Khuda Haafiz Movie Review – In Brief, the story revolves around the lives of newly married Nargis (Shivaleeka Oberoi) and Sameer Choudhary (Vidyut Jammwal) which comes crumbling down as economic slowdown hits India in 2008 and the couple’s are left jobless. The duo seek for jobs in the Sultanate of Noman. But as destiny would have it, Nargis is taken away by some cruel people in the foreign land. Sameer vows to bring her home safe and sound. What happens in his pursuit is the crux of the story. What is refreshing is to watch Vidyut shed his commando hat and wear a new hat of being a romantic hero.
Khuda Haafiz opens with a scene, a timid Sameer asks Nargis if she had agreed to marry him because of family compulsions and if she had a boyfriend that she still has feelings for. This Lucknow boy’s innocence charms Nargis. soon they get married and is deep dive into love within days of saying ‘Qubool Hai (I accept it)’ to one another.
All of a sudden we find the story has a twist, as the narrator draws audience attention to an economic calamity with the sudden crashing of the global economy and how India grapples under its shock waves. The lead pair too faces the brunt and both lose their jobs within months of tying the knot.
The hopeless couple applies for work to overseas nations like the Sultanate of Noman through a meek job placement agency in Lucknow. While Narigis’s work visa arrives, Sameer has to wait for five more days.
What happens is that Nargis lands in Noman and soon after she makes a panic phone call to her husband, claiming “nothing’s what it dreamt to be” and that “she is being treated shabbily”. Sameer realises that something is not right , and leaves homeland with the sole purpose of bringing his wife back safely. Upon reaching, he is challenged with the harsh reality of his circumstances—Nargis is now in the custody of the dark alleys of flesh trade. How is he going to escape with her, and where is she?
Khuda Haafiz Movie Review : Vidyut Jammwal sheds his Commando hat and embodies the skin of an ordinary man faced with an extraordinary confrontation.
‘Khuda Hafiz’ is the touching tale of a man’s love and longing for his love who’s is confronting an un-comforting situation in an alien world. It is an intense romance-thriller saga. The first half does thrill, with the sequences and drama around the fear of the unknown. But as you stretch and anticipate an even more exciting second half, the storytelling and the script looses its grip on the narrative.
Writer-director Faruk Kabir deals with the subject with sensitivity and humanness, as Vidyut Jamwal’s Sameer in his journey seem to meet a Pakistani, Indian or a Bangladeshi eager to help the distressed tourist looking for his beloved.
Speaking of accents, Shiv Panditt’s Faiz Abu Malik from the make-belief law enforcement agency ISA is absolutely distracting. An otherwise skilled Aahana Kumra as detective Tamena Hamid lacks flamboyance needed for the role she played. Local cabbie and Jamwal’s wingman Annu Kapoor (playing the role of Usman Ali Murad) works to a reasonable extent but then the plotline overpowers Kapoor and he is left in the backseat. The blossoming of their friendship does not seem organic to say the least. Also, the intensity of romance lacks conviction and defies logic even by love story standards.
In action sequences, Vidyut Jamwal is a sight to behold: packing punches, landing mighty kicks with his veins popping and face throbbing. Between the two, Vidyut is more emotionally invested in getting the nuances of his character right. Shivaleeka, on the other hand, looks drop-dead gorgeous as the small-town belle but her acting chops need serious honing.
A handful of big twists – a grisly death, a welcome resurrection and a grievous betrayal – are reserved for the last quarter of the film. The action sequences and stunts in the film, shot in Tashkent and other parts of Uzbekistan, are quite spectacular.
The song ‘Jaan Ban Gaye’, ‘Mera Intezaar Karna’ and ‘Aakhri Kadam Tak’ are absolute musical delights. The background score, too, is one that intensifies the scenes and softens the theme of fright in places where the duo is seen pining for one another.
‘Khuda Haafiz’ — literal meaning ‘May God be your Guardian’, Watch it for Vidyut flexing his muscles in an incredible way.
Cast: Vidyut Jammwal, Shivaleeka Oberoi, Aahana Kumra, Annu Kapoor, Shiv Pandit
Director: Faruk Kabir
Khuda Haafiz is streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar