What can a horse possibly have to do with the syrupy sweetness of jalebis? Those were our first thoughts on spotting the title of Anamika Haksar’s film, Ghode Ko Jalebi Khilane Le Ja Riya Hoon. Not hay, grass or oats, the diet-defying food choice for a horse bewildered us. It all fell in place when Haksar regaled us with an uncanny back story — the story of her aunt, a Civil Lines resident in Old Delhi, and a tonga-wala. “My aunt used to learn music in the area. Once, she hailed a tonga-wala for a ride back home, and he declined saying he is on his way to feed jalebis to his pony. The anecdote was shared with me when I was 16, but it stayed on,” she recounts, adding that her memories of Delhi mimic a similar mystique and sarcasm.

Anamika Haksar

Haksar’s first feature film has travelled across the world before it releases on screens in Mumbai today. A non-linear film that employs photography, videography, animation and elements of magic realism, the piece intends to stand out as a people’s narrative. “It is a tale with multiple voices. On one hand, the character of a pickpocket takes viewers through the underbelly of Delhi and on the other, a heritage walker takes you through history, art and culture,” Haksar adds. The director wanted to portray the syncretic aesthetic of an old city that is an emerging confluence of locals from intersecting backgrounds. What’s that one thing she wants her viewers to expect? “Nothing. I don’t want them to predict before watching. I want them to submerge themselves in the experience.”