It’s the others who bring the movie much-needed heft. Back after her disastrous debut, Sonya Jehan as the capricious, clinging-to-the-top-but-slipping Ratanbala is very good: she has the adaa, and the namak that Soha lacks. Rajat Kapoor plays fading-but-still-dashing star Prem Kumar, complete with a sharp, thin moustache, with innate style. Vinay Pathak's had a good year, and tops it with his layered writer-hanger-on role. But this is Saurabh Shukla’s film: his corpulent, foul-mouthed, very-Punjabi producer rises above the clichés written into his part, and steals every single scene.

Watch Khoya Khoya Chand for its sparkling supporting cast, which buoys the lead pair, cements the in-between cracks, and makes you overlook, almost, the meandering plot, especially in the second half. And for the scenarists who bring alive with great fidelity, barring a glitch or two, one of the most exciting phases of Hindi movies. Also, keep an ear out for the title track, not as haunting as Bawra Mann from Hazaaron, but as mellifluous, leaving you wishing that the film had much soul as the song.