Just before the interval plate takes over the curved screen at the theatre, a bullet pierces through her torso, rips out from the other side, as a gush of blood pours out of her mouth - as though she'd just bitten into a ripe lychee. Except, we're puking blood too. And some of it is coming out of our ears and eyes, as well.
The story of Milap Zaveri's Marjaavaan is simple - head goon Narayan Anna (Nassar) has a right-hand man in Raghu (Sidharth Malhotra), who he loves more than his own son. His son Vishnu Anna (Riteish Deshmukh), therefore, just falls short of both his father's love and his physical height. Raghu, an orphan, is secular - this needs a mention because several minutes in the screenplay have been spent to establish that. And for those who were still left unconvinced. Check out Raghu's knuckle tattoo, four religious symbols inked on each knuckle. He has three loyal friends, one of them is a Muslim for representation-sake. Didn't we tell you he is secular? We meant it, okay?
Aarzoo (Rakul Preet Singh) a nautch girl, is in love with Raghu, who likes to cuddle but not commit. We didn't say he is woke, remember? And then there is Zoya (Tara Sutaria), a mute girl who wants to change slum kids' lives through music. She wants to identify talented singers and musicians, take them to Kashmir for a music competition, which, she believes they will win with her expert help, and thus, it will change their lives. To drive in this thought, there's a little boy wearing a T-shirt that reads, "Apna Time Ayega." That we needed another Zoya to bring in the Gully Boy reference, is just so meta. Raghu falls in love with Zoya and pledges to turn Dharavi into Indian Idol.
The film’s plot is reminiscent of many potboilers straight out of the 80s, with barely any novelty in execution. There is love, drama, action and revenge packed in an exhausting two and a half hours of narrative, full of clichés and stereotypes. Thankfully, Marjaavaan has a few good actors, who strive to make their characters work against all odds. Leading them is ironically, the film’s villain Vishnu, played by Riteish Deshmukh. As a midget, who is obsessed with metaphors around height, Riteish doesn’t exactly look dreadful but his performance instills some fear. However, as he constantly mouths over-the-top filmy dialogues, it blunts his villainy making it unintentionally funny.
Sidharth Malhotra, on the other hand, has a fine screen presence and he attempts to put in an honest performance. But his character is one-note and the film’s overall writing lacks the depth to make it impactful. The film’s leading lady, Tara Sutaria, looks beautiful in the role of a mute girl Zoya, but doesn’t have much to work with. Ditto for Rakul Preet Singh (in a special appearance), who plays a bar dancer, Aarzoo. She has little to do than showing off her moves on the dance floor and flaunting her perfect hour-glass figure. Among the character artistes, veteran south actor Nassar and Bhojpuri star Ravi Kishen, impress in their limited screen time. The film’s music is melodious and peppy that blends well with the narrative, but there are far too many songs, adding to an already lengthy runtime. The background score is loud and distracting.
Marjaavaan attempts to check all the boxes for an emotional action rollercoaster, but its dated execution doesn’t quite make the kill
