Dilli Dark

Dilli Dark
Directed byDibakar Das Roy
Written byDibakar Das Roy
StarringSamuel Abiola Robinson
CinematographyKartik Parmar
Edited byManendra Singh Lodhi
Music byUtkarsh Dhotekar
Release date
  • November 2023 (2023-11) (MAMI)
CountryIndia
LanguagesEnglish
Hindi

Dilli Dark (transl. Dark Delhi) is a 2023 Indian English-Hindi-bilingual language drama film directed by Dibakar Das Roy and starring Samuel Abiola Robinson, Geetika Vidya Ohylan and Shanatu Aham.[1] The film was released in film festivals.

Plot

Michael Okeke is a Nigerian student doing his MBA in New Delhi. He wants to live in India but is hesitant due to his part time job as a drug dealer and the racism he faces while in India.[2]

Cast

Production

The film began production at the end of 2020.[5] Dibakar Das Ray wrote the film's story in the NFDC Work-in-progress Lab.[2] The film was shot in 2021.[5]

Themes and influences

The director incorporated Queen Razia Sultana's love story with the struggles of the protagonist since she was speculated to be in love with an African, which was not acceptable in society at that time.[6]

Release

The film debuted at the MAMI festival in November 2023 and the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival later that month.[7][2] The film was the closing feature at the 31st New York African Film Festival in May 2024.[8]

Reception

Reviewing the film at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Eoghan Lyng of Dirty Movies rated the film 4/5 and wrote that the film is "an impressively inventive work, one that reveres and chastises India in equal measure".[9]

Reviewing the film at the same festival, Amber Wilkinson of Eye For Film rated the film 3/5 stars and wrote that "Dibakar Das Roy’s debut feature wraps this [racism] issue up within a boisterous, if unruly, comedy" but added that large "chunks of voice-over, however, make the film feel ungainly in places and streamlining the plot would have helped to keep the pace from flagging".[3]

References

  1. ^ "Shantanu Anam on 'Dilli Dark': It is a film that satirizes racism in Delhi". The Times of India. 17 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Ntim, Zac (19 October 2023). "'Dilli Dark' Trailer: First Look At Indian-Nigerian Comedy Set For Tallinn Black Nights". Deadline. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Wilkinson, Amber (28 November 2023). "Dilli Dark". Eye For Film.
  4. ^ "Dilli Dark is about acceptance says director Dibankar Das Roy". The Times of India. 5 November 2023. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b Srijith, Sajin (16 October 2023). "Samuel Abiola Robinson: I connected very strongly with Dilli Dark". Cinema Express.
  6. ^ "Dibakar Das Roy on "Dilli Dark": "I wanted to show the cyclical nature of history … the cyclical nature of societal biases."". The Nollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2024-05-27. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  7. ^ "Dibakar Das Roy's debut feature to make its world premiere at Mumbai Film Festival". The Times of India. 16 October 2023.
  8. ^ Carey, Mathew (3 April 2024). "New York African Film Festival To Feature 'Over The Bridge', 'Dilli Dark', Short Film EP'd By Spike Lee And More". Deadline.
  9. ^ "Dilli Dark". DMovies. 14 November 2023.