Bollywood springs a welcome surprise on us with this taunt thriller largely devoid of the trappings of the ‘masala’ formula.

Director Rajkumar Hirani has fashioned a clever film which asks progressive questions about dogmatic beliefs and does not attempt to bombard us with ‘right’ answers, encouraging viewers to rethink accepted social and religious beliefs. The performances are pitch perfect, with A-lister Khan proving yet again that he’s the most versatile and intelligent Indian actor of his generation. The result is probably the best mainstream Hindi film of 2014. But do be sure to stick around for the final credits!

Stuffed with references to past potboilers and the director’s own previous hits, this enjoyable nonsense will please its intended audience. Interestingly if perhaps worryingly, the film also reflects the current Indian aspirational dream: forget East or West, life in the UAE is the best.