Director: Raj Kumar Santoshi
Starring: Ajay Devgan, Pankaj Kapur and Vidya Balan
Raj Kumar Santoshi: a name that stands for individuality, substance and high-quality cinema. He is known to have brought some of the most relevant and complex issues of society to the silver screen. Khakee, Lajja, Damini and many more of his films have been landmark releases of Indian cinema. Now the maker brings us an issue that has never been discussed nor has it been uncovered.
Halla Bol is the story of Samir (aka Ashfaque played by Ajay Devgan) who is the reigning actor of Indian cinema, living the dream life complete with awards, prestigious movies, top directors, the works! However, sometime during his journey to fame, Samir forgot who he really was behind all the stardom and success. All his relationships have deteriorated with everyone close to him claiming he is no longer the same person.
It’s not until a night at one of his high-society parties where he witnesses the murder of an innocent girl that Samir feels this loneliness. The killers freely walk out of the location knowing very well no one will have the guts to speak against them. And when the police question all the guests of the party, that is exactly the case. However the trend changes with Samir. The actor is forced to walk on a fine line where he has to decide between his career and walking on the path of humanity. And even if he walks on the path of humanity will he ever see the end of it with all the bumps he’ll have to endure during the journey? Halla Bol is Raj Kumar Santoshi’s analysis of the dark and cruel world of the rich and famous.
As usual the only flaw in a RKS movie is that it is dragged out for too long. The storyline is interesting and the twists and turns keep you hooked throughout the movie. However, a ‘no song’ policy would have suited Halla Bol and the movie could also have done without the overdose of melodramatic scenes.
Coming to the performances, Ajay Devgan has delivered a ground breaking performance yet again. When such powerful roles are written, Ajay proves why he is always on the short-list when choosing an actor. His dynamic persona is just custom-made for roles with such depth and intensity. Each dialogue the actor delivers seems to linger in your ears well after they are delivered. Truly an underrated actor!
Pankaj Kapur delivers a knock out performance. The actor’s versatility seems to forever amaze the audience. His simple screen presence is overwhelming! One of his most credible scenes in the film is during the climax.
Its old news that Vidya Balan is extremely talented and she only reassures us of this point in Halla Bol. However the only problem regarding Vidya in Halla Bol is that she isn’t onscreen for long enough! Nevertheless the scenes that she does have are without a doubt outstanding. Special mention needs to be made to the scene where she confronts the media.
On the whole Halla Bol addresses a very important issue. It challenges the power of the average man and woman. An issue that is highly relevant to especially the Indian public. And most importantly Halla Bol is a shout-out to the people of the media. One can only hope that through this movie the Indian media will realise its power and its responsibility to the people. All in all Pankaj Kapur’s concluding speech in the movie sums up the message of Halla Bol.
If you’re someone who admires daring genres, movies with substance and high-quality performances then Halla Bol will impress you without a doubt. Give it a go!
