In MUSAFIR, Gupta explores new territory, giving the material a stark edge, innovation and a thick, memorable atmosphere. In KAANTE, he explored gambling, mistrust, deception, fraud, money. This time around, it's an almost original tale that's not contrived or recycled. In this film, he delves into infidelity, incest, ill luck, paranoia, mistrust, murder, deception, fraud, money and the mafia.

Lucky [Anil Kapoor] had had enough of change. From odd jobs to petty crimes. From home addresses to jail addresses. He wanted a house of his own… a family... a new beginning.

Billa (Sanjay Dutt): Wry witted and irritatingly verbose, Billa is a ruthless money-hungry drug lord. His fashion statement is crinkled brocade shirts, suede overcoats, a studded choker, chunky rings, a spiky haircut and a stylish beard.

Lara (Koena Mitra): Her idea of seduction is washing the car in a purple dress. Obviously she got her inspiration from Liv Tyler in One Night At McCool's.

Tiger (Aditya Panscholi): He is a chocolate-eating cop on the trail of drug traffickers. But there is more to him than meets the eye or so we suspect.

Sam (Sameera Reddy): If you happen to be in Goa, you will find Sam dancing all over the place – bars, beachside, you name it. Lucky bails her out when her car breaks down.

Luka (Mahesh Manjrekar): This lousy looking version of Hulk Hogan is a cheap-talking pervert who suspects his sexy wife, Sam, of being a loose character.

Whacko Jacko (Shakti Kapoor): A drug dealer who is a part time shady tattoo artiste, bearing information about the whereabouts of every Tom, Dick and Lucky.

MUSAFIR is loosely based on Oliver Stone's U-TURN [1997; Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Lopez, Billy Bob Thornton], but it's NOT a scene-to-scene copy of the much-acclaimed flick.

MUSAFIR is embellished with some great performances, but the film clearly belongs to Anil Kapoor. No two opinions on that! The actor ignites the screen with an authoritative performance. Cinematography [P.S. Vinod] is of international quality. The black and white inserts, usage of hand-held camera, vivid close-ups, zip-switches from smooth to grainy, unique camera angles and effects give the film a chic and modish look. Action [Tinu Verma] is realistic and that works greatly in a film like this.

After frequent releases that are often repetitive and lack innovation, Musafir’s album deserves to be patronized based on its creativity alone. Irrespective of whether these tunes will be in the film or not, Musafir is definitely worth the purchase. Creativity like this deserves the award and certainly makes the Anil Kapoor-Sanjay Dutt-Sameera Reddy film worth anticipating!

On the whole, Musafir has already taken a flying start.