Aamir Khan Productions does it again. After delivering classics like Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Peepli [Live] and Dhobi Ghat, the production helmed by marketing perfectionist Aamir Khan is back with yet another terrific film in the form of Delhi Belly! From the promos and songs like DK Bose, it was evident that Delhi Belly is the raunchiest film to come out of Bollywood. And sure enough, it’s a shocker in terms of content, script and the lingo. However, the script and direction is watertight and goings-on immensely hilarious! Easily one of the finest comedies from Bollywood!
The story of the movie: Tashi (Imran Khan), Arup (Vir Das) and Nitin (Kunaal Roy Kapur) are roommates in a congested locality of Delhi. Tashi is shocked that his and his fiancée Sonia’s (Shenaz Treasury) parents have fixed their marriage for next month. Arup’s girlfriend is all set to dump him while his boss irritates him all day because Arup’s cartoon character (a banana) is smiling too much! Nitin on the other hand gorges on a tandoori chicken from a roadside stall that gives him the worst case of Delhi Belly he’s ever known! Sadly and somehow, all these instances lead them in the wrong books of a dangerous goon (Vijay Raaz). To find how they come out of (or rather get more into the) mess, watch Delhi Belly!
Delhi Belly is gross, explicit and has some ‘shitty’ moments that might make you go ‘Eew’! Even the violent scenes are gory. And if you can’t savour any of these, it’s best to avoid Delhi Belly. This is because you can either like it or hate it-there’s no middle ground. Having said that, the film has some terrific hilarious moments that are sure to tickle your funny bone. I myself detest toilet humour but the goings-on in Delhi Belly really made me break into a guffaw!
The film is just 96 minutes long and sans interval. However, the film is thoroughly engrossing and keeps you wonderfully hooked from first to the last frame. The film tries to be as real as possible. Comparisons can also be drawn with Pyaar Ka Punchnama which also had three guys sharing a pad in Delhi. However, their house seemed very polished while in Delhi Belly, the set seemed straight out of a lower-middle class Delhi locality (or was it shot on real locations?). There are moments in the film where you can’t guess what’ll happen next. The climax was easily the best part of the enterprise and the film ends on a hilarious note!
Every actor has given his best. After Jaane Tu and I Hate Luv Storys, this is surely another memorable performance from Imran Khan. He looks super sexy in his bearded and disheveled hair look! Performance wise, he was topnotch and it raises hopes for his next films, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Short Term Shaadi! Vir Das was the funniest of the lot because of his antiques in ‘Jaa Chudail’ song and the manner in which his voice gets affected later on in the film. This guy has real talent and I hope we get to see more of him! Kunaal Roy Kapur too raises lots of laughs. In fact, whatever s#!t happens in the film is because of him!
Shenaz Treasury (aka Shehnaz Treasurywala) as usual is damn cute but I missed her million dollar smile in the film. Nevertheless, a worthy performance! Vijay Raaz rocks as the villain. Rahul Singh (Meneka’s hubby), Paresh Ganatra (landlord), Rajendra Sethi (jeweler) and others play their part well. And lastly, Poorna Jagannathan (Meneka) was the surprise of the film. A terrific performance in all respects! That’s one more reason why I adore Aamir Khan Productions. We get to see fresh talent in all their films!
Ram Sampath’s music is one of the plus points of the film! Every song is fresh, exciting and a treat to the ears! DK Bose of course is the best followed by Nakkaddewale Disco, Switty Swity, Bedardi Raja and Jaa Chudail. Saigal Blues is superbly shot…what creativity man! All the promotional videos that you see on TV are missing from the film (but the songs are well placed in the film) except for I Hate You Like I Love You that’s picturized on Aamir Khan and appears in the end credits. It’s fun to see him shaking his legs and booty donning disco costumes! The background score is terrific, especially the one reserved for Vijay Raaz.
Jason West’s (Rock On lensmen) once again does a great job. The film is shot in the dingy bylanes of Delhi which gives it a realistic touch. Akshat Verma’s storyline was interesting but it’s the script that makes it novel and interesting. Delhi Belly actually has multiple tracks running and how they crisscross and result in ultimate madness that no one can predict. Hats off, Mr Writer! The dialogues are colorful and full of abuses but straight out of life.
It’s hard to believe that it’s the same Abhinay Deo who earlier this year came up with an average film like Game! This is because he’s in terrific form in Delhi Belly. If the script was so amazingly presented, it was thanks to Deo’s execution. Easily one of the finest directorial debuts of Bollywood! And lastly, appreciation should also go to Aamir Khan for being gutsy enough to back such a film that would have easily gone wrong!
Some of the best scenes:
The song Saigal Blues and Jaa Chudail
Arup’s conversations with his boss
The goon (Vijay Raaz) sits down to examine the ‘diamonds’
Meneka’s ex-hubby chases Tashi
The roommates decide not to pay rent
The goons talks to Sonia on the phone
The goon torture the roommates
Ceiling falls off (hilarious!)
The trio loots the jeweler (ROFL-ing!)
The climax
On the whole, Delhi Belly is quite raunchy film and ultimate shocker but terrific in all respects. It’s funny, witty, real and unpredictable! Hollywood has made several of these but since this is Bollywood’s first, it’ll surely act as a trendsetter and inspiration for such films in future. The youth are going to love this film and it’ll surely accumulate lots of profit at the box office. Go for it…Bhaag Bhaag!
My rating- ½