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Malaal Review: Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s golden touch and elixir of 90s romance
Malaal Movie Review: Malaal marks the Bollywood debut of Jaaved Jaaferi's son Meezaan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's niece Sharmin Segal. Check out Pinkvilla's review of the film.
Movie: Malaal
Malaal Director: Mangesh Hadawale
Malaal Cast: Meezaan, Sharmin Segal
Malaal Movie Stars: 2.5/5
When it is a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, you know the few things that would stand out are the cinematography, dialogues and music. Malaal fares well on all these three parameters making an average 90s love story look glamourous.
Malaal marks the Bollywood debut of Jaaved Jaaferi's son Meezaan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's niece Sharmin Segal. A section of audience which enjoys re-living the yesteryear's Bollywood romance sans any shade of broken and convoluted relations will relate to the film. Love is irrational and full of drama, Bhansali’s previous films have used this as the soul of the story.
The first half has everything which a typical Bollywood romance masala would encompass -- action, hero chasing the heroine, grooving to the music, dance, etc. Hence, there's nothing that surprises the audience.
Set in the 90's, the story revolves around Shiva and Astha, two very different people from contrasting backgrounds who experience the innocence of love. Astha, who belongs from a wealthy family hailing from northern part of the country, migrates to aamchi Mumbai after the family business tumbles down. Settling in a chawl exposes her to the Maharashtrian guy played by Meezaan, who after few initial spats falls for her. The tryst with love then becomes the major plot of the film. 
There are few scenes which for Tamil films fans rekindle the memories of 2004 romantic drama, 7G Rainbow Colony written and directed by Selvaraghavan. Being a Bhansali film, there are creative diversions from the original script, but the director Mangesh Hadawale does justice to the reasons.
Sharmin Segal and Meezaan will impress you with their performance. Meezaan lives up to the character and has shown the signs of a promising talent. For Sharmin, its about acting through eyes. Her simplicity is unavoidable. Together, they make an old-school romance believable. The film is filled with small moments such as missing someone while waiting for the bus just because you are used to seeing her board it every morning. Such scenes capture the journey and conundrum of the two protagonists beautifully.
ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Meezaan ADMITS he's in a relationship but NOT with Navya Naveli Nanda; watch video
Credit should also be given to the music composed by the team of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Shreyas Puranik and Shail Hada and lyrics written by Prashant Ingole, Vimal Kashyab and A M Turaz. Also, they have included Marathi tones and lyrics, which go seamlessly with the story without stereotyping it.
Succinctly put, a remake of highly appreciated south film stands out with its own take on the story. Commendable acting by the two debutantes assures the audience that love was once not like an instant coffee, but it took its time to brew.
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