Deli Boys
By Sioph W. Leal
Mir (Asif Ali) and Raj (Saagar Shaikh) find their pampered lives drastically changed after their father unexpectedly dies and the FBI take all their assets. Losing everything they are forced to reckon with their father’s secret past of crime as they are forced to take up his mantle in the drug and violence filled world, not only to survive but to get some of their old life back. Out of their depth and thrown into violence while dealing with their grief, the brothers are guided by Lucky (Poorna Jagannathan) who is exasperatedly trying to keep them alive and their business afloat while fighting with work enemy Ahmad (Brian George). It has everything but, most importantly, it's funny and doesn’t take itself too seriously even with a load of blood and murder.
Family business can be rough, and the conflicting personalities have often been a staple in sitcoms, but brothers Mir and Raj are able to make it fresh yet familiar enough to easily draw you into their chaos. The opening scene sets this tone perfectly with a split screen showing the vast differences. Older brother Raj is easy going, has no ambition and is happy to live without doing any work. Mir is business savvy, awkward but eager to please and hard-working younger brother and wants his father’s approval to take over. The one thing they do have in common is they’re both hapless, completely out of their depth and easily swayed. Despite all that, they seem to fail upwards but with help. Comedy can be a difficult thing to master but Ali and Shaikh land every moment perfectly no matter the outrageous or dangerous situations. They’re hilarious and their different styles match as perfectly as their characters do to each other. Even when the brother turns a little darker, they manage to keep the humour going when so often other series chose to lose it. For a character choice, it's great and creates some of the most hilarious moments in the show. Their chemistry is the propelling force behind the show, but another stand out is Lucky for how ruthless she is. As a protector of the brothers and a forceful guide, she is a perfect mix of pragmatic, resourceful, chaotic and extremely violent but also incredibly funny thanks to Jagannathan’s performance.
The brotherly conflict only takes place in the first episode and near the end but it’s a great choice for the narrative as we see them grow closer in the whirlwind of a situation they're in and there’s a genuine closeness that helps elevate the comedy stylings of the writing and overall plot. There’s brotherly conflict against that hasn’t been seen since the first episode and it's great. There are plenty of high-stake rivalries from different entities wanting money or blood from the brothers and each makes for genuine laugh out loud moments. Lucky and Ahmed do take that to the next level, each one eager to leave the other for dead. It never feels heavy despite the amount of blood spilt or the violence but in fact comes across as even more amusing due to how unserious the show takes itself. It’s the best and fully immerses the audience into the situation and enjoys it much more than other recent sitcoms. There are many times, particularly in episode three, where you’ll laugh without hesitation. It’s genuinely funny at every point and wastes no opportunity for humour or clever wit regardless of the situation.
To be picky, the only time the series falters a little is the FBI subplot but not the cast or the writing. It's more that you can tell it is a break from the brothers, so it is a little disjointed in tone but that’s not a bad thing. The brothers do too good a job that you want to get back to their shenanigans and chaos.
Deli Boys is an instant favourite that is a close to perfect comedy with a bit of everything and a great cast that have exceptional comedy chemistry. The violence and comedy work together perfectly and used to elevate each other in some perfectly funny moments that so many sitcoms fail to do. It’s a great watch that easily brings you into the chaos with every character providing moments of humour thanks to the excellent cast and writing. Its original yet have moments of familiarity to ground the series in its more outrageous moments. Abdullah Saeed has created a great series that everyone will love. There are a few cameo appearances that, although brief, bring different styles of comedy and personality that make the show bigger and better.
Deli Boys premiers March 6th on Hulu.