The one that binds them all is mobster-cum-money lender Faujdar (Anupam Kher) who fills his atmospheric villain’s den with a muscle-bound bodyguard, a boy-lovin’ saffron-’dhari’ religious guru (Veerendra Saxena), a cowed-down driver (Hemant Pandey), a going-for-broke producer (Manoj Pahwa), a lusty businessman who goes by the name of Gogi Kuckreja (Yashpal) and a contract killer called Suleman Supari (Rahul Dev). This parade of pariahs crisscrosses paths and wits over a few days, and delivers unto us a film that is laugh-out-loud funny.

Only in a couple of patches does the pace flatten. But the rest is rapidfire action. Advani and his cast are clearly having a blast — keep an eye and ear out for Bollywood jokes, nods to the retro badmovie classics of the 80s. Rimi, the Bangla-spewing vixen with a softer side, is a revelation. And Anupam, channeling his Shimla roots, is absolutely first rate. Everyone else is very good too, except a curiously inert Chunky.

The smartest thing about the film is that it manages to get the tone just right — not too low-brow, nor too arty. Sankat City is a caper with brains, a rare combo. Grab it.