As real as it can get

Gurnaaz Kaur

Halahal is a crime-thriller and it lives up to its genre. Playing on Eros Now; right from the word go the film keeps you on the edge. It all begins with a scene at night where a girl named Archana, a medical student, is murdered under mysterious circumstances. Cops cover it up as a case of suicide.

Archana’s father Dr Shiv Shankar Sharma (Sachin Khedekar), however, does not believe in the autopsy report. When he goes to the doctor who wrote it, who is also the principal of the college where Archana studied, he comes across some dubious behavior from the college students and an indirect threat from the principal.

As he walks into the coaching centre where his daughter worked, mention of large amount of money associated with Archana convinces him that there is more than what meets the eye. This bereaved father is determined to unravel the truth and seeks the help of a corrupt cop, Yusuf Qureshi (Barun Sobti). While the two get down to solve the case, we get face-to-face with the ugly truth of admissions’ scam and the heinous involvement of coaching centres. At every step of the revelation, the mystery deepens further.

Yusuf is Dr Shiv’s only partner, but he is infamous for taking bribes unabashedly and has links among the suspects. This fact also creates a certain tension about his motives and if the investigative mission would yield any relevant results after all. Meanwhile, the killers are out in the open and there is nothing one can do because they have everyone on a string. Murders are termed suicides, encounters and accidents.

The use of camera, sharp scenes yet grey tones, builds up this uncanny, very intimidating atmosphere. Randeep Jha has worked with Anurag Kashyap as an assistant director and one can gauge that from this debut feature film of his. He knows how to narrate a story visually and does it with ease. The dialogues and screenplay writers are worthy of applause too.

Sachin is a natural – be it his depiction of a helpless father or a resolute man, one who doesn’t fear death when he goes all out to unearth the cause of his daughter’s death. Sobti, as this unruly cop with a handlebar moustache he keeps twirling, steals the show. His dialect and body language give depth to the character, and some light moments to the movie. The supporting cast is equally strong and keeps the story tight.

Inspired by true events, precisely the Vyapam scam, the plot is dark and pensive. There is a whole nexus being run by medical colleges, coaching institutes and government that we’ve read about. This part-fictional-depiction of the same is gripping and doesn’t deviate from its core. It keeps you on tenterhooks and boom… Shocks you yet again – yes, at the very end!