New Delhi | Jagran Entertainment Desk: The two most utilised translations of ‘Haafiz’ in Hindustani culture are usually put out as ‘Guardian’ or the ‘Protector’. People wish ‘Khuda Haafiz’ while seeing each other off since who could be a better ‘Haafiz’ than the Almighty god itself? The believers and religionists from most faiths would say that other than the almighty, the nearest bond of ‘Guarding’ or ‘Protecting’ oneself from the evil connotations of the society and the world is the bond between a husband and a wife, not to forget the one between children and their parents above all.
Director Faruk Kabir’s recent Disney-Hotstar release ‘Khuda Haafiz’, thus comes out as a brilliantly scripted story which tells the tale of a husband (Vidyut Jammwal as Sameer Choudhary) going out in a foreign land to rescue his wife (Shivaleeka Oberoi as Nargis Choudhary)from the shackles of the evil, doesn’t matter the life-threatening circumstances on the way. The story originates from Lucknow, where Sameer and Nargis tie the knot via an Arranged marriage with both Muslim and Hindu rituals. Though the Almighty is supposed to be the supreme protector, but in Hindustani culture, the husband and wife literally take the vows to Protect each other at the face of difficulties and evil. The film’s thematic cutout, henceforth, comes out with an exceptional directorial treatment with some great acting performances to complement the same, going on to justify the notions of a Spouse fulfilling his vow to act as his other half’s Protector.
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Set in the times of 2007-08 – the era of Nokia Mobile phones and the SMSs – the story takes us to the Sultanate of Noman in middle-east where Sameer’s wife Nargis ends up in a peddler’s shady business in the lieu of a job that was promised back home in Lucknow. One fearful phone call from Nargis and Sameer goes all out in the foreign land to find the girl he loves the most. The authorities somewhat cooperate but Sameer goes reckless and restless at the same time. Sameer’s recklessness and restlessness translate into an unwavering thrill and enticing entertainment coming out of the love that is unconventional at its very core.
Vidyut Jammwal shines almost in every frame of the film, quite convincingly. The sequences where he seems to act just workable, form the lows of his character development which appears justifiable in its own way of treating the concerned part of the story. In most frames, he is subtle and well synchronised with the pacey screenplay of the film, denying the viewer a chance to move his or her eyes beyond the screen. Shivaleeka Oberoi as Nargis is gorgeously convincing and comes out as a wonderful expressionist, going on to form a precise pairing with Vidyut Jammwal as Sameer. Veteran actor Annu Kapoor as Usman Hamid Ali Murad, a taxi driver in Noman, wins the heart at the moments of thrilling reckonings of the film, with his moral mindfulness acting as Sameer’s only companion in a foreign land.
The film’s screenplay deserves a special mention, whose thematic layout is excellently written, with Faruk Kabir’s directorial prowess phenomenally synchronised with his Writing abilities for the film. One of the fewest segments, where the film seems lacking, is its music. It’s mostly forgettable and rarely worth the consistent humming. The background score to portray Sameer and Nargis’ equation could have been better to complement a well-written screenplay. Otherwise, it’s one of those finest stories of this year which deserves to be watched.
‘Khuda Haafiz’ is streaming on Disney-Hotstar from 14th August 2020 onwards.
Posted By: Aalok Sensharma
