I was working late one night (er, many nights last week), and I thought I’d watch something while I worked. I saw Delhi in a Day in the “My List” section added there a while ago.
Interesting film!
Here’s the excerpt from IMDB:
When the money of an idealistic British traveler disappears in a nouveau-riche Delhi household, the staff are given twenty-four hours to replace it or face the consequences. Delhi In A Day is a darkly comedic portrayal of upper-class Delhi society, examining how the haves and the have-nots coexist in the context of the contemporary nouveau-riche Delhi home.
The trailer is rather deceptive, so I’ll give you a better summary. Delhi in a Day is a 2011 indie film by Prashant Nair. The British man depicted below, Jasper, is on his way to India from Great Britain. He has quit his job, liquefied his savings account, and is coming to India to explore “the real India” — yes, that old cliché. His first stop after the airport is at the house of one of his father’s employees. He’ll be staying there for 24 hours or so, before continuing on his Indian sabbatical. While there, his life savings stored in an envelope goes missing.
Scene from Delhi in a Day (2011)
If you look at the poster, you’ll see two groups of people. On the left-hand side of Jasper are members of nouveau-riche family (the “haves”.) On the right-hand side of Jasper are members of the live-in help who quietly go about their day to keep the household running (the “have-nots”), such as the cook, the butler, driver, etc.
During the film, it becomes increasingly clear that the “haves” have a friendly veneer, but are cold, callous, and shallow. The servants live in poverty, but have these colorful warm lives. When Jasper’s money goes missing, the family blames the servants, and orders them to find the money by the morning, or the police will be called in. The servants, who have nothing, are in despair, and struggle to come up with a solution.
The film runs a short 88 minutes, and I’d recommend it. Wonderful performances from the actors and actresses playing servants, and I found it interesting to see the differences between both worlds.
Delhi in a Day (2011)