Sanchita
Vidyut Jamwal’s Khuda Haafiz 2 is a formulaic but decent actioner with an emotionally engaging 1st half that goes full guns blazing in 2nd half.
Read Full Khuda Haafiz: Chapter 2 – Agni Pariksha Movie Review –
Director: Faruk Kabir
Cast: Vidyut Jammwal, Shivaleeka Oberoi, Sheeba Chaddha, Riddhi Sharma
Rating: 3/5
Runtime: 2h 30m
Storyline:
(Content-warning for gore and rape)
The sequel takes off from where we left off in the 1st part. For the unversed, in the previous film Sameer Choudhary (Vidyut) had rescued his kidnapped wife Nargis (Shivaleeka) from flesh traders in the Middle East. (You can watch the 2nd instalment without having watched the first, it’s not hard to connect the dots)
In part 2, a depressed Nargis is still finding it hard to overcome the trauma of being a gangrape victim, in spite of consistent therapy and an anxious but supportive husband.
The couple finds fleeting moments of happiness and are on the path to healing after adopting cute lil 5-year-old Nandini. However, the happiness is short-lived as Nandini is abducted along with an older girl, who is the target of an obsessed, stalker school boy.
Horrifyingly, all the abductors are a bunch of school kids led by a brat from a powerful political family. Poor Nandini becomes collateral damage in the horrific case. A desperate father – Sameer then sets out on a vengeful crusade to punish the perpetrators vigilante-style when the corrupt system fails him.
What Do We Think:
The movie is better than what the trailer shows. I have to admit I was quite surprised while watching. The thing that Khuda Haafiz gets right is building a strong emotional set-up in the first half, making you invested in the characters…. before getting into the gory bloodbath of vengeance in the latter half.
Vidyut Jammwal aces the action scenes, which are quite sleek (albeit a little massy in their appeal). However, the actor is stiff in the emotional scenes.
Shivaleeka Oberoi has a meaty part as Nargis in the 1st half and does a good job of making you empathize with her character’s anguish. She has little to do in the 2nd half. Personally, I found the emotion and the story in the 1st half intriguing; the gory action in 2nd half is not my thing. But Vidyut fans will probably like it.
Sheeba Chaddha deserves a special mention – she is absolutely killer as the powerful politician who’ll do anything to cover up her sleazy grandson’s crime. She has a menacing and unsettling aura about her in every scene.
The soundtrack of Khuda Haafiz 2 is very good too. Overall, the film is not exactly ground-breaking but it’s still a decently entertaining watch. Way better than the travesty that was Rashtra Kavach: Om.
Hit Or Miss:
Go catch the film in the theatres if gory revenge actioners are up your alley.
(Also Read: Watch: Ponniyin Selvan Movie Teaser!)
