Brilliant performances fail to save the contrived plot
Human Trafficking is a dangerous menace that has spread its tentacles globally. The poverty, lack of employment opportunities, and financial problems make young girls vulnerable to become prey to the predators who sell them or turn them into sex workers. Khuda Haafiz is the story of one such woman who becomes a victim of this thriving flesh trade which has assumed dangerous proportions all over the world with nearly 25 million people are suffering due to human trafficking as per the figures released by International Labour Organization (ILO).
Khuda Haafiz, one of many films that opted for a digital release due to the Covid-19 pandemic is produced by Kumar Mangal Pathak and Abhishek Pathak under Panorama Studios and its streaming now on Disney+Hotstar Multiplex.
Storyline
Set in 2008 in Lucknow, Sameer Chaudhary (Vidyut Jammwal) and Nargis (Shivaleeka Oberoi) enter into wedlock amidst many dreams which are short-lived due to recession that wrecked many lives. So Sameer and Nargis who lose their jobs managed to secure jobs at Noman (a fictitious place in Gulf). Nargis who travels to Noman earlier than Sameer goes missing from the airport. Sameer receives a distress call from Nargis informing him that she wants to come back home as she is being treated badly.
This ignites the fiery of Sameer who ventures on to Noman in search of his wife. His efforts prove futile due to false addresses and contact numbers given to him by the recruitment agent. Usman Ali Murad (Annu Kapoor), the taxi driver comes to his rescue and how Sameer traces his wife by fighting against all odds in an alien country is the remaining story.
The storyline though clichéd has got the potential to be transformed into an interesting fare on screen. A universal problem like human trafficking was left unaddressed and revenge drama takes the front seat without any effort to infuse freshness or variety to the story. This casual approach multiplied with the contrived presentation of the plot has turned Khuda Haafiz into an ordinary film.
Performances
Jammwal who used to flex his muscles and thrash goons is presented in a subdued and composed character in which he dived into comfortably and easily. He proves that he is not an action hero alone but had the potential to pull off emotional stuff with great flair too.
Annu Kapoor is seen after a long gap in a significant character and he has done a splendid job. New find Shivaleeka looks good though there is less scope for her to do anything. Shiv Pandit as Faiz Abu Mallik and Aahana Kumra as Tamina Hamid are excellent in limited screen time they got.
Technical Aspects
Music by Mithoon is good in parts. The title track sung by Vishal Dadlani is the pick of all songs while all other songs cannot be remembered once the film is over.
The cinematography of Jiten Harmeet Singh is visible only during action scenes particularly the over head shots in desert during climax were handled exceptionally well.
Editing by Sandeep Francis should have been slicker so that a reduction of at least 15 minutes of the total run time of 133 minutes could have made the film more presentable particularly when it is slated for an OTT release.
Verdict
Searching for a missing wife in an alien land with nowhere to search could have made into a gripping thriller (forget about human trafficking) with better screenplay and focused execution. But the Writer-Director Faruk Kabir got some other ideas due to which Khuda Haafiz got stuck between emotion and action without doing complete justice to either of them.
Except for the performances of Jammwal and Kapoor, nothing is there to savor or raise the spirits in Khuda Haafiz which is strictly a onetime leisurely watch between naps or over a bucket of popcorn.
