Halla Bol has some five outstanding scenes. If only the remaining could stand up to the brilliance of those five scenes, it would have made all the difference.
Web Review
Film: Halla Bol
Direction: Rajkumar Santoshi
Cast: Ajay Devgan, Pankaj Kapur, Vidya Balan
Rating: **
Halla Bol has some five outstanding scenes. If only the remaining could stand up to the brilliance of those five scenes, it would have made all the difference. Sadly, the film that comes from one of the most accomplished filmmakers of this generation, fails to make an impact in totality.
The story, in a nutshell, revolves around a small town guy Ashfaque (Ajay Devgan) making it big in the world of the Indian film industry. The superstar, now Sameer Khan, loses his own identity in the process and moves away from everyone close to him including his parents, wife (Vidya Balan) and mentor Sidhu (Pankaj Kapur). A shootout at a filmi do throws his life in a tumultuous set of events, when he decides to testify against the son of a wily politician and his cronies ("We have money, power and public" is their common mantra).
Rajkumar Santoshi made some of the most hard-hitting films in the 90s, the notable ones being Ghayal, Damini, Ghatak and Lajja. They were all impactful films, with hard-hitting issues that dared to raise questions.
In that respect, he is clearly back in familiar territory. A burning issue that affects the common man, the protagonist-with-a cause locking arms with perpetrators more powerful than him, mass appealing dialogues bordering on crass at times, and a finale that's meant to stir the aam junta into delivering justice with the law failing to do so otherwise, all these seem to be the perfect ingredients for a Santoshi flick.
It's been a while since a filmmaker that brought all these elements to screen. As much as it is refreshing to see the return of the 'film with a social agenda' format, the handling of the subject leaves a lot to be desired.
The same very '90s' emotions that appealed once, fails this time round. The cinematography is ordinary, and the sets tacky. Besides, there are too many unanswered questions that make the deficiencies of the half-baked script glaring.
The film raises a number of issues including the role of media in propaganda, the need of superstars in the country to give something back to society, and the lackluster state of the government machinery when it comes to delivering justice. Although the good intentions of the makers are apparent, Halla Bol fails to create the impact which, say, a Rang De Basanti, or even Santoshi's own Damini created.
The main reason for this is a weak protagonist in the form of the film star. Besides, all Devgan manages to do is portray a caricature of a film stars in the industry. On the other hand, the real hero of the film is Sidhu. A character that is well written, Pankaj Kapur performs the role of a dacoit-turned-social reformist with aplomb. In fact, his performance will go down as among his best, which is saying something when you go by the actor's impressive filmography.
Sadly, the movie itself may not be remembered for too long. Although the intent of the makers needs to be lauded, Halla Bol, in the end, is a mediocre attempt at best.
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