Delhi Belly Movie Review

Director: Abynay Deo
Music: Ram Sampath
Lyrics:Amitabh Bhattacharya, Akshat Verma, Munna, Dhiman, Ram Sampat and Chetan Shashital
Starring: Imran Khan, Poorna Jagannathan, Shenaz Treasuryvala, Rahul Pendkalkar, Vir Das, Kunal Roy Kapoor and Vijay Raaz


There's a scene in DELHI BELLY in which Nitin (Kunaal Roy Kapur) has a stomach upset and goes to the loo every now and then. After a couple of visits, the water tap runs dry. Unable to find a single drop of water in the entire house, he uses orange juice kept in the freezer to well, "
"complete his job". DELHI BELLY has several such gross scenes, but they do manage to evoke laughter.

It's about three friends and flatmates whose lives go haywire. Tashi (Imran Khan) is a journalist who's about to get married to his girlfriend Sonia (Shenaz Treasury). Nitin is his photojournalist friend who also does part-time blackmailing. Arun (Vir Das) is perpetually troubled by his annoying boss. To make matters worse, his girlfriend dumps him. A bizarre turn of events finds them involved in a really tough situation. Their lives are at stake.

Aamir Khan, one of the producers of DELHI BELLY, had repeatedly mentioned in interviews that it has foul language and is strictly for adults. Even the Bhag D.K. Bose song, which became a rage, had some very cheeky lyrics. True, the film is not for the kids. All the characters mouth the F word every now and then. But that's perhaps the way urban youth behave today. So, in the film it doesn't look offensive. In fact, if you are young, you are most likely to connect with the lingo.

Director Abhinay Deo executes the script written by Akshat Verma (also the Associate Director) well. However, he does take some time to get along with the story. The interval-less film has just the right amount of twists, to hold your attention. But you do hope the narrative was a bit tauter as it seems a bit lacklustre in portions. Perhaps, some more humorous moments would have done the trick. Nevertheless, the gags that are there are uproarious. The constant bantering between the three friends is very palpable. The slow-motion climax scene is smartly done. 

Ram Sampat's excellent music is superbly interspersed with the narrative. All the songs just appear in the background and are apt for the various situations. The Bhag D.K. Bose song comes at a very funny moment. Editing could have been better.

Imran Khan acts decently. Vir Das is good. Watch out when he's dressed in a burkha in a jewellery shop. But the star of the film is undoubtedly Kunaal Roy Kapoor! He delivers an astounding and hilarious performance. Shenaz Treasury is effective. Poorna Jagannathan, who plays Imran's colleague and friend, has an amazing screen presence and acts superbly. Vijay Raaz is impressive. Aamir Khan is fine as the item boy.

DELHI BELLY is a fun ride which gives toilet humour a whole new meaning. Watch it for its craziness!  

Break ke Baad

Tired of pretentiously 'different' love stories that end up being the same? Then "Break Ke Baad" is just for you. It doesn't promise to be different and it isn't. It is like every other love story ever told in Bollywood. Boy meets girl, falls in love, differences lead them away from each other (called a 'break' in this case), eventually realise their mistake and how they're meant for each other, run back into each other's arms. Closing credits roll. Now this is a format that will probably not change for another century. But what's refreshing here, is the portrayal of a shiny, young bubblegum generation grappling with relationship issues. And although the style is casual, the issues are just as real and relatable.


The film is about Abhay (Imran Khan) and Aaliya (Deepika Padukone) who went from school friends to kissing teens to dating even before they learnt to flirt. Abhay is every girl's ultimate fantasy. He cooks, he's unpredictable, believes in commitment and marriage, never gets angry or upset and agrees to anything his girlfriend wants. In many ways he's like that inflatable punching toy (without the red nose). While Aaliya is a free spirit, who wants to be an actress and wants to do many things in life but marriage doesn't feature in any of her plans. Even with their radically disparate views on life, they manage to cling on to their relationship for a good 10 years before they opt for a break.


But this movie is not just about temporary break-ups or how time away can get a couple to appreciate each other better (as you would've expected). It feeds on the alluring idea of exploring the unknown within us while following one's dreams. And that is exactly what Aaliya wants to do. Having dated just Abhay ever since, her life feels incomplete and she needs a break. Not necessarily to date other people but to experience a different life in an unknown world. Gold Coast tourism board and an Australian university come to the rescue with some not-so-subliminal in-film advertising and Aaliya is on her way to the land of beer and beaches (and to pursue a course in mass communication) for a year.


Abhay, who hardly understands the point (or concept) of the break, continues to call Aaliya regularly, leading to very believable telephonic fights that transpire in every long-distance relationship, over the most frivolous things (Who's that screaming next to you? What kind of a party is it? etc). Anyway, in true spirit of keeping it real, these frivolous fights mature in an ugly way when Abhay lands up in Australia, unable to contain his suspicions. The result in obvious: Aaliya can't stand it and calls for a permanent break-up.


While Abhay and Aaliya have parted with their relationship, they still live under the same roof of a beach house (in different rooms) along with Nadia (Shahana Goswami), the landlord and Cyrus (Yudhistr Urs), the horny clown-cum-restaurateur. In their respective roles, Cyrus adds the required comic relief while Nadia offers the much-needed mature advice. And this is the part of the movie that strikes gold with everything coming together in a beautiful way.


Abhay and Aaliya do a great job of ignoring each other and diligently invest themselves in their passions. While Aaliya finds herself in theatre, Abhay dabbles with half a dozen odd jobs to eventually get a kick out of cooking. Abhay's telephonic confidante and divorced aunt Pammi (Lilette Dubey) brews up some rather witty one-liners while counseling her nephew. While Aaliya's mother, Ayesha (Sharmila Tagore) is too practical to offer any advice that her daughter wouldn't care for.


The screenplay is brisk and respects the audiences' level of intelligence and attention. The music is hummable but doesn't make or break the film. The multiple shades of blue make the Aussie waters every cinematographer's fantasy and a rather convincing tourist proposition.


How the story concludes is no surprise but this film proves an important point. Despite a predictable end and an obvious plot, relatable characters and the style of story-telling can actually make an otherwise mundane film into a rather pleasant watch. The moral of the story: before finding the one for you, go find yourself. Break up and smell the coffee, I say!