A whole lot of time is wasted setting up the story; far less is assigned to unravelling the mystery or providing adequate backstory to all the characters. It feels like misdirection to bring you into the world of Malang through Advait and Sara’s superficial, chemically assisted love story but place greater emphasis on the twisted minds of the cops in charge.

Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur try to bear the burden in Mohit Suri’s Malang. It is only towards the end that the story gets intriguing, but it is too late by then.

Just like the wanderers who throng Goa, there’s some vicarious fun to be had in Malang as it takes you into the colourful lives o a bunch of fractured souls aiming for nirvana.

There are enough highs to keep you engaged.

Ram Gopal Varma, on a good day, can easily make a meal out of such a plot, the way he did with his fantastic thriller, Kaun?! Here, what could have been a delicious thriller turns out to be merely a watchable and forgettable revenge-drama, which never goes as Malang as I thought it would be. Sorry Suri!

Malang takes you from one ‘thrill’ to another without taking much time. The fast pace doesn’t miss anything important and manages to narrate an intriguing story without making you look at the watch.

Director Mohit Suri maintains a steady grip on the narrative for most parts. In this film, none of his characters are unidimensional, which makes them interesting. The film begins well with a power-packed action scene, and dives straight into the drama. What it does lack is a tighter edit and dialogues that could elevate the narrative. Though there are two interesting twists in the plot, they aren’t as big a surprise as they should have been, which take away from its thrill quotient. The music proves to be one of its strong points, especially the title track, which stays with you even after you leave the theatre.