Delhi Belly - Movie Review
Published: October 18, 2011
Starring Imran Khan, Vir Das, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Poorna Jagannathan, Shenaz Treasurywala
Bollywood films often include a smattering of English—or Hinglish, a blend common in conversation—but nowhere near as much as in Delhi Belly. It's indicative of the industry increasingly catering to young, educated, urban audiences who speak English, rather than the masses who don't. The divide is about more than language, though. The city multiplex crowd has Western sensibilities, which they want to see in their movies. There again, Delhi Belly delivers.
The film is funny, but to say it's hilarious would be a stretch. It’s pioneering in that the humor is racy, as one would guess from the title, a term for digestive problems caused by food poisoning.
The plot is set in motion when Delhiite Nitin (Kunaal Roy Kapur) gets sick from eating street food and must send his stool sample to the doctor. His roommate Arup (Vir Das) agrees to deliver it for him, but accidentally switches it with another package intended for a gangster, who ends up chasing Nitin, Arup, and their other roommate, Tashi (Imran Khan), all over the city to recover his goods. Coincidences and mix-ups abound.
In the meantime, Tashi, a disgruntled journalist, is trying to sort out his personal life. He's reluctantly engaged to Sonia (Shenaz Treasurywala), a flight attendant who unknowingly smuggled the contraband into the country and put it in Tashi's care. But he's got the hots for fellow journalist Menaka (Poorna Jagannathan), who’s got personal problems, too—a violent, jealous ex-husband, who also chases Tashi around.
The film's particular brand of raunchy humor and the formulaic caper plot are getting pretty stale in the West, and they're qualities those familiar with Western film likely find tiresome. But they get refreshed somewhat in an Indian context, and the execution is as fine as it can be.
Up-and-coming star Imran Khan delivers his best to date (although the film was actually shot three years ago, right after his hit debut Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na and before a spate of spotty follow-up releases). Khan is working hard to cultivate an image of an ironically un-filmy commercial star (much like that of his superstar uncle Aamir Khan, who produced the film), an image his role in Delhi Belly certainly bolsters.
Delhi Belly is rated Worth Watching.
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