“Malaal” Review: Has Enough Charm And Warmth To Melt The Coldest Of Hearts

No matter how much we try to deny it, but we all love watching love stories. Yes, some of them go overboard at times, but if they are even a tad bit likable and the lead pair shares crackling chemistry, there is no stopping the audience at cinemas.

Today releases a new romantic movie called Malaal. The film launches two newcomers - filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s niece Sharmin Segal and Javed Jaffrey’s son Meezaan Jaffrey - in Bollywood. Here’s my take on the new love story.

What Is Malaal All About?

Malaal is the remake of the 2004 Tamil film, 7G Rainbow Colony. Set in the late 90s in Mumbai, the film revolves around reckless and uncouth Shiva (Meezaan Jaffrey) and demure Aastha Tripathi (Sharmin Segal). Shiva is aimless in life, and has no heart is what most of the people in his sprawling chawl feel.

However, his life changes when he meets Aastha, a reticent girl who has just moved into the chawl with her family after living a lavish life. Initially, Shiva tries to tyrannize Aastha for being a North Indian, but when Cupid strikes, they surrender themselves to each other. But will their vast class divide let them become one? Will the star-crossed lovers ever unite?

What’s Hot?

What makes a love story click with the audience? Well, it has to be a combination of a lot of things from good storytelling to great music to the sizzling chemistry between the lead pair. Malaal does tick some of the familiar elements and makes for a likable watch.

Love stories have some clichés too and the Mangesh Hadawale directorial does not claim to be completely absolved of them.

Talking about performances, Meezaan and Sharmin share great onscreen chemistry, something that makes the film work on an emotional level. The charisma of the two fresh faces is enough to keep you invested in Malaal. Meezaan seems to have got everything that could make him a big star in times to come, provided he chooses right material after his debut vehicle.

Apart from his talent, his features could be his best asset. His eyes are deep and emotive and do a lot of talking. His tall frame is the icing on the cake. Sharmin, on the other hand, also shows promise but extra efforts need to be undertaken in order to survive the cut-throat competition in showbiz.

What’s Not?

With a runtime of 2-hours 16-minutes, Malaal seems a little bit stretched, especially in the second half. While the first half passes like a breeze, the second half deals with pace issues. It required better trimming. The movie has a lot of obvious plot points and you sort of know what is coming ahead, but you go along with it because of the charming cast. The climax of the film leaves you shaking and devastated.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has scored music for the film. It is not bad, but then it is not great either. Barring one or two songs, rest of the music material is not striking. Since the film boasted of music by SLB himself, expectations were little high. Background score and cinematography are great though.

Final Verdict

If you are looking for romance, the kind of romance Tinder dates cannot offer you in today’s time and date, head to the theatre closest to you and watch Malaal at the earliest. The film does not promise an epic romance. It does not promise an out-of-the-box plot either. But the way debutants Meezaan and Sharmin invite you into their warm and fetching world will surely give you a feeling that will linger on. I am going with 3 stars.

Movie Credits

Banner: Bhansali Productions
Director: Mangesh Hadawale
Casting: Meezaan Jaffrey, Sharmin Segal
Runtime: 136 Minutes
STARBIZ Rating: 3 Stars

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