Delhi Belly has been getting a lot of attention even before its release, partly due to it being smartly promoted and partly because of its soundtrack and the infamous but catchy “Bhaag D.K. Bose” and also the can't get it out of your head "Switty, Switty". Aamir Khan is also known to take active interest in the movies he is associated with, and the teaser ad on MTV also showcased this. Also, relatively rare for an Indian movie, Delhi Belly is released in both English and Hindi and is a crisp 96 minutes long. It is unapologetically targeted at adults with a well-deserved A certificate and is released with a soundtrack (with music videos which are standalone and not just a cut from the movie) as opposed to the norm of Hindi movies which include full songs in the movie.
The movie finally released yesterday (Friday, July 1, 2011) and today it was time for me to find out whether the movie was indeed as buzz-worthy as it was made out to be. Before I get to the rest of my review, a very clear warning to viewers, if you are easily offended by foul language and/or scatological humour, then it is best that you stay away and not watch it. If you still venture in seeing it, then I suspect you will secretly enjoy the movie and also catch yourself laughing aloud in a few places.
To begin with, the background score really caught my attention and draws you into the movie. The movie is about a situation in which three room-mates (Imran Khan, Kunaal Roy Kapoor and Vir Das) find themselves in, after the girl friend of one of them becomes a diamond courier unwittingly. Of course due to events beyond anyone’s control, the diamonds get misplaced, and the intended recipient duly comes looking for them. The bedlam and mayhem that ensues is the main plot of the movie. There are various sub-plots about the room-mates’ landlord, the news reporter who seems a little off-kilter herself and the antics of Nitin (Kunaal Roy Kapoor) who is one of the three room-mates.
One of the highlights of the movie is Vijay Raaz who plays the role of the mafia boss whose diamonds are misplaced and who now sets out to “strike down with great vengeance and furious anger” – (yes, yes, not quite the exact quote from Pulp Fiction, but you start getting my drift for the inspiration behind this movie?) all those who have wronged him. Vijay Raaz is an underutilized actor, you may remember him as the contractor from Monsoon Wedding and he has also played bit parts in many movies, definitely deserves to be seen more on screen. The gangster he plays in this movie is nobody’s fool and far from the bumbling buffoons that one normally sees in Hindi movies.
Coming to the main lead, Imran Khan does a decent job, but is not required to display much in terms of acting prowess. Thankfully there are no concessions made to his star image and he is smacked around (you would have seen his beaut of a shiner in the promo photos) like anybody else. Of the remaining cast, Kunaal Roy Kapoor does well (though his is the butt of much of the humour – pardon my pun!) with Vir Das very forgettable (apart from the one Disco Fighter dream song where he lets himself go). Imran Khan’s girl-friend is played by a very perky Shenaz Treasurywala and later love interest by Poorna Jagannathan (who does a very nice line as the jaded, been there done that, what the hell let’s see how this ends, journalist).
The weak link is the plot, that has no complexity, just complications and the main cause of the movie lasting only 96 minutes. The direction is fast paced, and except for a few minutes about a third into the movie it retains its momentum. The climax is a shoot-out very reminiscent (if not a straight lift) of the scene from Pulp Fiction when Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta confront the boys who have stolen the suitcase. This movie tries very hard to replicate the cool and edginess of Pulp Fiction and the effort is commendable though it falls a little short on the cool front and considerably short on the edginess. I found the English dialogues quite smart and clearly effort has gone into speaking correct English (with even a sly dig being taken at a wannabe singer celebrity early on in the movie).
Aamir Khan has a cameo in the end where he has an “item song” which owes more to Tom Cruise’s hip hop moves at the end of Tropic Thunder than to anything in Indian movies.
In the final reckoning, Delhi Belly is a smartly made and marketed movie, clearly targeted at an urban audience. It does not aspire to be an art movie and neither does it take its audience for being brain dead and meant to be mindlessly entertained. I think this movie will not necessarily appeal to everyone, however if you see it with an open mind and leave your sense of indignation at the door, you will probably enjoy it. I did.
Updated: July 5, 00:00 - corrected mix-up between the two female cast members
Updated: July 5, 00:00 - corrected mix-up between the two female cast members
