Two purposeless vagabonds with loads of money meet in Goa and decide to have fun in Malang. Soon, the viewers are in for a treat. There is a method to this madness. The free- spirited girl Sara we thought had no higher calling tells us she has many fears in life that she wants to conquer . For example she quips, “I want to be with a stranger and have fun.” Ahem.
Not just that, she wants to bungee jump and do a host of other things. But there was one particular ambition of her’s that really spoke to me. That was - “I want to have everything I can eat in a day.” Really ? Eat everything ? Was she simply hungry ? Was that the reason she was prancing around so much? Well, we had to give up that strain of thought soon because no one pursued it . The saga of a hungry heroine would have been so much fun, but instead we have an angry hero.
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Malang opens with us appreciating Aditya Roy Kapur’s chiselled body . There is a pent up anger and rage inside him, and going by Mohit Suri’s films we know exactly how the revenge thriller will play out.
The setting is Goa - perfect to appreciate the stunning lead pair as they frolic around in their beachwear. And psychedelic music and neon lights play up the dark drug-induced rave parties at night.
When a series of murders take place where police officers are the target, the cops get to business . We meet Anil Kapoor as a trigger happy cop Agashe, who is always in favour of an encounter rather than an investigation. But then we also have Michael Rodriguez (Kunal Kemmu), who insists on carrying out the cop’s duty in an ethical manner. The plot thickens and while we all wonder how the various murders are linked and who will be the next target, a series of flashbacks help us join the dots soon enough.
Most of what is expected of Aditya and Disha is engineered in a way that they get to showcase their good looks in the best possible way . We have enough and more opportunities to simply marvel at their flawless countenance. Aditya is more effective in his brooding bearded look as he challenges the police officers to nail him. Those comprise some of the more engaging moments in the film.
Aseem Arora ‘s story, especially in the last half an hour, packs in so much that it almost becomes difficult to keep up with the pace. Inner demons take centrestage and as we near the end credits one knows Malang is addictive just as long as it lasts. Another one of those “thrillers” that you forget the moment you step out of the theatre.
Our rating: 2 quints out of 5 !
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