Halahal, which means deadly poison, is Eros Now’s latest original film. This riveting suspense thriller starts with the gruesome and mysterious death of a medical student named Archana (Enab Khizra). The cops dismiss it as a suicide, but her father Dr Shiv Shankar Sharma (Sachin Khedekar) is sure that it’s a cover-up, and is determined to uncover the truth. Helping him in his mission is Yusuf (Barun Sobti), a corrupt and foul-mouthed cop who has his heart in the right place though.
Archana is a meritorious student studying to be a doctor, who also works at a coaching institute. When her charred body is found on a highway in Ghaziabad, the cops are keen to hush up the case as a suicide.
Dr Sharma and his unlikely ally Yusuf begin their own investigation and discover that Archana’s death is part of a larger conspiracy.
Halahal is a gripping watch for its entire length of 97 minutes and much of the credit for this goes to director Randeep Jha. The story is by Zeishan Quadri and the screenplay and dialogues are by Gibran Noorani.
As Dr Sharma and Yusuf follow leads and piece together clues in a bid to solve the mystery around Archana’s death, things only get murkier. They find out that things are much more complicated than they had imagined. We are not telling you anything more lest we give out spoilers.
Halahal moves at a steady pace and keeps you hooked right up until the end. Another thing that works for the film is the authenticity of the characters, situations and language they speak. Everything feels real, which is why you relate to them so well.
Halahal greatly benefits from the amazing chemistry between its lead actors.
Sachin Khedekar does a fine job of channelising the grief of a father who’s determined to find out the reality behind his daughter’s death. Barun Sobti sinks his teeth into the role of a cop who isn’t exactly upright, but has a moral compass, nevertheless. It’s a complex part and he aces it, whether it’s his diction, body language or overall appearance. The two actors effortlessly drive the narrative forward. We wish there was more of Manurishi Chadha though.
As you watch Halahal, you realise that the film is also about the beautiful relationship between a father and daughter. It shows you the lengths parents are willing to go for their children. The film’s ending catches you off-guard though. It’s in equal parts shocking and heartbreaking. We hadn’t seen that coming.
All in all, Halahal is a must watch. It’s a film that not just entertains but also manages to raise uncomfortable, yet important questions.
You can watch Halahal on Eros Now.
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