India's Dirty Belly.. Delhi!!

Delhi Belly! The film has nothing to do with Delhi, however Delhi can be taken as a Metaphor for the entire country & the film is a sarcastic take on many things that we have learnt to believe as part of life in this country. Be it the dangling electricity wires, poor housing, shabby living standards or the superficiality of our metropolitan cities.

I am not a film critic by profession but I do carry opinions and I do like things, hate things, dispise things and appreciate the ones that deserve. This film is something that I have loved watching every bit, and there are very few others that I can put in this category.

No it's not the greatest story ever told on Indian cinema screens but it's a revolution none the less. With a simple story in the foreground, It mostly deals in the metaphors. I have seen it as an expression to the deep-covered up-Indian-youth's-frustration, I see it as a satire on India's Metropolitan life. I see it as a satire on the *India Shining * campaigns, a nightmare sold in the disguise of a Dream.

It tells you a simple story of 3 young boys who bump in to a criminal-gang & what happens from there on is a funny roller-coster ride. However, that's the story on the face of it. The treatment and the script leaves an intelligent cinema-goer to ponder over the subtle-messages that are thrown around by the scriptwriter in the form of localities where the film is set, the characters and the sub-plots. The dark humour would be missed by those who would take it on it's face value.

The three male protagonists who are seemingly from good families but are living in filthy conditions is probably a take on the state of education & employment in India and housing in metropolitan cities. The female protagonists appear to be the caricatures of those materialistic metropolitan females in India who carry a frivoluous understanding of the word 'Freedom' & 'Love'? The middle-class neighborhood is a satire on the double-standards of our society. The slum like dwellings of the protagonists talks about the state of living-standards in Indian metros.

For a good professional review, I would recommend the below link:

http://entertainment.in.msn.com/bollywood/reviews/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5252646

I would call it *A Great Indian Kitsch - Part2, Part 1 being Peepli Live* and would love to have more of such dark-homoured cinema. As a film that entertains, I would recommend it to all adults and it's not to be missed!

The Change Maker - Aamir Khan, Peepli Live & More

Heard that Amol Palekar was upset with the kind of HYPE that Aamir Khan managed for his 'Peepli Live', I guess Amol needs to understand that if Aamir or he himself won't hype their good work.. then the 100 Crore Indians would only know about flicks like 'Om Shanti OM'. As a result of Amol Palekar not being able to generate enough hype for his good project, I don't even know it's name.

Wish people understand that this world is all about Marketing and the good products just like the bad ones need to be marketed. And if marketing can help generating curiosity and enthusiasm for a product - the real value of the product will help it carry on and sustain on its own.

While I say all that, I would also like to mention how greatly I respect Aamir Khan for being a Change Maker in Indian Cinema and thus the Indian Society too.

Aamir indeed is a 'Change Maker', from lambasting Media (Filmfare awards) for distributing 'Fixed' awards to Providing some of the Best Cinema to Indians so far.. he's on the Track and being LOVED by MEDIA as well.. Proves IF you are a MAN of your words, you will be respected by your detractors as well..

Peepli Live Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbHEH89zQCw&NR=1

Dispite his Sarcastic Take on Media, I am sure the Media is going to appreciate it. But they are selling on TV just what the Masses want probably...!!


Part2.
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Adding more after I have seen the film. One thing I would say at the outset is "Only Aamir could have done it".

There is nothing in the film that you don't know already. The contrast of 25% of Confused India Vs 75% of Poor India, In fact the developing India can be counted on fingers.. 4 Metros + 4 Other cities and rest is nowhere near developing.

The Stupid journos & TRP hungry TV Channels.. you know all that but what can you do about it? Stop Watching it!? Well, most people already don't. In fact I am back to newspapers ever since the 'Shouting Journalism' surfaced.

The END was probably 'the statement' - that the writer - wanted to make.. the Poor Farmer ends up as a Labour at one of construction sites.. where else.. but in Gurgaon!!!

The only thing new about Peepli Live is the Tremendous Publicity that Aamir has generated for such an offbeat stuff.. & it was a Courageous attempt by the stubborn actor who respects neither Indian Media nor their award functions but they still run
after him because He Sells.. and probably he touches their hearts.. and they actually want him to change the whole thing that they want to but can not!


I still remember when I went for first day first show of Lagaan about 10 years back.. the cinema was 75% empty.. and the collections picked up only by the coming week.. but then Aamir was not considered the 'genius' that he is now.. and Now he can have the audis full even for an offbeat flick like 'Peepli live' which he doesn't even act in and is only producing!!!.. Carry on the Change Maker.

On a lighter note - I think Aamir should donate all the Cost+ Collections to some 'cause' because nobody would have gone to cinemas for this movie if he had not produced it... but then I think he already had adopted a village during Lagan.. maybe it's time he buys a bunglow the size SRK has ;-) lol

Part 3
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July 2011, Delhi Belly has hit the Indians. Some are loving it, some are loathing it. Some have been able to understand the camouflaged Dark-humour, some thought it was a stupd story of Smugglers & Young Boys.

I think it is a turn of the century Bold Bollywood Kitsch with dark-undertones that only somebody as intelligent & bold as Aamir Khan could make. Not everyone is going to like it, not everyone is going to understand it. There are going to be those simpletons who think things like these do not happen, or things like these should not be shown on screen for the sake for Morality. Well, guys you've been warned by the producer well in advance.

If Peepli Live was a Bold interpretation of the Rural Mess, Delhi Belly is a creative interpretation of the Urban Kitsch that many of the Indian Metros are with their confused Moral Ethos.