Malang Unleash The Madness (2020)

Furious moviegoers often protest that superior stories are hard to find, yet I don't buy into this perspective. I really feel that we have extraordinary stories to narrate, but we mess up on screenplay writing, ruining a splendid story in the process. That's the issue with Malang as well. An entrancing idea may not convert into a captivating and tempting film, right?

Undoubtedly, director Mohit Suri has advanced into a smart and stylish storyteller with the passage of time and Malang bears testimony to this reality. One cannot overlook the shot compositions and the edit pattern. Malang has the unmistakable stamp of Mohit Suri. But a collage of splendidly executed sequences cannot make up for a riveting screenplay, unfortunately. That is precisely why Malang lacks the overall impact.

At heart, Malang is a game of chor-police, but the screenplay (Aniruddha Guha) fails to grab your attention after a point. Malang unfolds in two different timelines and director Mohit Suri does a brilliant job to establish what’s what. But the writing (Aseem Arrora) gets muddled due to the predictability factor, after one has savoured some tremendous moments in the first hour. Although Malang is laced with just the proper amount of thrills, yet there are certain portions that put you off, that remain unexplained... It's a screenplay of convenience! Besides, too many cinematic liberties taken to establish a point of purpose also mar the impact.

What works in favour of Malang is the fact that Aseem Arora’s script maintains dual-shade characters for almost every actor and is backed by exuberant performances. Malang moves at a feverish pace initially, but towards the latter portions, the editing (Devendra Murdeshwar) could have been sharper to register a long-lasting impact. Clocking in at roughly 2 hours and 15 minutes, Malang is much longer than it should be. Also, director Mohit Suri, story writer Aseem Arrora and screenplay writer Aniruddha Guha expect the viewer to grasp and figure out certain situations that arise in the film, instead of explaining it themselves, but as aforementioned, the predictability factor is a huge let-down.

One comes across a completely different Mohit Suri in Malang, blending emotions and thrills consummately. He has a unique style of storytelling, which is evident throughout the film. He merges his direction with sound-design very smoothly leaving a great impact. The highpoints include sharp dialogue and a popular soundtrack. The title track has already caught on and will prove to be a major crowd-puller. Vikas Sivaraman's cinematography is top-notch. In fact, Malang bears a stunning look all through. There's no refuting that the cinematographer has created some really alluring and enthralling visuals. The background score (Raju Singh) is electrifying. His sound effects combined with superior camera movements work really well for the film. In fact, the BGM is Malang's very backbone.

Aditya Roy Kapur is truly outstanding. He projects varied emotions without going overboard. Malang is sure to multiply his fan-following by leaps and bounds. Much of the joy comes from watching Disha Patani infuse believability into her character. She has never looked so hot, so inviting. But it's not about the looks, but talent and Disha scores on that front as well. Kunal Kemmu shines in several moments of the film. He impresses a great deal. The actor carries her part with elan, notwithstanding the discrepancies in the narrative. But it's Anil Kapoor who steals the show. He is excellent throughout and his work takes the graph of the film to an all-time high. A tailor-made role! Elisabet Elli AvrRam springs a surprise, essaying her role to perfection. Amruta Khanvilkar is in terrific form. This is one of her most uninhibited works!

On the whole, director Mohit Suri has scaled several notches above his past accomplishments in Malang. The film seduces the viewer with thrills aplenty, soulful music and of course, the crackling and wonderful onscreen chemistry between Aditya Roy Kapur and Disha Patani. The film caters more to the youth in metros than the hardcore masses in general. Also, Anil Kapoor makes Malang come alive.