<em>Malaal</em> is missing a core. The movie has nothing new to say about the star-crossed romance, and is too timid to mirror the unabashed celebration of unreconstructed malehood that marked the source material.
Going by Hadawale’s Marathi debut Tingya, the heart-warming story of a little boy and his beloved bull, this should have been a much better film. Sadly, Malaal is nothing but a series of warmed-over clichés which only a talented pair could have refreshed. Neither Meezan (Javed Jaffery’s son) nor Sharmin Segal (Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s niece) are pleasant enough, she with more spark than he, but they do not have impact.
At least Meezan Jafri shows some spark — just a bit — while dancing. Sharmin Segal does not have even that going for her. She is so tepid that her walk and posture are as inexpressive as her face - I did not realise such a thing was possible, but today I know it is.
Anna M Vetticad, <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/malaal-movie-review-sanjay-leela-bhansali-launches-his-niece-and-jaaved-jaaferis-son-in-a-dreary-film-6941301.html">Firstpost</a>
<i>Malaal</i> is a regrettably chaste love story in which even holding hands, let alone a liplock, is a life-altering decision. The girl not only keeps count of the number of shirts and vests the hero owns but also knows every hole and ink stain on them inside out. But see, nothing below the belt!