Haseena Parkar Review: A film which falters on multiple fronts!

Haseena Parkar One Line Review:

Haseena Parkar is based on the real-life story of Dawood Ibrahim’s sister Haseena Parkar who took the reigns of his underworld business in Mumbai, the financial capital of India.

Positive Points: Cinematography and art direction.

Negative Points: Almost all actors are misfit in their roles.

Haseena Parkar Plot Review:

As the name suggests itself, the film revolves around dreaded don Dawood Ibrahim’s sister Haseena Parkar who was accused of running his brother’s underworld business in Mumbai after he left the country and fled to Dubai. The film starts off with Haseena (Shraddha Kapoor) appearing in Mumbai sessions court. She is accused of extorting money from the same builder she was about to start a real estate business with. This is not the only case against her. There is a long list of cases against the lady who has now earned the moniker of Aapa in the business. As court proceedings go on, Haseena recounts everything she went through in her life.

Haseena hails from a poor family that has twelve children. Her father is a constable in Mumbai police. Frustrated with a life with no luxuries, her brother Dawood (Siddhanth Kapoor) decides to choose the wrong path and soon one crime is followed by the other. Dawood makes enemies wherever he goes. Resultantly, his family suffers for his crimes. First Haseena’s elder brother is murdered, followed by her husband (Ankur Bhatia) and then, years later, her son. Will the public prosecutor prove her guilty in the court? Will Haseena ever confess her crimes? To know, watch the film.

Haseena Parkar Performance Review:

Well, before entering the cinema hall for the special screening for film critics, everyone was asking everyone else about their expectations from the film. Some of them said that they had come with zero expectations while others said Shraddha Kapoor would either save the film or kill the film. Unfortunately, presentiments of critics who thought the actress would kill the film came true and how. It could have been a career defining role for any actress who was perfect for the role. Alas, Shraddha Kapoor doesn't turn out to be that actress. She tries. She tries even more. But she never comes closer to achieve the kind of aura Haseena Parkar had in real life. She looks totally lost. It was certainly not a character for her. When she plays younger Haseena Parkar, she has so much of expressions on her face that after a point her expressions go over the top and you kind of cringe. But when she plays older Aapa, suddenly she becomes expressionless. Sorry, Shraddha, but you deserve better roles. Playing Haseena Parkar was not your cup of tea. Talking about her brother, Siddhanth Kapoor, who plays her on-screen brother as well, he too fails to shine in the role of Dawood Ibrahim. It's true that the film revolves around Haseena, but Haseena became Haseena because of Dawood so his character has to be layered and edgy to leave the audience in awe. But nothing like that happens here. Other actors in the supporting cast too put up an average show. Overall, casting is the weakest point of Haseena Parkar.

Haseena Parkar Direction Review:

Filmmaker Apoorva Lakhia returns to direction after a gap of almost four years. He last directed Zanjeer, a remake of Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic film of the same name, in 2013. If you look at his work closely, you will see that most of his films are about the underbelly of the maximum city, Mumbai. Dons, hooligans, mafias, murders, bloodbaths are some of the recurring themes which you see his films. Over the years, the director has gained a mastery over making such kind of films. His latest offering, Haseena Parkar, is also about the world he has familiarized himself well with in the course of time. So, when he makes a film on the same terrain which he has travelled before, expectations are bound to be high. Here, with Haseena Parkar, he tries his best to cast the same magic, but he doesn't succeed wholly. He is a filmmaker with a lot of caliber. He can certainly make better underworld films than Haseena Parkar.

Haseena Parkar Technical Aspect Review:

Though there are some issues with the script and performances, one must appreciate the team for putting in a lot of efforts for creating a world which resembles the Mumbai city of the 80s and 90s. The sets designed for the movie look authentic and real. Apoorva Lakhia and his team impress you with their keen eye to detail. Camera work is also applaudable. The cinematographer has very beautifully captured the darkness, gullibility and pangs the filmmaker wanted to present through his film. The production value of the film is good. Editing needed to be more refined.

Haseena Parkar Music Review:

The soundtrack of Haseena Parkar is above average. Having said that, music composers Sachin Jigar’s music goes with the flow of the narrative. There are four songs in the album in total - Tere Bina, Bantai, Tere Bina sad and Piya Aa. Off all the songs, the only two songs which you see in the film are Tere Bina and its sad version. Sung by Arijit Singh and Priya Saraiya, Tere Bina is an out and out romantic number with beautiful lyrics. If you listen to its album, item number Piya Aa in the sensuous voice of Sunidhi Chauhan is also a nice hummable track. Overall, the music of Haseena Parkar is just okay and lacks the recall value.

Haseena Parkar Final Verdict:

Watch it if you love watching gangster movies. It is a welcome change for all those film enthusiasts who were kind of bored of watching swarthy men controlling the terrifying world of underworld. Here you get to see a woman ruling the city of dreams with all her might. But, having said that, it's not a great underworld movie to watch.