Delhi Belly (2011)

Three struggling room-mates unknowingly become potential prey of a ruthless gangster.

Directors:

Abhinay Deo, Akshat Verma

Writer:

Akshat Verma

Stars:

Imran Khan, Vir Das, Kunaal Roy Kapur

4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Imran Khan	...	Tashi Malhotra / Tashi Dorjee Lhaloo
Vir Das	...	Arup
Kunaal Roy Kapur	...	Nitin
Shenaz Treasurywala	...	Sonia (as Shenaz Treasury)
Poorna Jagannathan	...	Menaka
Kim Bodnia	...	Vladimir Dragunsky
Paresh Ganatra	...	Manish Chand Jain
Vijay Raaz	...	Cowboy
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Satindir Anand	...	Maid
Ashraf-Ul-Haque	...	Titoo
Dipti Avlani	...	News Reporter
Manoj Bakshi	...	Father
Krishna Bansal	...	Man Drinking Tea
Dhaval Barbhaya	...	R. Balachandar
Bugs Bhargava	...	Arup's boss

Storyline

Delhi-based Sonia agrees to deliver a package for Vladimir Dragunsky and asks her rather unkempt and debt-ridden fiancé, Tashi Malhotra, to do it for her. Tashi, in turn, asks one of two of his room-mates, Nitin. But Nitin forgets to do so due to an upset stomach ailment commonly known as 'Delhi Belly' as well as his plan to blackmail their landlord, Manish and asks the third roommate Arup to deliver the package. A gangster, Somayajulu, who was the recipient of this package, starts by brutally questioning Vladimir, and finds out that the package may be in the possession of the trio. While Tashi must deal with his attraction for Journalist Menaka and incur the wrath of her husband, Rajiv, he still has to fully come to terms whether or not he wants to marry Sonia. And the entry of ruthless Somayajulu and his gang seriously jeopardizes any plans Tashi and his friends may have for the future.

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | blackmail | reference to the mill on the floss the novel | erection | simulated sex | 

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Taglines:

Shit Happens!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [France]

Country:

India

Language:

English Hindi

Release Date:

1 July 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Однажды в Дели

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$701,824 (USA) (1 July 2011)

Gross:

$1,531,757 (USA) (5 August 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aamir Khan Productions, Ferocious Attack Cow, UTV Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min 100 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vir Das had to audition 9 times before finally getting selected.

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Goofs

When Tashi and Menaka are leaving the party, Tashi mentions that it's the middle of the night. When they arrive at the hotel, they're able to slip into an elderly tourist couple's room because the chambermaid is cleaning it - at an hour when most people, particularly most older people, would be in bed already.

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Quotes

Disco fighter: Jo chauka udhte huye jaaye, usse chakka kehte hai!

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Connections

Features Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007)

User Reviews

DELHI BELLY (Movie Review)

Humor is relative. What's humorous to me might not be funny to you and while you laugh on something, I might not laugh on it. Humor is also circumstantial and gets rusty out of the context. However, there is some humor which is universal and is acceptable to everyone. If we apply the same theory on modern Hindi films, Andaz Apna Apna and Munna Bhai series might be the only films to go in universally accepted humor category. Some other humor examples that worked on the box office but were not universally accepted are Singh is King, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, Phir Hera Pheri, Ready, Dhamaal and Golmaal etc. Then there is another kind of humor which does not go well with the masses but has its own cult following like that of Wesa Bhi Hota Hai Part II, Mithya, Bheja Fry etc. Delhi Belly (DB) is somewhere in between the universally accepted form of humor and the subtle cult following kind of humor. Through DB and other such efforts, Hindi cinema is coming out of romantic comedies and running around the trees.

To start with, the film is hilarious. It leaves you with one laugh riot after another and does not give you a chance to fully recover from the previous one before sending you through another piece of joviality. It's mostly tongue in cheek humor but at times goes very physical as well. What works in favor of the film is its dialogues and wonderful acting even though the story does not have ground breaking stuff to offer. DB could very easily go as the best casting of the year 2011, especially with the kind of role given to Vijay Raaz. Another thing that goes in favor of DB is its short duration and fast pace.

Abhinay Deo, in his second directorial outing after a mildly interesting and mildly painful Game, has made sure that he doesn't go wrong anywhere even if he does not create a masterpiece. He has focused on technical side more to make sure that the editing is crisp and background score goes in line with the action despite no songs. Also, with an open ended climax, he seems to have left a door open for a sequel. Nonetheless, it's more of an actors' film rather than a director's film and the actors have handled their responsibility with utmost satisfaction of the director. Nobody goes overboard in humor and specially the sidekicks stick to their jobs and cinematography is as per the need. The biggest compliment that I can give DB is that it has made Shehnaz Treasurywala look bearable.

The lead trio, which has a distant similarity to the trio of The Hangover, has carried the film well on its shoulders. Imran Khan has done a very good job. This is his best performance since his debut. He looks in control and has a much improved dialogue delivery and comic timing after two lowly performances in Break Ke Baad and I Hate Luv Storys. Kunal Roy Kapoor is a welcome addition to the comic brigade. Vir Das is fantastic. A highly underrated actor, I must say. If someone needs more exposure for his talent, that's got to be Vir Das. The debutant Poorna Jagganathan surprises. She might not be the best looking new comer, but she surely is a good performer. The film, however, in my opinion, belongs to Vijay Raaz. He is in terrific form and outdoes himself. We all know what a brilliant actor he is but here he takes charge and delivers an outstanding performance as the villain. His scenes with Vladimir in the hotel and with the trio in their apartment are to die for. It's criminal to see so less of Vijay in recent times. Aamir Khan also appears at the end for an item number but that's after the film has left its mark.

There are two reasons why DB might not work with masses even though it has a release of 1400 prints which is huge. The first barrier is the language. 95% of the film is in English. The last film with such high level of English in it was Kites and it was a box office disaster, though from a different genre. The other issue is also the language but here I mean the profanity in it. Yes, it's an adult movie and has an A certificate but the explicitness that DB has, I have never seen in Hindi cinema before. In that department, it can actually put Hollywood to shame. It's that openness though, that makes DB worth watching again.

To conclude, DB is worth a watch. Actually a lot more than worth a watch but you have to have an appetite for a certain kind of humor to watch it repeatedly. Also, be careful who you are accompanying when you go to watch it and what's your level of frankness with the people you are watching it with. Definitely, not a movie to watch with your mother-in-law or your 12 year old niece.