Dark & Stunning... Review on Haasil

The Movie on discussion board:

Haasil

Directed by: Tigmanshu Dhulia

Cast: Jimmy Shergill, Hrishita Bhatt, Irrfan Khan, Ashutosh Rana, Tinnu Anand, Sudhir Pandey, Raj Zutshi, Sharat Saxena and Rajpal Yadav

The Characters:

Anirudh played by Jimmy Shergil

Nihaarika played by Hrishita Bhatt

Ranvijay Singh played by Irrfan Khan

Gaurishankar Pandey played by Ashutosh Rana

The Plot:

Ranvijay Singh & Gaurishankar Pandey are rivals fighting over the leadership of a college in the city of Uttar Pradesh. Gaurishankar Pandey has been dominating the college with the help of his maternal uncle who is the chief minister of the state. Ranvijay Singh can go to any levels to achieve this leadership. He kills one of Gaurishankar Pandey's aids in broad daylight. Gaurishankar's goons are on trail of Ranvijay when he meets Anirudh.

Anirudh is a very simple 'guy next door' character. He acts in college plays and is in love with Niharika. Niharika's father (Sharat Saxena) is a very strict man and can never accept his daughter having an affair. But the couple keep in touch through letters. In the meanwhile Ranvijay befriends Anirudh.

Here Gaurishankar takes revenge of his aid's murder by the massacre of innocent people at Ranvijay Singh's village. One of Anirudh's friend's mother is abused by a couple of guys in the market place. Anirudh uses his contacts with Ranvijay to help his friend seek revenge. Now Ranvijay has Anirudh in his fist. He uses him to gain majority of votes in the college elections. And in bargain he helps Anirudh to meet Niharika in a closed theatre. Niharika has been warning Anirudh to keep away from Ranvijay but Anirudh gives no ear to her requests.

Ranvijay kills Gaurishankar and eventually even wins the elections with the help of Anirudh's image in college. One day Anirudh & Niharika are caught by Niharika's father and her cousins. Anirudh is beaten up by Niharika's cousins. Now Ranvijay plays his trump card. He sends Anirudh with some guys to take revenge on Niharika's cousins. Here in flow of rage Anirudh shoots Niharika's brother and has to flee to Bombay. It is here that Anirudh realises the hell of Ranvijay's intentions. He learns that Ranvijay has already taken Niharika's father under confidence and is planning to marry Niharika. Now Anirudh realises how he has been used for political intrests and thrown out with crime on his forehead. With help of his friends, Anirudh goes back and elopes with Niharika. Then follows a political game which uses this love story as it's base.

The Protocol of Haasil:

Haasil is set wholely in a town of U.P. The language, the outfits, the environment has been induced in very well in the movie. The movie is about the politics being played on the grounds of colleges. The movie showcases the mindset of youth irrespective of times. There is always a clear and present danger of youth being flown away with the currents of politics into the world of crime. And if observed this with the number of students being absorbed in crime, it is a very dangerous sign. In one of the scenes in the movie, Gaurishankar even says in his speech, ''Youth is like a breeze. Till it flows gently, it can be enjoyed. But the day this youth starts flowing roughly it can cause storms that can bring down nations.''

Haasil comes up as a dark n' effective movie. The merits of the movie lie in the manner the characters are handled. Each n' every character grows with the movie. Be it Suggi, Javed and Shelu as Anirudh's friends, or be it Rampal Yadav's short role as Ranvijay's con man in Bombay. Every character makes a place in the viewer's heart.

For the down side, there are times when the movie loses it's basic ground. The sequence where Anirudh & Niharika take refuge in a mosque has been pickled with a couple of religious dialogues showing the secularism of characters, which was not needed in the plot. But that can be overlooked as it is just a small mistake made by a debutante director.

The Performances:

Jimmy Shergil does surprise with his efforts at acting. He comes up with an honest performance. His earlier roles have always been that of a chocolaty hero. But here he wins in trying a different role. He shows Anirudh's dillema and innocense with equal charm. But he still has a long way to go to qualify as a seasoned actor.

Hrishita Bhatt played Niharika and with her simple n' sweet looks made the most out of the character. Though she hadn't got the meatier part in the movie. But she does come up above the likes of glam dolls like Kareena & Amisha.

The most fabulous act comes from Irfan Khan as Ranvijay Singh. He makes the character come alive with his brilliant work on the accent and body language of a U.P. based character trying make it big in politics. His dialogue delivery is simply on the right time at the right place. He surely steals the show.

Ashutosh Rana plays Gaurishankar by keeping himself under his own control. Good for him. Thank heavens, he didn't highlight the character's loudness which otherwise he tends to do.

Tinu Anand leaves a mark in his short role as Anirudh's father. His scenes with his son are the ones which bring a smile on the viewer's face.

Sharat Saxena gives another good performance as Niharika's father.

Rampal Yadav leaves a mark in a very short role. The way he says, ''Welcome to Bombay!'' as a Victoria passes by is simply adorable.

To sum up all the actors in the movie have given that special thing to their roles, short or long. This adds to the overall effect of the movie.

The Technical Front:

Tigmanshu Dhulia has his grip on the movie. A debut movie with less known stars and the way it has shaped up is surely a first feather in his hat. He has handled the movie with care. The director has earlier assisted the likes of Shekhar Kapoor, Ketan Mehta and Mani Ratnam. The darkness of the movie's plot has been handled with care thus not letting the violence go over the top. His honest efforts are complimented by a tight and gripping script.

The cinematography is brilliant as the camera takes over the darkness of the script. The environment of U.P. has been captured to the hilt.

The music is just about good but only if the songs could have been picturised in a better way. One of the song which keeps you humming the words is 'Aankhen bhi hoti hai dil ki jubaan..'. And the qawali 'Tu hi Tu' has the viewer's head nodding. But Jatin Lalit's compositions cannot be called the highlight of the movie. Overall the songs are just about passable.

What can we learn from Haasil:

# Our friend circle matters a lot for the type of human being we shape up into in near future.

# The movie shows how difficult it is for the youth to live there young days in true sense. The environment a boy or a girl grows in has a lot to do with this point.