People from all walks of life are accepted in the city, despite its sometimes harsh and coarse appearance," says Dibakar Das Roy, director of Jio MAMI 2023 | Dilli Dark

 "People from all walks of life are accepted in the city, despite its sometimes harsh and coarse appearance," says Dibakar Das Roy, director of Jio MAMI 2023 | Dilli Dark

The young filmmaker discusses his film, which had its world premiere at the Mumbai Film Festival, about the stereotypes of the African diaspora in India, how the Indian people tolerate different skin tones and worldviews, and how he cast an actor from Nigeria who is Sudani.

The Mumbai Film Festival 2023 hosted the world premiere of Dilli Dark, Dibakar Das Roy's dark comedic first movie. The narrative of a Nigerian MBA student in New Delhi who aspires to reside in India is told in Hindi, English, Yoruba, and Pidgin. He fights prejudice and misconceptions while doing a questionable part-time job in a place that is allegedly hostile to foreigners. Dilli Dark, which stars Shantanu Anam, Geetika Vidya Ohlyan (of Ivan Ayr's Soni fame), and Samuel Abiola Robinson (of the Malayalam film Sudani from Nigeria), is scheduled to make its worldwide debut at the Tallinn Black Nights Festival in November 2023.

Roy's story makes comparisons between the old city, which has had several emperors and colonists throughout the ages, and modern-day Delhi. The capital city is rife with insider-outsider tension. Robinson portrays Michael Okeke, an outsider in Delhi who must deal with stereotypes of criminals and cannibals that are part of the greater African diaspora. He sells narcotics to make ends meet in the big city, and in the process, he meets a dubious but color-blind godwoman via his efforts to get an office job. Roy utilizes Michael's travels across Delhi and everything that it throws at him to expose the problematic ways that Indian culture views race, color, and identity. Excerpts edited from an interview:

What inspired this narrative to begin with? Have you made any observations or used any personal experience from your time spent in Delhi?

A combination of both. I've attempted to include many of the perspectives—which are essentially Indian and personal—despite the fact that the protagonist is Nigerian via the different aspects and general setting of the movie. Both history and the present are present. However, I believe the viewpoint is more third-person, since it is that of a city and its surroundings rather than that of the main character. The main character is going through certain things. Numerous first-hand accounts are included as well, many of which stem from the specific prejudice against skin tone that is pervasive in India. I have personally experienced this, both while I was living there and when I was living elsewhere. You're supposed to perceive it as a joke on several levels. However, it becomes engrained in a person's mind subtly over time. We do carry some baggage from our colonial past. It truly began with some confused identities that we had. I see Samuel's persona as a metaphor for everybody who is socially excluded. I believe that the issues people encounter are mostly common.

Is there any part of you that Shantanu Anam's amiable neighbor Debu represents?

Yes, to a certain degree. You tend to overhype clichés, but in my opinion, clichés are very fascinating because they're useful instruments for mutual understanding. They also lead to a great deal of miscommunication, but it's really just our attempt to make sense of the universe. There was a time when I was sitting at a bus stop in the United States and these two black guys were seated next to me. After a while, while they were chatting among themselves, one of them touched me on the shoulder and inquired about my origins. They seemed really curious. They laughed when I told them I was from India, and one of them turned to face me and said, in the kindest manner imaginable, "Brother, you're blacker than I am." It's a very nuanced story and an intriguing one, and I sort of touch on it in the movie as well, discussing things like what it means to be black.

Discuss about Geetika Ohlyan's role as the godwoman Maansi. You brought in the tune, but why?

Since Indian philosophy seems to be quite accepting, I wanted to include a figure who isn't affiliated with any one religion. I believe that India is a very accepting country when it comes to spirituality, regardless of your skin tone, religious beliefs, or anything else. That's where Maansi's inspiration originated. She is, nevertheless, also a person who lives on the periphery of society and is open to anything. She doesn't worry about whether what she's doing is right or wrong, and she doesn't judge Michael for who he is. Delhi is home to an epitome of that. Although the city has a reputation for being very harsh and coarse, its spirit allows it to welcome a large number of individuals from various backgrounds and places. I still adore the city, but my primary connection to it has evolved over time as I've come to appreciate its depth and spirituality. However, since it is harsh, it is the source of inspiration for the world, and the characters originate from the universe.

How did you assemble this ensemble?

As a writer and director, my initial choice was to simply find accomplished performers who would be the proper fit for the part. I spent a lot of time making sure the proper individuals were on board. A portion of the characters may not be immediately apparent. For instance, in the first scene, a woman arrives on a scooter and speaks just once. We had a lot of fun casting that role. Characters, in my opinion, are a crucial component of production design. Therefore, even if someone is just occupying one corner of the frame, I firmly feel that having the correct faces and individuals is more important than having a gorgeous home or scenery. I essentially turned it into an ensemble cast of 50–60 individuals after I tried out for every role, so I can state with certainty that there aren't any extras. The correct faces are the ones that provide the flavor you want for your environment. Geetika is an amazing performer.

 She has such a natural strength, and there's no drama, so I felt that if anybody could pull this off, it would be her. As a result, even if there are certain emotional scenes in the movie, I made sure the actors doing them could convey the sense of reality. Nothing about it was supposed to appear unreal. It was hard to cast Michael. I went to many Delhi-based African actors' auditions. Samuel was traveling a lot at the time, and we spoke a lot. Because the film is bilingual and Samuel doesn't speak Hindi well, I read aloud a lot of the script's early versions to him and we discussed everything, even the song parts. Samuel does a fantastic job in Dilli Dark, and his work in Sudani was definitely completely different.

What do you see for Dilli Dark's voyage, and what are your goals going forward?

We're traveling to Tallinn, Estonia for the international premiere after the world premiere at MAMI. We are interested in knowing what upcoming festivals have planned. We want to have a limited theatrical release in India, but we also want it to be available to the public via an over-the-top platform. Anyone, in my opinion, could see this film, have some light entertainment, and come away with a few thoughts to ponder. In addition, I'm writing additional scripts. I believe that a darkly humorous or mildly sarcastic core will be present in many of my films. All I want to do is create films that are both significant and easily seen.