[Review] Deli Boys | Hulu Series

[Review] Deli Boys | Hulu Series | Abdullah Saeed | Poorna Jagannathan | Saagar Shaikh | Asif Ali

Deli Boys is a Hulu Original crime comedy created by ex-Vice producer, Abdullah Saeed, and starring Poorna Jagannathan, Saagar Shaikh, Asif Ali, Brian George and Alfie Fuller.

The series follows two Pakistani-American guys who inherit their father’s lucrative Deli chain, only to discover that the business is just a front for a massive drug smuggling racket, forcing them to deal with their father’s secret life of crime.

WARNING: This review contains SPOILERS!

Deli Boys Seasons Synopsis:

A pair of pampered Pakistani-American brothers lose everything when their convenience store magnate father suddenly dies. They are forced to reckon with their Baba’s secret life of crime.

Deli Boys Seasons Review:

I had no idea Deli Boys even existed. If my wife’s friend hadn’t shared the trailer reel with us on Instagram, I don’t know if or when I would come across this one. And what a treat I would have missed!

Seriously, this is a tightly written, solid dark comedy. I’m going to be bold enough to say—Deli Boys is one of the best shows of the year!

I’ll start by saying that I’m desi myself. Yes, I’m Indian and this show features Pakistanis. However, regardless of what the world might think, ordinary Indians and Pakistanis have no truck with each other. We have loads in common, and Deli Boys has ample desi references to appeal to both countries.

Right off the bat, we’re introduced to two Pakistani-American man-children. Mir (played by Asif Ali) is your goody-two-shows overachiever with the perfect immigrant life and business education. Raj (played by Sagar Shaikh) is a good-for-nothing lazy guy who has a shaman (also his girlfriend) for spiritual guidance, and an orgy cabal for carnal enjoyment. They are the sons of convenience store magnate, Baba Dar (played by Iqbal Theba). Tatti hits the pankha when Baba dies in a freak accident, leaving a gaping power vacuum in his business. While Raj and Mir expect to inherit the business, they get a rude awakening when the FBI raids their office. Suddenly, they’re thrown into the leadership position of a crime ring.

A Hilarious Juxtaposition of Desi Culture, Dark Humour, and Hardcore Crime Drama

Saagar Shaikh as Raj Dar & Asif Ali as Mir Dar in Deli Boys

For me, the best part of Deli Boys was Lucky Auntie (played by Poorna Jagannathan). Not only did Lucky steal the show, she kept the flame alive till the end. She’s the badass elder who not only can lead, but also gets her hands dirty when needed. She’s the tank, she’s the brains, she’s basically everything, including Baba’s most trusted confidante. Poorna Jagannathan does justice to this quick-witted femme fatale, somehow balancing her brutality with the kind and warmth expected of a female desi elder.

Unlike many desi and NRI shows, Deli Boys doesn’t use desi culture for easy jokes and stereotyping. Instead, the cultural aspects add depth to each character, complicate conflicts when necessary, and pave the way for creative solutions when the need arises. From smuggling drugs in pickle bottles (Caca Achar), to Raj’s proposed marriage to the Indian Nandika (Amita Rao), to even the two brothers’ relationships with each other and Lucky Auntie, each feels real. Even the hilarious side characters like Murderwallah and Ralph are like family friends you might encounter in a desi family. Honestly, I’ve seen these interpersonal equations in my own extended family and friends.

As much as the desi parts form the cultural base, the crime elements add a bizarre balance of severity, seriousness, and dark humour. Just because it’s a comedy doesn’t mean the crimes and deaths aren’t serious. They’re bloody, they’re gory, and they’ll even push you to the edge of your seat. A great genre-blend is one that manages to do justice to both its genres, and Deli Boys does it so brilliantly!

Well-Written, Stellar Performances, A Near-Perfect Binge!

Poorna Jagannathan as Lucky Dar (Lucky Auntie)

Right from episode 1, Deli Boys stays tight. The show provides an almost constant thrill to the bizarre situations that it forces upon its characters. It’s relentless, both in its trials and its humour. But, it’s not just for show. There are consequences to every action and the showrunners don’t miss a single thing. From Mir & Bushra (Zainne Saleh) planning their wedding to the proposed arranged marriage with the Indian family, to the Vietnamese and Peruvian conflicts, every crazy event gets its moment to shine. The show slowly builds them up, first as jokes, then as serious plot points, and then resolves them all as satisfying story arcs.

And with such tight writing, such strong narrative and direction, the performances are bound to shine. I don’t think there was a single character in the whole of Deli Boys that I did not like. Even seemingly insignificant and throwaway gag characters like Matthew (Jake Prizant) get their moments in the spotlight. While the main cast, Poorna Jagannathan, Saagar Shaikh and Asif Ali, carry the show forward with their unwavering performances, the supporting cast is right there alongside them. From Alexandra Ruddy’s Agent Mercer struggling to do the right thing, to Tim Baltz as the goofy FBI director, every performance elevated this already great show.

Deli Boys Ending Explained

Turns out, Ahmed was behind Baba Dar’s death—an assassination. Despite being shot, Chickie stumbles into the room and reveals Ahmed’s secret before passing out. The Dar family is about to fight Ahmed when Director Simpson and Agent Mercer jump them. Sadly, when a group of FBI agents barges in, they reveal that the Director and Mercer had been trespassing at the wedding and attempted the arrest without an official warrant. That essentially spoils the operation, and the Dar family manages to get away scott free.

Well, not entirely. Ahmed uses the chaos of the FBI’s arrival to escape. Weeks pass by, and the power dynamics have changed. Raj and Mir have fully embraced their role as Co-Chief Saabs. Lucky is their right-hand woman, with a recovering Matthew working alongside her. Mir is busy running the business. While Raj was about to leave the world of crime behind and go spend time with his new wife, Nandika, the reveal of his Baba’s death has made him angry and bitter, with a compulsive need to find Ahmed. Chickie is incapacitated, handing over his entire operation to his daughter Gigi.

The final shot of the finale mirrors the opening shot of the two brothers exiting the deli, only for the deli to explode. There’s still unfinished business.

Deli Boys Worth Watching?

Poorna Jagannathan as Lucky Dar, Saagar Shaikh as Raj Dar, Asif Ali as Mir Dar, and Brian George as Ahmed Saeed

Yes. It’s a damn good show, and I’m not just saying it because I’m desi. It’s well-written, the performances are great, the humour is genuinely funny, and the drama is compelling. Almost everything about the show is solid. My only complaint with the show was the timeskip at the end of the finale. I felt that the show spent more time teasing season 2 instead of letting us enjoy the success of the first season.

Will there be a Deli Boys Season 2? Of course! Ahmed is still at large, and Mercer will surely be back to try and nab the Dar family. And if you ask me, I can’t wait to watch Season 2.

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