‘Malaal’ Movie Review: A stretched love story that shows promise but ultimately disappoints

Directed By: Mangesh Hadawale

Produced By: Sanjay Leela Bhansali Productions, T-Series

Cast: Meezan Jaffrey, Sharmin Segal

Bollywood Bubble Rating: 2.5/5

While the first half of ‘Malaal’ is pleasant and gripping, the second half has been stretched like a rubber band. Some people might call the climax revolutionary, but for me, it failed to tick all the right boxes.

Meezan Jaffrey (a sincere actor whose career is far from over) tries very hard to perfect the tapori accent, but fails in comparison to what Ranveer Singh pulled off in ‘Gully Boy’. Sharmin Segal too is decent but she does not arrest your attention quite like last year’s debutante Sara Ali Khan.

Coming to the plot of the film, Shiva (Meezan) is a mawaali who is badly behaved and poor. Astha (Sharmin) is an aspiring CA student. Sparks fly when they first meet, and for a while, you appreciate their chemistry. The movie goes downhill in the second half with very little happening.

In terms of production too, this is nowhere as grand as Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s last production ‘Padmaavat’. Still, the cinematographer manages to capture the colours of a Mumbai chawl with panache. In terms of music too, the film does manage to hit the bull’s eye. Some of the songs are beautifully choreographed and it’s a real delight to see them on the big screen.

With a tighter second half and some breathtaking action, the movie could have been an engrossing watch. Alas, it just turns out to be a boring dud that wastes your precious time.

Final verdict: 

Wait for ‘Super 30’ that releases next week.

Watch trailer: