diff --git a/mm/madvise.c b/mm/madvise.c
index 1a073fcc4c0c..a2dd70c4a2e6 100644
--- a/mm/madvise.c
+++ b/mm/madvise.c
@@ -901,26 +901,19 @@ static long madvise_dontneed_free(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
 		return -EINVAL;
 }
 
-static long madvise_populate(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
-			     struct vm_area_struct **prev,
-			     unsigned long start, unsigned long end,
-			     int behavior)
+static long madvise_populate(struct mm_struct *mm, unsigned long start,
+		unsigned long end, int behavior)
 {
 	const bool write = behavior == MADV_POPULATE_WRITE;
-	struct mm_struct *mm = vma->vm_mm;
 	int locked = 1;
 	long pages;
 
-	*prev = vma;
-
 	while (start < end) {
 		/* Populate (prefault) page tables readable/writable. */
 		pages = faultin_page_range(mm, start, end, write, &locked);
 		if (!locked) {
 			mmap_read_lock(mm);
 			locked = 1;
-			*prev = NULL;
-			vma = NULL;
 		}
 		if (pages < 0) {
 			switch (pages) {
@@ -1021,9 +1014,6 @@ static int madvise_vma_behavior(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
 	case MADV_DONTNEED:
 	case MADV_DONTNEED_LOCKED:
 		return madvise_dontneed_free(vma, prev, start, end, behavior);
-	case MADV_POPULATE_READ:
-	case MADV_POPULATE_WRITE:
-		return madvise_populate(vma, prev, start, end, behavior);
 	case MADV_NORMAL:
 		new_flags = new_flags & ~VM_RAND_READ & ~VM_SEQ_READ;
 		break;
@@ -1425,8 +1415,16 @@ int do_madvise(struct mm_struct *mm, unsigned long start, size_t len_in, int beh
 	end = start + len;
 
 	blk_start_plug(&plug);
-	error = madvise_walk_vmas(mm, start, end, behavior,
-			madvise_vma_behavior);
+	switch (behavior) {
+	case MADV_POPULATE_READ:
+	case MADV_POPULATE_WRITE:
+		error = madvise_populate(mm, start, end, behavior);
+		break;
+	default:
+		error = madvise_walk_vmas(mm, start, end, behavior,
+					  madvise_vma_behavior);
+		break;
+	}
 	blk_finish_plug(&plug);
 	if (write)
 		mmap_write_unlock(mm);