Audience expectations from "36 China Town", releasing Friday, are riding high on director duo Abbas-Mastan's reputation for churning out hit thrillers.

The duo returns after two years with a murder mystery starring Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapur.

The film will also be an acid test for the lead pair Kareena-Shahid who failed to strike the right chord with "Fida". "36 China Town" gives them another chance to cash in on their off-screen chemistry.

The thriller revolves around a missing child whose mother offers a huge reward for whoever brings her son back.

Raj (Shahid) and Priya (Kareena), two strangers struggling to make a living in a new city, find the child and decide to share the reward money. But when they reach the child's house, they find the mother dead.

Panicking, they flee, leaving behind a suitcase and their footprints, which make them the prime suspect.

Enter Inspector Akshay (Akshaye Khanna), who is given charge of the case. He realises that the case is not as simple as it seems as new suspects keep popping up daily. How Akshay finds the killer forms the climax of the movie.

The film is also a launching pad for model-turned actor Upen Patel who plays a playboy in the movie.

The music director is Himesh Reshammiya, who has also sung a song for the film that is already climbing up the hit charts.