Malang Review 3.5/5 : The Disha Patani – Aditya Roy Kapur starrer MALANG is high on style with good performances and thrilling moments but has an average storyline.

MALANG is the story of love and revenge. Two tracks run simultaneously in the movie. The flashback track shows Advait (Aditya Roy Kapur), with a haunting family history, going to Goa for fun. Here he meets Sara (Disha Patani) who has come to Goa from abroad to conquer his fears. About drugs and running away from the police, they fall in love. At first, they decide to keep their relationship casual, but things get serious. On the current track, five years later, Advait has just been released from prison. Now he is a killing machine with anger in his eyes.

As soon as he leaves, he calls Inspector Anjaane Agashe (Anil Kapoor) and informs him that he is about to commit murder. Agashe takes it lightly at first, but before long, Advait kills a person, who is also a police inspector named Victor (Vatsal Seth). A few hours later, he kills two more policemen: Nitin Salgaonkar (Keith Sequeira) and Deven Jadhav (Prasad Jawade). All three work under Inspector Michael (Kunal Kemmu). He is married to Teresa (Amruta Khanvilkar) and his marriage is on the rocks. He believes in following the law and faces problems solving the case with Agashe, who is confident of making encounters on the spot.

They both get to work before Advait can kill someone else. In the course of his investigation, Michael begins to follow Jessie (Elli AvrRam), who he believes is related to the case. Meanwhile, Agashe comes face to face with Advait. The latter had the opportunity to escape but does not. He willingly surrenders. What happens next forms the rest of the movie.

Aseem Arora’s story is decent. But it’s a bhel puri from various movies like EK VILLAIN [2014]MURDER 2 [2011]MARJAAVAAN [2019], RACE [2008] Aniruddha Guha’s script ensures that most scenes do not give strong déjà vu to any film. A lot is happening in the movie and the script is written in such a way that it doesn’t bore the audience. Aseem Arora’s dialogues are subtle but sharp and don’t go overboard in most places.

The direction of Mohit Suri is good. There is a noticeable improvement from his previous films. There is a lot of style in its execution that gives the film a fresh and pleasant touch. There are many characters and subplots, but it joins them without problems. Also, filmmakers often follow the psychedelic path while showing the effects of drugs on the protagonists. This has become quite a cliche now and surprisingly Mohit doesn’t take that route at all. Some scenes are handled very well, especially current scenes. But on the other hand, some developments don’t work as intended, be it the love story or Michael’s dilemma. Even Advait and Sara’s backstory seems half-hearted.

MALANG begins on a massive note. The action scene for a shot is quite entertaining. Then the movie goes into flashback mode showing Advait and Sara’s romance. It is interspersed with the current exciting portions. Some portions here stand out as Agashe questioning the African drug trafficker (this will surely generate a lot of laughter), Agashe finding Nitin Salgaonkar, and of course the breaking point. After the interval, flashback slows the movie down a bit, as one is more curious to see what happens once Advait is in the clutches of the police. There’s a solid twist to the story, and while surprising, it’s also a bit convenient.

Malang Public Review | Aditya Roy Kapur | Disha Patani | Anil Kapoor | Kunal Khemu | First-day First show

Speaking of acting, each and every actor gets it right. Aditya Roy Kapur is in great shape. He looks very compelling as a brave man with a vengeance that can take on dozens of thugs. Her performance in some crucial scenes could have been better, but she manages. Disha Patani probably gets the most amount of screen time. She looks beautiful and offers a moving performance. Anil Kapoor provides the humor quotient.

But his character is much more than just a funny man, and the talented actor does it well. And he looks handsome! Kunal Kemmu’s character also has many nuances and is great. Elli AvrRam is decent at best. Their delivery dialogue could have been a little better. Vatsal Seth, Keith Sequeira, and Prasad Jawade are fine. Devika Vatsa (Vani Agashe) leaves a big mark on a cameo.

Weak movie music and a movie like this should have super successful music. The title track and ‘Hui Malang’ they are the best of the lot and well filmed. ‘Shawl Ghar Chalen’, ‘Bande Elahi’, ‘Humraah’, and Phir Na Milen Kabhi Missing repeat value. Raju Singh’s background score is dramatic.

Vikas Sivaraman’s cinematography is impressive and one of the best of recent times. Notice how the first scene is captured (the long shot from a single shot) and how enough care is taken not to show Aditya Roy Kapur’s face until the right moment. Even the scenes from Goa and Mauritius are captured perfectly. Vintee Bansal and Sidhant Malhotra’s production layout is a bit theatrical but it works.

Ayesha Dasgupta’s outfits are super stylish, especially the ones worn by Aditya Roy Kapur, Disha Patani, and Anil Kapoor. The way Anil wears his police shirt on a T-shirt and keeps it unbuttoned makes a unique style statement. Aejaz Gulab’s action isn’t too bloody and seems realistic. NY VFX Waala’s VFX is fine. Devendra Murdeshwar’s editing is simplistic.

Overall, MALANG is very stylish with good performances and exciting moments, but it has an average story. At the box office, you only have the advantage of a one-week clear window, and therefore you will do average business.