The rate and eagerness with which Bollywood introduces us to new faces is great. But imagine what fun it would be if these new entrants were accompanied by equally refreshing plots?
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s latest production debuts his niece, Sharmin Segal, and Javed Jaffrey’s son, Meezaan. The story, though, is of the same old run-of-the-mill variety!
Directed by Mangesh Hadawale, the romantic drama is a remake of the Tamil hit film ‘7G Rainbow Colony’, which was helmed by Selvaraghavan.
The malaal (melancholy) here, though, strictly comes from the often repeated, almost stale trajectory of events! ‘Boy and girl stay in the same chawl, they meet and fall in love.’
The girl is smart and from a different cultural and economic background. The guy is brash and short-tempered.
Feelings blossom between the two but these star-crossed lovers eventually become victims of their destiny.
The story is set in 1998 Mumbai. Shiva (Meezaan) is mostly seen loitering with his buddies, much to the chagrin of his father. His main talent, though, is playing cricket – something we see him do in the first frame itself.
This thread, though, is soon forgotten. He is spotted by a local politician who, on seeing Shiva’s volatile temperament, ropes him in to help ‘throw out North Indians’ and ‘reclaim’ Mumbai for Marathis.
Strangely enough, this thread is also never picked up. It’s like no one in the film even remembers that Shiva was tasked with the job of throwing out 'baharwale’ (outsiders) from his chawl.
When he falls in love with the girl, Aastha Tripathi, it’s almost like a plot device used for convenience. The film is basically a never-ending saga of multiples sub-plots, introduced and then abandoned at will!
To be fair to Meezaan, he tries hard, but his Mumbai ‘tapori’ (street) style dialogue delivery never seems organic.
The fact that he looks almost identical to Ranbir Kapoor also distracts from his acting prowess. Still, there is enough of a spark in him for us to want to see more of him.
There is an endearing chemistry between the two, that makes ‘Malaal’ tolerable. But both Meezaan and Sharmin are let down by sketchy writing.
The climax leaves you with the impression that the makers didn’t know how to end the saga – the film ends after a stretched second half.
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