We are a generation misrepresented in cinema, thanks to Yash Chopra, Karan Johar, the Barjatyas and that guy who directed Baghban. We were shown as the Prems, the Rahuls, the Rajs who always listened to their parents, who believed in maan, maryaada and were just happy holding hands with their girlfriends and felt that first base could only be reached after marriage. We were shown as guys (read sissies) for whom "dosti" meant fondly referring to their friends as "saale" and nothing beyond that. There were a few obscure movies which portrayed the youth like they really where, but they were lost in the crowd of unknown foreign festivals. These were the little guys we never took notice of. But it is when the Bigger Men speak that we sit up and realize that "Hell yeah! What he says is true!" because we know deep down that's what we are. We yearn to do a lot more than holding hands with our girlfriends, we secretly search for smut in the office computer, we call our friends a lot more and much worse than "saale" and get away with it because our friends know that when the shit hits the fan, we will always be right behind them holding an umbrella. With "Delhi Belly", Aamir Khan - The Little Big Man of Bollywood has spoken. Mainstream Hindi cinema has finally accepted the youth for what they are - brash, uncouth, conniving - yet with their heart in the right place.
With a runtime of ninety minutes "Delhi Belly" plays out like a homage to the seventies with various references, be it in the opening sequence - where we see a young Rishi Kapoor "Wakaow"ing to a late seventies disco beat to the end credits where Aamir Khan is seen jiggling as "Disco Killer". Never does the toilet-humor feel over the top or the crass language seem unwanted as they all fit in the right place and what's more, they even add to the story. "Delhi Belly" is that dark comedy which has the brains and the balls to show us what we want to see at a time when charades like "Ready", "Double Dhamaal", "Tees Maar Khan", and other Akshay Kumar mind-numbing brainless humor is shoved down our throats all in the name of comedy. Delhi Belly is slick, smart and has the attitude that reminds us of Guy Ritchie's Snatch - a similar movie with a plot laced with dark humor that DB could very well be an ode to Ritchie's classic.
Tashi a small time reporter (Imran Khan), Nikhil his unkempt photographer (Kunal Roy Kapoor) and Arun a gullible cartoonist unsatisfied with his job (Vir Das) are three slobs residing in a dingy and dilapidated Delhi apartment who argue over who gets to open the door or whose turn it is to turn off the tap. Much like the tagline of the movie - Shit happens, when Tashi's fiancee (Shenaz) asks him to deliver a package to an address that gets mixed up with Nitin's stool sample and gets delivered to a gangster - Somayajulu (Vijay Raaz) by Arun. Chaos reigns supreme when the gangster starts to hunt them down with the trio on the run. Throw along with it the simmering chemistry between Tashi and Menaka (Poorna Jagannathan) his colleague, and a heartbroken Arun who is dumped by his girlfriend, and you are all set for a heady climax.
The casting is perfect with all the actors playing their roles with aplomb, with Kunal Roy Kapoor stealing the show as the devious and sordid Nikhil who blackmails his landlord by mailing him pictures of his steamy tryst with a prostitute. Imran Khan sheds off his chocolate boy image and puts his acting genes to good use, Vir Das a stand-up comic is solid and hilarious even in his moments of desperation and bring out the laughs. The three friends share a great chemistry and remind us of those close chums of us whom we know and are very brash and open with. Even the support cast led by the seasoned Vijay Raaz plays his part well of a dreaded gangster who bosses over his dim-witted cronies, Shenaz the once-upon-a-time VJ who used to get on our nerves with her saccharine coated sweetness, plays her role maturedly and for once does not make you tear your hair apart.
There are scenes that are shocking and have never been seen before in Indian commercial cinema, which would make me suggest that you watch it with your langotiya yaars, watching it with your gal pal could be much worse than watching it with your family. The heavyweight production house and the names involved in the making of this movie make sure that the raunchiness and wickedness of this film are not tampered with by the censor board. To label Delhi Belly as a raunchy adult movie would be a gross injustice to the smart storyline and adept direction that makes the movie click. Abhinay Deo has recovered from his box office debut dud "Game" and has delivered a winner this time thanks to Akshat Varma's script that is in sync with today's generation.
Every generation needs a movie that defines it, "Delhi Belly" is fast becoming a cult, a fillum that has made Bollywood come out of its pubescent stage and transformed it into an Adult. Aamir Khan, that brilliant student of cinema - deserves credit for having put his faith in a project which not only has raised many eyebrows thanks to its bold content but has also made the junta come out of the cinema halls with their tummies aching with laughter.
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