Yeh Saali Zindagi takes its time to unfold, but it’s a delicious little treat if you muster the patience for it. Under its rough exterior of criminals and gunshots, is a tale of slow-burning passion and unconditional love.

Dark, devious and different, Yeh Saali Zindagi is brain-and-brawn drama. Wish the Censor hadn’t beeped so much.

It’s fairly simple. The film appears jumbled in parts, merely because no character holds a moral centre. No character, in particular, holds the plot together either. The picture goes all over the place to arrive at an end, even beyond the intended end. You leave for home with an exhilarating ride, still reeling in your head — though not quite the heart. The actors (each one of them inspiringly cast, stunningly moulded) help you get there. The movie seems infinitely better than the sum of its script. That’s usually true for fun thrillers. This is definitely one of them.

The idea is to project mess and chaos. Indeed surplus characters and subplots often make YSZ an overwhelming experience to endure. But if you are up for the challenge to explore Delhi’s shifty facet, it’s rewarding too. What’s most fascinating is how everyone has a sense of humour about their situation, which is inevitably on the sticky side. Saali or sane, this Zindagi rocks.

Yeh Saali Zindagi needed to be shorter and less flabby. I also wish that Arunoday and Chitrangda were more forceful actors – thankfully Irrfan Khan, Saurabh Shukla, Sushant Singh and a host of other strong performers ably prop them up. Eventually then, Yeh Saali Zindagi doesn’t hit all the high marks it sets for itself but it provides enough crackle to keep you entertained. Check it out.

With a bit of patience, however, YSZ isn’t a bad choice for this weekend. If patience isn’t one of your virtues, however, wait for the television premiere.

YEH SAALI ZINDAGI is a racy entertainer which blends the right amount of romance, comedy and thrill. You will regret throughout your zindagi for missing this one!