Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Reveals Original Version Of Abhishek Bachchan's Delhi 6 Never Released

Sonam Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan’s Delhi 6 is one of the most loved films. Fans loved it for its songs and different storyline. Recently, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra made a surprising revelation about his 2009

film, stating that the original version of the movie was never released. In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, the director opened up about how the film that audiences eventually saw in theatres was different from his initial creative vision.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra revealed that he has not released the original version. “The original film opens with the ashes immersion of Abhishek’s character in the Ganges. And over that, a voiceover comes, in Abhishek’s voice, saying, ‘These are my ashes.’ That’s how the story begins, and in the very opening frame you are told that your hero is dead.” Mehra continued: “That’s the original version. I still have it with me. That’s the one that went to the Venice Film Festival. They saw the film, they freaked out, they said ‘wow,’ and they gave it a lovely reception out there. And that’s why I call it the Venice cut, or the director’s cut. And Variety, the film magazine, gave it a front page, calling it ‘(un)Bollywood’,” he added.

On asking why he changed the ending, Mehra said, “Out of foolishness. Sheer foolishness. We filmmakers are foolish people, mad, foolish, all of that. I think there was so much dark humour in the film. There was so much going on that everybody who saw the cut said, ‘Leave it with some hope,’ and all that. And I fell for it. I shouldn’t have.” Asked if he plans to release the original director’s cut someday, Mehra accepted that India is not ready for it. “I don’t know, I really don’t. If I were to re-release, I still feel the time isn’t right. I still feel the nation hasn’t evolved; in fact, we have gone down the hole in many ways. Of course, we have progressed in many ways as well, but I don’t know how to define that progress,” he was quoted saying.

All About Delhi 6

Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the drama film released in 2009 and also features Sonam Kapoor, Om Puri, Waheeda Rahman, Rishi Kapoor and Divya Dutta.

Abhishek Bachchan’s Work Front

Abhishek Bachchan currently has two major projects underway. He stars in King alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Suhana Khan, Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukerji, and others. He is also set to appear in Raja Shivaji, which features Riteish Deshmukh. Meanwhile, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has no announced releases at this moment.