire is razor-sharp in these moments, echoing the film's overarching commentary on Delhi as a city that claims to absorb all, yet pushes those who look different to its fringes. Roy smartly turns Delhi into a character—fickle, judgmental, vibrant, and complicit in reinforcing its own hierarchies. The city breathes through the cinematography, which captures both the darkness and energy of its streets, and through the sharp dialogue filled with local flavor and biting wit. The soundtrack, particularly the clever use of the rap number 'Hum Kaale Hain, Dilli Wale Hain,' adds rhythm to the social commentary, underlining the contradictions that define Delhi's relationship with race and identity. However, despite its compelling setup, Dilli Dark falters in pacing and tonal balance. The second act sags under the weight of its ideas, especially with the subplot involving the flamboyant godwoman Mansi 'Maa' (played brilliantly by Geetika Vidya Ohlyan). Though her character adds layers of satire on spiritual con artists, the narrative becomes stretched and somewhat muddled. The transition from satire to philosophy feels abrupt, and the film occasionally indulges in its cleverness, diluting the poignancy it so earnestly builds. The performances are a definite strength. Shantanu Anam, as the sardonic Debu, adds comic relief with impeccable timing. Ohlyan brings an electrifying presence to Maa, embodying the eccentricities of Delhi's spiritual showbiz culture. Saumya Jakhmola and Stutee Ghosh also shine in smaller roles. At the heart of it all, Robinson is a compelling lead—earnest, wounded, and quietly observant—though at times constrained by a screenplay that gives him more symbolism than interiority. The film draws a bold parallel with the historical tale of Razia Sultan and Jamal-ud-din Yaqut to comment on love, race, and societal hypocrisy. It's a smart thematic choice, though not always seamlessly integrated. The finale, while emotionally satisfying, leans a bit too heavily on exposition and symbolic closure. Ultimately, Dilli Dark is a decent debut that tries to say a lot—and occasionally says too much. It is an insightful, sometimes hilarious, sometimes meandering exploration of race, identity, and survival in modern Delhi. Despite its imperfections, it is worth watching for its unique voice and daring themes. A darkly comic, socially aware satire that shines in parts but stumbles under the weight of its own ambition.
