Movies

markdown Deli Boys: A Gangster Comedy with Loads of Heart

BBG News

Imagine chasing the American Dream! Here’s how it might go:

1. Start with only three dollars in hand, setting foot in Philadelphia.
2. Grab a job at a local deli to earn a living.
3. Eventually, save up and purchase that very deli you worked at.
4. Innovate by creating an oversized takeout container, perfect for our hunger pangs!
5. With the profits, expand your business and open 40 delis across the city.
6. Venture into new industries like golf courses and mango pickles to diversify your empire.
7. Tragically meet an untimely end after a stray golf ball strikes you, leaving your two grown sons clueless about your secret life as a crime boss, using the delis as a cover for cocaine distribution.

In summary, the character Baba Dar (Iqbal Theba) accumulated his substantial wealth, at least as portrayed in the crime comedy “Deli Boys,” currently streaming on Hulu. Early in the series, Baba meets a violent end, leaving his sons, Raj and Mir, to vie for control over the criminal enterprise they thought was a legitimate business. However, both brothers are ill-equipped to follow in their father’s footsteps. Raj, the older of the two, is more interested in partying with his partner, Prairie, and frittering away Baba’s money on drugs. On the other hand, Mir, who appears more corporate-minded with a clean-cut image and an MBA, has a demanding fiancée, Bushra, and aspirations to climb the ranks within Baba’s public company, DarCo.

Only when the FBI interrupts the DarCo conference room during Mir’s presentation as CEO does the family begin to suspect that their father wasn’t honest in his dealings. With the company closed down due to white-collar crimes and the family’s assets confiscated, leaving them penniless, they decide to reconstruct their father’s empire using the only asset he had aside from DarCo: the first deli he bought as a new immigrant. It is here that the full extent of Baba’s criminal activities becomes apparent. Unbeknownst to them, there was cocaine hidden within the tubs of mango pickle all along. The business partners they knew as Lucky Auntie (Poorna Jagannathan) and Ahmad Uncle (Brian George) turned out to be Baba’s advisors. Now, this contentious pair is competing for his position, while a team of federal agents—a dedicated rookie (Alexandra Ruddy) and her self-proclaimed legendary supervisor portrayed by Tim Baltz—are monitoring their actions closely.

The series “Deli Boys” isn’t one you tune in for intricate plot twists. If you’re accustomed to crime dramas, you might predict some turns well ahead of time. The humor can be over-the-top; the cold opening, featuring a bleeding man dressed only in socks, underwear, and a paper bag on his head darting out of the deli, chased by frantic, apron-wearing brothers, sets the humorous tone for the show. Yet, its straightforwardness and familiarity are part of its appeal. Newcomer creator Abdullah Saeed, along with executive producers Jenni Konner (“Girls”) and showrunner Michelle Nader (“2 Broke Girls”), appear to have a deep affection for the gangster narratives of Coppola, Scorsese, and Tarantino, as well as gritty antihero TV shows like “Breaking Bad.” The Dars share this admiration, debating passionately whether “Better Call Saul” justifies an entire streaming subscription. Mir struts about the city performing favors for neighbors like Don Corleone on his daughter’s wedding day. The show revels in eccentric underworld characters. There’s a “cocaine chef” whose signature is adding a hint of cardamom when he prepares the product. One Italian Mafioso goes by Chickie Lozano (Kevin Corrigan), but everyone consistently mispronounces his last name as “Lasagna.

The endearing nature of the Dar brothers, who are far from typical tough guys and have limited real-world knowledge of the underworld due to their exposure only through films and TV shows, makes them relatable. Their humor, as shown by their humorous exchanges like, “What’s a mook?” “They conquered Spain in the eighth century,” adds charm to the series. Deli Boys stands out among the abundance of gangster stories by setting its story within specific cultural contexts, both Pakistani American and Philadelphian. There is a significant generation gap between immigrants and their Americanized descendants, with Indian and Pakistani elders holding prejudices dating back to partition. A telling detail that highlights this divide is the presence of an unusually expired Tastykake, a popular Philadelphia snack that would never remain unsold for years on a deli shelf in the city.

Above all, the unique feature of this series lies in the authentic affection that permeates the relationships within this crime-ridden family. The characters Raj, a charming slacker, and Mir, a rigid achiever, are not just contrasting personalities; their deep-rooted love is palpable, creating tension as the pressure to preserve Baba’s empire might tear them apart. Jagannathan, a former cast member of “Never Have I Ever” and “Big Little Lies,” steals the show with his portrayal of Lucky. Tough, cunning, and brimming with Machiavellian intentions, Lucky is also fiercely devoted to Baba and his clumsy kin. She assures them that everything she does is for their benefit, a claim that largely holds true, although some of her ruthless decisions leave lasting scars. Hidden beneath the stereotypical characters are moments of emotional complexity seldom found in either a sub-“Sopranos” gangster series or a half-hour action comedy. By making us empathize with Mir, Dar, their aunts, and uncles, “Deli Boys” skillfully combines brutal fists with a compassionate soul.

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2025-03-06 22:06

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