Randeep Jhas Halahal picks up a parents helplessness as its narrative and manages to stand out in the crowd if not exactly outshine the films that tackled similar themes.
A still of Sachin Khedekar from the film Halahal, Picture Courtesy: YouTube
Halahal
On: Eros Now
Director: Randeep Jha
Cast: Sachin Khedekar, Barun Sobti
Rating: 
Randeep Jha's Halahal is basically about two people. On the face of it, it's the story of a father, Dr. Shiv, played by Sachin Khedekar, whose daughter has died under mysterious circumstances and prima facie, the case is declared as suicide. It's not just the emotions of a father, but also the meticulousness of the crime that makes him immediately dismiss the claim. He senses some powerful people behind his irreparable loss, something more than what meets the eye.
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The other side of the story belongs to Inspector Yusuf Quresh, and the casting of Barun Sobti seems to be an interesting choice. The actor plays with his character and has fun, and he deserves to crack a smile and have his moments of mirth and madness, especially after his near-dour performance in Asur earlier this year. The mystery behind a girl's death would be now solved with chalk and cheese.
The theme of a parent's helplessness post his child's demise has been explored in films like Dhoop and Viruddh. In fact, in Viruddh, Khedekar played a police officer bogged down by the archaic laws of the system and fearful of taking on the politician's son responsible for an innocent's murder. He steps into a parent's shoes this time but the most enjoyable aspect of Halahal is the way Jha treats the material. Gangs of Wasseypur's Zeishan Quadri has co-written the film with Gibran Noorani, so the film is filled with expletives, grit, gore, and amusement.
Following the path he created in Anurag Kashyap's crime-drama, Quadri never allows his material to slip into melodrama, and despite the solemnity of the narrative, the writing elicits laughs. Both Khedekar and Sobti are solid in their respective roles, channeling their drastic emotions convincingly. Even though the film doesn't explore anything that hasn't been attempted before, it's the method that strikes.
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