Mumbai: There is something raw and unrehearsed about the way the three actors in "Manmarziyan" play out the tangle within a triangle. In just a minute or two, we know exactly what they are all about. Or rather, what they are not about.


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This is not the world of sacrifices that we've seen in other triangular tales from Raj Kapoor's "Sangam" to Sai Pranjpe's "Katha". The protagonists of "Manmarziyan" want it all and they want it now. Rumi, Robbie and Vicky…these are three small-town livewires, not particularly bright or even halfway sophisticated.


There is a quality of carnal stupor in the way they respond to social stimuli. Hankering and obtaining are the wellspring of their existence. Vicky (Vicky Kaushal) wants Rumi (Taapsee Pannu) and she wants him back. 


Enter the calm Robbie (Abhishek Bachchan) who I fear will be judged unfavourably against Vicky Kaushal. And I am not talking about the script. Because everyone thinks the more aggressive performance is the better performance in this country. 


Remember how Amitabh Bachchan's aggression walked away with all the accolades in Hrishikesh Mukherje''s "Namak Haraam" while Rajesh Khann''s subdued act got overshadowed?


Movie audiences have not changed much since then. But thankfully, the movies have. The main characters in "Manmarziyan" are painted in bold broad strokes. They are carnal and obstinate, self-serving and not ashamed of it. At one point, Rumi on a honeymoon with the sober Ronnie complains to her mother that they can't have fun since he forgot to pack condoms.


These characters don't need protection. They need prayers.