In the worlds of Imtiaz Ali and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra – whether it’s the Delhi of Rockstar and Tamasha , or the one shown in Rang De Basanti and Delhi-6 – the city is not just a shooting location. These films are a window into Delhi, and for those who belong to it, it is a mirror. At the closing session of the first International Film Festival of Delhi, the two filmmakers came together in conversation, unfolding the layers that run through each other’s cinema – the shared love for Delhi, the imprint of the city on them and their films. They spoke of the lanes of Delhi like a livedin map – “take this left, that right” – and the audience was definitely not surprised.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra doesn’t see Delhi as a contender in the race of film capitals, but as something that exists in its own distinct space.

“I wouldn’t say let’s make Delhi the film capital. For that, Bombay, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, and Kolkata are already there, making films in their respective languages. Delhi can, however, 100% become an alternate expression for cinema.”

It’s not because there’s an “India Gate or Red Fort, not because we have Mehrauli or Qutub Minar,” but the contradictions that sit side by side, noted the filmmaker.

“There is something in the air here which is very serious and, at the same time, very fleeting – something that is extremely socially awakening, and yet, completely societally dead and insensitive to the other person. It all exists in the same place. I meet the bureaucracy in Delhi, and I understand why this complex country called India works – they make it work. Then I meet so many people in Delhi, and I realize, arey satyanash! That’s why we are still struggling, why we move two steps forward and three steps back,” he added.

Delhi, according to him has the capacity to tell stories as “it is a melting pot of people not just from across India, but from all over the world. It is a power capital. And this power is greater than the power of money. The human power here is incredibly strong. These are the stories we can tell.”

Imtiaz Ali sees the same city through the idea of layers, histories folding into one another, “The great thing about Delhi, and I see (this) in your (Rakeysh’s) cinema, is that within one lens, within one geography, there is the presence of many, many layers that have come into this city over the years and centuries.”

The mood shifts as Imtiaz reveals the Delhi-6 director’s quirky love for the city. “Aapke baare mein ilzaam hai ki kabhi-kabhi Rakeysh ji bina kisi ko bataye Dilli chale jaate hain. Kabhi-kabhi aise hi Dilli ghoom kar – kahin nahi jaakar bhi – wapis airport se aa jaate hain,” asked Imtiaz, and Rakeysh quiped, “Aadha sach hai.”

He then revealed the whole truth, “Kai baar main raat ki flight lekar ghoom kar subah wapas Mumbai aa jaata hoon.” Why? Because “there are so many things that you only get at night in Delhi – jaise Moolchand ke paranthe,” shares Rakeysh, adding, “We used to go to the old Jaipur highway and watch international flights taking off – that sight you can only see at 3 or 4 in the morning. Take a walk in Lodhi Garden after 2 am – it becomes another place entirely. There is nobody there, and you feel like you’ve gone back in time. I love it. Din mein bhi kai baar aata hoon (laughed).”

The conversation drifts to music, and to the songs that stay long after the films end. Rakeysh said, “Rehna Tu Hai Jaisa Tu – Rahman sahab ne chatayi ki tarah kuch aisa buna hai . There was no song situation for Rehna Tu or Luka Chuppi in RDB, and no song situation for Masakali in Delhi-6. It’s just AR Rahman who brings that. And in his light we all glow.” For Imtiaz, it’s Phir Se Udd Chala. “Iski lyrics bhi badi mushkil hain.”

Turning the spotlight towards Imtiaz, Rakeysh asked, “ Main bahut arson se aap se puchhna chahta hoon. Rockstar dekhi – bahut maza aata hai. Main hall chhor ke jata hoon aur mujhe neend nahi aati . There is something you shake inside us – aisa kuch jo aapko jhanjhorta hai, that keeps you awake. I think that element is you. Is it you in all your characters?”

Imtiaz answered, “Rockstar ek aisa experience hai – jismein ek line hai: jo bhi main kehna chahoon, barbaad kare alfaz mere. So, it was like that during the shoot too. When we were making the film, it was dictating itself – something that was there in the air. Jaise aap kehte hain – hawa mein kuch baat hoti hai. Out of that, something emerged. Dilli mein hi ho raha tha yeh sab. Aap kehte hain na, kuch jhanjhor deta hai – main pehla victim hoon uska. I feel that woh film bilkul imperfect hai, lekin usmein thodi bahut sachhi baatein aa gayi hain .”