A 'Belly' full of Delhi…or Bombay…or India

There are certain films in Indian cinema that suggest that another step has been taken in the right direction. From the many brilliant ones that churned out in different Indian languages everyday, it's tough to single a few out. In fact it's easy to single out that ones that just added to the cliched crap but of late, a new blend of filmmakers have come forward with the intent of recognizing the obvious and speaking their mind.

To me, the recently released Delhi Belly was one such film. The promos made it clear that one can expect something they haven't been exposed to and the film did live up to that expectation. A good start was the DK Bose song that hit the charts and caused heartburn to various groups who took it upon themselves to protect 'Indian Culture' (God knows why).

The first thing that stood out was the language and frankly that was the last thing that stood out for me in the movie. Otherwise, it wasn't a very innovative plot, the way it was shot wasn't very unique, it did have it's share of 'masala' songs filled with loud colors and the ever so refreshing 'guy in love with the wrong girl but realizes that in the last frame'…So why was this movie well received? There really wasn't much of Delhi in this Belly for sure. In fact the English version reminded me more of South Bombay and Bandra (Suburbs in Mumbai for those unfamiliar) than urban Delhi. To me, what did the trick was the abusive language in the movie. It may sound silly but it was refreshing to recognize the obvious and portray the urban youth the way they actually behave on a daily basis. The movie was intended for a specific audience and did not fail to deliver.

The language portrays the reality of urban India brought to life by the realistic and well scripted characters whose biggest strength is their resonance with the urban youth found in any part of metropolitan India. In a country like India where methodical madness and organized chaos are key foundations for a structured society, the Delhi Belly crew deserves to be applauded to look around, recognize the most obvious and 'matter of fact' element and make it the central character of a movie. Looking forward to more such gems from Contemporary Indian Cinema.

Time to sign off and listen to Saigal Blues…again.