A young journalist, Tashi, whose struggling lifestyle and low-profile career are in sharp contrast to those of his high-flying girlfriend, is further embarrassed by his to-be in-laws who provide for luxuries that are beyond his means. In an ad agency whose boss crosses frontiers of stupidity, Arun is creatively and temperamentally challenged. Beyond his rickety scooter, freelance photographer Nitin, has to deal with the gastronomical devil, 'Delhi Belly', that summons him to a waterless toilet, much to the disgust of his room-mates and viewers. To make matters worse, the three room-mates seem to possess a lost item belonging to a local goon who sits in their abject apartment that suffers from the noise created by the kathak lessons carried out a floor above them. It all goes downward from that point.....
'Game' director Abhinay Deo salvages the fortunes and repute of Aamir Khan Productions with a hilariously flagrant, unconventional and profoundly enjoyable tale of unfortunate events that befall Tashi (Imran Khan), Arun (Vir Das) and Nitin (Kunaal Roy Kapur) in the manner of 'Hangover' in India, without them being drunk. Refraining from slap-stick humor, Abhinay Deo takes the audacious approach to cinema with comedy arising out of situations, temper and wit (or the lack thereof) of his characters. The language is brazen for family viewing but with its music itself, Delhi Belly had made it clear that it is the Youngistan that will relate to its unabashed charm.
The dialogues aren't painstakingly written to evoke laughter. Rather, it is the situations in which they are spoken, that bring the house down. The effort in comic writing has been saved for the well timed songs that run in the background of even funnier sequences.
Such is the effective simplicity of Delhi Belly's comedy. Laughter thus comes naturally.
Imran Khan proves his versatility after two romantic films with a mature performance that treats the situations as they were real. Kunaal Roy Kapur is funny in a pitiful manner while Vir Das is revealed as the underdog talent whose comic timing is exemplary. Poorna Jagannath as Tashi's adventurous love interest is spontaneous but carries a prominent art-house appeal compared to Shehnaz's item appeal. The outstanding performance is that of Vijay Raaz who has been a highly underrated and ignored actor but now deserves the limelight in Delhi Belly. He appears very natural in the gangster's shoes and speaks louder through his cold countenance when he's not throwing a fit.
The music runs in the background of mostly funny situations but certainly revs it up for the viewers. While D.K. Bose, Nakkadwaley Disco, Switty tera pyaar and Saigal Blues are funky numbers that will be played outside colleges for months to come, Tere Siva is a track that stands out with its hummable rendition by Ram Sampath, the music director himself and Tarannum.
Abhinay Deo could be called audacious for gathering a bunch of youngsters in filthy parts of Delhi in unfortunate situations and passing brazen dialogues as though nobody else was listening. But the metro population will be able to relate to the language; much of which is English, its comedy, situations and won't find any of those aspects to be shocking. Rather, they will honor this as a cult film that will be remembered for doing the same thing differently. Delhi Belly is experimental but for the right reasons. Shit does happen and Aamir Khan can now breathe a sigh of relief after a mock-umentary and a documentary failed to leave lasting impressions.
The gastronomical problem of Delhi Belly might even draw repeat viewing if not just a thunderous applause for providing ingenious entertainment. Such is the lure of unabashed humor depicted bold, cold and for you to behold.
8.636 on a scale of 1-10.