There are a few questions you need to ask yourself before watching Tigmanshu Dhulia's Haasil. Are you prepared to watch three hours of dirty politics? Can you stomach a series of what seem like senseless murders? Would you be able to stand the constant depiction of bloody violence?
If your answers are no, you'd probably be better off watching either Honey Irani's Armaan (Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Preity Zinta, Gracy Singh) or Gaurab Pandey's Stumped (Raveena Tandon, Aly Khan), both of which were also released today.
Fact is, Haasil is not a film for everybody; particularly not for those who prefer regular eye-candy to real-life drama and politics.
Set in a university in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, it revolves around two gangs in a college which are out to finish each other. One gang is headed by college veteran and students union president Gauri Shankar (Ashutosh Rana), the other to aspiring politician Ranvijay Singh (Irfan Khan).
Aniruddha (Jimmy Shergill) and Niharika (Hrishitaa Bhat) love each other and are students in the same college. He is a decent boy from a good family and enjoys performing on stage; she is a thakur girl from a conservative family.
The plot gets interesting when Aniruddha, after turning a deaf ear to the warnings of his friends and lover, gets sucked into the dirty world of Ranvijay's politics. He blindly places his faith in Ranvijay, who uses him to win votes from the students.
One thing leads to another and before he can realise what is happening, Aniruddha finds himself neck deep in the dirty game. The rest of the film is about how he finally escapes from Ranvijay's clutches and unites with his lover.
Let's take a quick look at the pluses and minuses of Haasil.
Pluses: The story, though not original, is interesting. Set in Allahabad, it makes you shudder at the extent of the power games played in universities. The editing is slick and the narration, smooth. The hard-hitting dialogues and language used in the film give it a very real feel.
Ashutosh Rana, Tinnu Anand (as Aniruddha's father) and Jimmy Shergill are good. Hrishitaa Bhat as the coy yet strong, quiet yet confident girl is worth a special mention. But it is Irfan Khan as the ambitious, brash, fearless goon who is mind-blowing. He is outright scary and makes you sit up, wondering what he'll do next.
Minuses: The story does tend to get a little too convoluted at times. The title song in the mosque, towards the end of the film, is absolutely unnecessary and breaks the buildup to the climax. Finally, the much talked about climax, shot at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, is a bit of a letdown.
Verdict: Haasil is powerful, honest, real; it makes you cringe in your seat. If you think films are for pure entertainment, give Haasil a miss. It is not a film for everybody.
CREDITS
Cast: Jimmy Shergill, Hrishitaa Bhat, Irfan Khan, Ashutosh Rana, Tinnu Anand
Director, producer, story: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Music: Jatin-Lalit
Lyrics: Israr Ansari, Kausar Pandey
Cinematography: Rafey Mehmood
Art direction: Prasanna/Yashwant
Action: Alan Amin
