Delhi Belly (soundtrack)

Production

Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy were originally associated with the film as music composers. Deo recommended Sampath's name to presenter Aamir Khan, as they had worked together on advertisements where Sampath scored jingles. Khan and the trio accepted Sampath's inclusion. Sampath wanted to show love and heartbreak through his music, discussing a variety of musical genres with scriptwriter Akshat Verma, who helped set the tone by adding expletives and hook lines. Initially the film had only one song, "I Hate You (Like I Love You)," but during the two years the film was stuck on the edit table, Sampath composed nearly ten songs. The album was developed for six months under the working title Delhi Belly: Songs Of Heartbreak & Hip-Shake, though it was unclear whether most songs would be included. Khan listened to all tracks and liked them, leading to their use in the film.

Composition

Sampath composed "Bhaag D.K. Bose" as a punk rock song with eastern influences, performing it himself in his debut as a playback singer after Khan and Kiran Rao insisted upon hearing his scratch recording. Verma conceived the phrase "D. K. Bose," which when sung at a quick pace forms a popular expletive in North India. The song was a promotional number not part of a situation, giving Sampath more scope to experiment. "Bedardi Raja," sung by Sampath's wife Sona Mohapatra and written by Bhattacharya, was described as modern Kotha music.

"Saigal Blues" was written by Chetan Shashital and Sampath as an independent single before being used in the film, mixing Saigal saab and the Rolling Stones. "Nakkadwaley Disco, Udhaarwaley Khisko" was called a sad qawwali played by a funk band. "Switty" is a punk number spoofing the stalker male stereotype. "Tere Siva" is the only earnest romantic song, addressing Tashi's state of mind.

Reception

Jaspreet Pandohar of BBC wrote that the songs work equally well on their own and as a collection destined to become a cult classic. Nikhil Hemrajani of Hindustan Times rated the soundtrack three out of five, calling it like a box of candy with a unique sound not heard before in Bollywood music, though noting Sampath referenced Tarantino's music. A reviewer from News18 said the music is unusual and breaks monotony. Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama described Delhi Belly as a good album, not excellent, but noted that the craze of "D.K. Bose" alone could make it top the charts and expected the item number to help album sales.

Karthik Srinivasan of Milliblog called it a kick-ass ingenious soundtrack. Sameer Chhabra of Music Aloud called it Ram Sampath's best work to date. Sampada Sharma of The Indian Express wrote that Sampath's excellent and catchy tunes created some controversies but tracks like "Bedardi Raja," "I Hate You Like I Love You" and "Switty Tera Pyaar" flow with the film perfectly. Delhi Belly was ranked number 89 on Top 100 Bollywood Albums by Film Companion.

Controversy

The song "Bhaag D.K. Bose" faced heavy backlash after its release, with critics calling out its double entendre and obscene lyrics. Many people complained that it was shown in theaters alongside films rated U, even though Delhi Belly itself carried an A certificate from the CBFC and was later broadcast on national television. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry sent a letter to the CBFC demanding an explanation for how the song had been approved.

The composing trio Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy later stated they would never create a similar track due to its vulgarity. Amitabh Bachchan also publicly condemned the song, while Aamir Khan responded by singing the controversial lyrics at a press event. A copyright issue arose when artists Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra, who had trademarked "BoseDK" in 2005, came forward. Khan, who had not known about the trademark, acknowledged their ownership and resolved the matter amicably, saying he had no claim to the phrase.