Delhi Safari (2012) Review
Delhi Safari, a Nikhil Advani film tells the story of a leopard cub Yuvi who used to have Mumbai's Sanjay Gandhi National Park as his home. He is still grieving over the loss of his father who got killed when a human builder burned the forest in preparation for the construction of a high rise residential complex. The young cub convinced the other animals of the forest to deal with the builder who is based in New Delhi by staging a rally in the parliament complete with media coverage. So march to the capital they all went– Begum (Urmila Matondkar) Yuvi’s mother, Bagga the bear (Boman Irani , Bajrangi the chimpanzee (Govinda)
Delhi Safari is not the usual run of the mill animated movie that gets a limited theater run then unceremoniously shoved to satellite shows. It possesses all the elements of an entertaining film, interspersed with a few timely lessons without moralizing. Sometimes, the film tends to be predictable but it is salvaged by it sense of humor and a very engaging script that can sustain audience interest. It contains all the elements of a block buster movie in this genre, a little drama, and lots of humor, very clever repartees, fun and a happy ending. The film presented some excellent stylized scenes similar to those done in The Lion King. The fight scenes of the hyenas as well as the wild chase scene by honey bees created quite an excitement. On the downside, the music on some of the scenes is uncalled for and as well as redundant sequences that are obvious obstacles. The end scenes where the Prime Minister readily promised to look into their issue was a bit sudden. Despite the limitations on the animation techniques, the work that has been put on the production of Delhi Safari was definitely top quality.
The character that ought to have the biggest accolade is Bajrangi which is played by Govinda. He provides the highest point of entertainment throughout the film. His character combines wit, humor and entertainment making it hard for the audience not to be drawn to him. The movie becomes more enjoyable and memorable because of his antics. The characters of Delhi Safari are the films’ greatest asset. Nikhil Advani used famous artists’ voices to give life to the animal characters. Suneil Shetty is the father leopard Suktan, Urmila is the affectionate yet strong-minded mother leopard, Boma Irani gave life to the Bear Bagga and Akshaye Kanna is the witty, multi-lingual parrot. .
They included songs which do not do anything to enhance Delhi Safari; they actually hinder the seamless pacing of the events particularly the song in the Kutch portion which is totally irrelevant and insipid. That is just one thing that is a bit off in this film.
All things considered, Delhi Safari is a very good watch. It combines entertainment with current relevant issues affecting the protection of nature will leave the kids in joy and wonderment while the adults will be left with something to think about.
