Delhi Belly and Pyaar Ka Punchnama defined 2011 in the year of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Singham and Ra.One

Delhi Belly, literally, had Delhi and belly, and the smelly fruits thereof, driving the narrative. Or let’s say, three Dilli boys living in the grungiest flat that Bollywood designers could dream of, whose life gets sucked up in a belly ache which leads to a pile of excrement, stolen diamonds, and a bunch of crooks. Imran Khan (now not to be seen), Kunaal Roy Kapoor (still around) and Vir Das (Emmy-winning stand-up comic and newly-minted author) whoop it up, in dialogue which is almost all English with a little bit of Hindi slipping in, the two lasses played by Shenaz Treasurywala and Poorna Jagannathan, now well known for her strict desi mom in Never Have I Ever. So much so that it can safely be called the first Hindi film in English.

Imran Khan’s film Delhi Belly, literally, had Delhi and belly, and the smelly fruits thereof, driving the narrative.

There’s also a jaw-dropping love making scene of the kind I haven’t seen before or after in a Hindi flick, unless you count Jhankaar Beats, with its below-the-seat action. And that theme song Bhaag D K Bose would never pass the censors’ eye now: it’s unbelievable that it did so back then, even if the film’s producer Aamir Khan was smart enough to ask for an A certificate from the get go.

Then there were the three boys of Punchnama, dreaming of girls, girls, girls, with a rawness of delivery that made the boys relatable. Of the trio, Kartik Aryan — the one with that monologue — has become a big star, around whom the insider-outsider debate has raged, and is now reportedly working with Karan. Blurred lines much in New Bollywood? Does Karan need Kartik more than the other way round?

Vidya Balan hitting the high notes in Milan Luthria’s The Dirty Picture was a rare Indian female star who won the box office in a woman-centric role. Based on the life of Silk Smitha, there was enough sex and smut in the film to get in the crowds, but it was also a film in which Balan’s performance was itself a draw. Emraan Hashmi and Naseeruddin Shah are in support, but this film is through and through Vidya’s vehicle.

Vidya Balan, with her film The Dirty Picture, became a rare Indian female star who won the box office in a woman-centric role.

Also not to forget Zoya Akhtar’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD), which felt like a Dil Chahta Hai redux: those boys had grown into these men, still very much in search of self. Almost like a coming-of-age point two oh. But the bromance, starring Hrithik, Farhan, Abhay, lifted by Katrina and Kalki, has weathered well enough, what with its castinet-clicking-Senorita, the rumbustious tomato-throwing in Tomatina, and the presence of Bagwati, the bag that was hilariously more expensive than the very expensive people sitting in the car.

Abhay Deol, Hrithik Roshan and Farhan Akhtar’s film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD), which felt like a Dil Chahta Hai redux.

Lots of that ultra-cool BFF vibe. And lots of on-and-off chatter around a sequel: will it ever happen?

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