Fresh from the City of Brotherly Love, Deli Boys is a comedy with Pakistani spice that has the potential to become a genre heavyweight!

Deli Boys is a fish-out-of-water story about two brothers caught in the crossfire of their family’s secret life of crime. The brothers in question are Raj (Saagar Shaikh) and Mir Dar (Asif Ali). Sons of a convenience store magnate, they are pampered rich boys and polar opposites. Upon their father’s death, the two of them have their lives turned upside down and will have to get to grips with the seedy underbelly of their ill-gotten riches to return to the life of luxury they’ve come to enjoy.

The series’ first episode creates solid foundations, even if the comedy is hit or miss. Its mix of dark humour with violent slapstick gets off to a slow start due to the first half’s focus on introductions. While the comedic aspects have some ground to cover, the writer’s seamless ability to weave cultural references and create believable caricatures that come alive during these scenes.

Raj and Mir are noticeable stereotypes of people’s perception of rich kids. Raj is the typical spoilt brat. He’s the type to have never worked a day in his life and spends his hours partying or lines deep in a drug-fuelled orgy. Mir, on the other hand, is the serious type. He’s desperate for his father’s attention and has spent his whole life in preparation to take over the family business.

As complete opposites, they are often at odds with each other. This dynamic plays well against their serene livelihood and only improves as the world starts to fall around them. This situation change also helps the series’ comedic style.

Chaos suits this series’ comedy well. The almost cartoon-like levels of violence juxtapose the reality check for Raj and Mir nicely. This is then sent into overdrive when the story introduces Auntie Lucky (Poorna Jagannathan).

Doting auntie and head of the family’s criminal operations, she’s an unstable element for the story. Her first scenes in the episode show her to be a character capable of anything. This adds an extra layer of tension as the brothers will need to be constantly vigilant going forward.

While it plays within a familiar genre, Deli Boys stands out thanks to its violent slapstick and Pakistani cultural appreciation. Despite a few hiccups at the start, the series has great potential, and as long as it’s able to keep up with the level of craziness, it has all the makings of a comedic icon.

I Give Deli Boys a First Impression of.. 7/10