Date:20/03/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/03/20/stories/2007032011070200.htm

New Delhi

Of friendship, voyeurism, love and betrayal

Madhur Tankha

Prakash Jha's upcoming film "Dil Dosti Etc" is set around Delhi University

ABOUT GENERATION X: A scene from Prakash Jha's upcoming film "Dil Dosti Etc." that deals with various shades of campus life in Delhi University.

NEW DELHI: The Capital comes to life in myriad hues and sounds in Prakash Jha's upcoming film "Dil Dosti Etc". Set around Delhi University, the film takes a fresh, no-holds-barred look at how Generation X thinks and chooses to live its life.

Rich ensemble

Using a rich ensemble of characters, stories and themes, "Dil Dosti Etc" explores the very nature of friendship, male bonding, voyeurism, love and betrayal.

The film shows not only the coming of age of a young man but also explores the ambiguities of an entire generation.

Shot extensively in various locations across Delhi, the film journeys through the corridors of a Delhi University college hostel, a buzzing canteen, bustling streets, ruins of an old fort, labyrinthine lanes of Old Delhi and heritage buildings. It also shows up Delhi's cosmopolitan appeal by depicting swanky cafes and malls and sprawling Mehrauli farmhouses.

First major role

Besides Naseeruddin Shah's son Imaad doing his first major role in a film, it also features talented actor Shreyas Talpade. As two university hostellers, Apurv (Imaad Shah) plays a rich modern-looking guy, while Sanjay (Shreyas Talpade) is a traditional boy from Bihar. So the film juxtaposes the liberal and the conservative in our society.

Shown as an ambitious and highly focused student, Shreyas represents the idealist who steadfastly pursues his political goals.

On the other hand, Imaad, who has lots of money in hand, searches for meaning in life through escapades with girls.

The three female leads -- playing the role of a prostitute, a schoolgirl and a rich model -- provide social and emotional backdrops to the film. Vaishali (Smriti Mishra) plays an attractive looking, sharp-tongued prostitute, who claims never to get emotionally attached to her customers.

Then there is the vibrant and flirtatious schoolgirl Kintu (Ishita Sharma), who remains noncommittal and always plays hard to get.

Prerna (Nikita Anand), whose dream is to become an international model, comes from an affluent South Delhi family. She finds herself attracted to the earthy and charismatic student-politician Shreyas.

While Prakash Jha is the producer, the film is directed by Manish Tiwary.