What a week this has been! Two big films clashed and both turned out to be diverse and as good as the other! Bang Bang was a rocking big-budget entertainer and Haider too turned out to be a very interesting fare. Apart from the fact that Haider boasts of superlative performances, plot, music and cinematography, what’s praiseworthy is that it’s the first mainstream film as far as I remember that boldly touches on the horrible Armed Forces Special Powers Act(AFSPA) implemented in Kashmir since a long time. While most Hindi films based in Kashmir portray the hero as a brave armyman fighting for the honour of the country, Haider makes a brave attempt by touching upon key facts that are not discussed even in media most of the times. And the execution is too good. In other words, Haider is one of the must-watch films of 2014!
The story of the movie: Haider Meer(Shahid Kapoor) has returned back to his hometown in Kashmir after finishing studies and learns that his father Dr Hilaal Meer(Narendra Jha) has disappeared thanks to the armed forces. As Haider tries to search for his lost father, he gets surprised as he finds the behavior of his mother Ghazala(Tabu) and chacha Khurram(Kay Kay Menon) and their closeness fishy. Haider faces a lot of obstacles as expected. How he unearths the truth and how it transforms him and also his loved ones is what Haider is all about.
Haider is nearly 160 minutes long and moves at a not-so-fast pace. It isn’t a typical entertainer either. And no complaint in that regard as well as the film is extremely engrossing right from the very start! Kashmir has been never depicted in this fashion and that brings about the freshness. As aforementioned, the AFSPA bit is something new as well in mainstream Hindi cinema and that also works in Haider’s advantage. While a few bits are predictable, the film overall follows the ‘expect-the-unexpected’ formula. For most part of the film, one can never guess what’ll happen next. This applies especially in the climax – beautifully shot and immensely impactful!
Having said that, Haider could have been bit shorter, especially in the second half. The Vishal Dadlani version of Aao Na is missed a lot. But then, it’s praiseworthy on Vishal Bhardwaj’s part to not incorporate it for commercial reasons!
The performances take the film to another level. There’s not an iota of doubt that Shahid Kapoor gives his best performance in Haider! Often, the so-called commercial actors have a lot of untapped talent in them but because of the kind of films they do, it’s never exposed. Same happened with Shahid – he proved his versatility in romantic and comic avatars. But with Haider, he proves that he’s an all-rounder. Give him any role, guide him well and he can ROCK big time! Haider is no easy role but Shahid slips into the character effortlessly. He gets better in the second half. And watch out for his ‘Hello…hello…awaaz aa rahi hai’ speech. It’s unbelievable! Hats off to this powerhouse of talent and hope he delivers many such memorable roles!
Tabu has a very significant part to essay and delivers an outstanding performance. Her conversations with Shahid are brilliant to say the least! And it’s always a pleasure to see Tabu in such author-backed roles. In fact, her last memorable performance was almost 7 ½ years back in Cheeni Kum. Here’s hoping Tabu gets more and more interesting and irresistible offers post-Haider so that we can get to see her in a film soon!
Kay Kay Menon was brilliant in the recent Raja Natwarlal but the film was disappointing and hence, his performance went unnoticed. But in Haider, he’s at his best and with the film being so amazing, Kay Kay will surely get recognition and loads of praise. Watch out for him in the entry scene – he’s so awesome! Shraddha Kapoor(Arshiya) is lovely and though she has a supporting role, she leaves a mark. Irrfan Khan(Roohdaar) is the most ‘dhaasu’ character in the film! His heroic entry, with loud background score and all, is too good and performance-wise he is terrific. However, he only has a special appearance in the film. Narendra Jha dominates the beginning and does total justice. Another supporting actor that gives a splendid performance is Lalit Parimoo(as Arshiya’s father). Aamir Bashir(Arshiya’s brother Liyaqat) does well as per the demands of his character. Sumit Kaul and Rajat Bhagat are hilarious as the two Salman’s! Khulbhushan Kharbanda(Dr Hussain) and Anshuman Malhotra(young Haider) leave a huge impact.
Vishal Bhardwaj’s music adds to the beauty. The best without doubt is Bismil for its words, music and execution. Jhelum, Khul Kabhi and So Jao follow next. Background score is subtle and effective. Pankaj Kumar’s cinematography is stunning and one of the best in recent times. The beauty and mysteries of Kashmir are brilliantly captured by the lensman. Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray’s sets are as realistic as possible. Harpal Singh Pali and Ravi Kumar’s action is exciting but never goes overboard. Vishal Bhardwaj’s dialogues are sharp and acidic and enhance impact. Basharat Peer and Vishal Bhardwaj’s screenplay boasts of some excellent situations that are very well directed by latter. The conflict that the characters indulge in with each other is the highpoint of the film. This coupled with unpredictability factor takes the film many notches higher. Vishal showed the same stroke of brilliance in Omkara as well. While Kaminey was terrific, 7 Khoon Maaf and Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola lacked the magic Bhardwaj touch. But it’s great to see that he’s back with a bang(and sans any chutzpah). Hope he comes up with something as good or better in his next film!
Some of the best scenes:
The first 10 minutes
Haider meets his mother and chacha
Haider’s flashback
All scenes of Roohdaar
Haider finds out the truth
Haider’s speech at(what seemed like) Lal Chowk, Srinagar
Haider at his mother’s remarriage
Haider reveals his wild side to Arshiya
The songs Bismil, Aao Na, Jhelum
The last 20 minutes
On the whole, Haider is an intense, dark and extremely engaging film that deserves to be seen for it’s award-winning performances, direction, music and also the unpredictability factor and for being the first mainstream film as far as I know that bravely throws light on the horrors of the AFSPA act in Kashmir. Shahid Kapoor is bound to be seen with a lot of respect and in a new light after Haider. The film has been made in low costs and hopefully, it’ll recover its investment. We, the viewers, made Queen a huge hit earlier this year and kudos to us for that. Now let’s do a repeat with Haider. Let’s watch it in theatres, let’s recommend it to as many as possible and let’s make sure it’s seen by as many people as possible. Haider is a great film and it deserves all the success, critical and commercial!