Despite a breathtaking performance by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Haddi is more bones than meat

Haddi Review: Although the movie is overdone, a few of the characters, especially the villain, are poorly written. Anurag Kashyap avoids going all out

In the horrific criminal drama Haddi, which is set in and around Noida, Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s character, a transgender woman who has been severely wronged, is out to exact revenge. A gangster-turned-politician (Anurag Kashyap) operates a macabre money-spinning business with the help of lackeys who carry out his orders without realising what he is doing in the bleak environment that the troubled protagonist lives in.

Siddiqui exudes unrestrained vigour as she portrays the transwoman forced to use fire as a weapon. Unavoidably, someone will take issue with the choice of a male actor for the part. Siddiqui, though, puts the character through the ringer and jumps out of his skin, doing everything he can to keep the role from being a stereotype.

Parts of the performance necessitate the actor flirting with emotional excess in an attempt to bring out the suffering, both physical and psychological, of undergoing surgery to transition from one gender to another, as well as depict the enduring pain that comes with the loss of loved ones – and dignity. Some of the film’s narrative elements, in particular its explorations of a transgender gharana and its significant cross-references to the two Hindu epics in setting the community’s position within a heteronormative worldview, as well as its technical aspects, in particular the camerawork and the music, are of noteable quality.

The Zee5 movie’s opening hour or so is characterised by a persistent feeling of suspense and curiosity. Up until the last third of the 135-minute movie, the nature of the enterprise that Hari/Harika (Nawazuddin), who is also known by his associates as Haddi, is a part of, remains a mystery.

Grief provides the character with her steely drive. “Marta nahin hu main,” he says to one of the gang members, his gender identification concealed.

Haddi, directed by Akshat Ajay Sharma and co-written by him (with Adamya Bhalla), isn’t the sizzling zinger it could have been. This, however, does not appear to be particularly harmful. The picture, which takes place in the shadows, features a cast of vulnerable and violent characters who scratch out a twisted, fragile existence on the outskirts of the city and survive on crumbs handed to them by their pathologically secretive, self-serving superiors.

Much early in the novel, when the complete reason of the main character is revealed, the plot veers off into a number of formulaic retribution saga cliches. The startling disclosures regarding Haddi’s employment for the villain, which are presented in a fairly matter-of-fact way, are not as terrifying as they could have been.

An allusion to an incident involving Iravan and his sacrifice in the Mahabharat provides context for Harika/Haddi’s back-and-forth switching between his female identity and his abandoned male self. A gang led by brutal land thief Pramod Ahlawat is where she infiltrates.

A Siddiqui who is not visible on video says the first words in Haddi. “Pata hai humse log kyun darte hain?” he says in a whisper with an intense echo. Humein vardaan hai, kyun ke. Shraap bahut bhayavah aur hamara ashirwad bahut shaktishali hota hai. If not, how hot is it that uss sey bhayavah jaante ho? Badla hamara. (Do you know why others are afraid of us? We own a lot of power. Our curses are dreadful, and our benefits are mighty. And you know what’s even frightful? (Our retribution.)”

The stage is thus set for a story of blessings, curses, and retribution in a murky universe controlled by individuals who commit atrocities on sectors of society that cannot fight back. The preceding sentences are repeated a couple more times as Harika approaches her targeted goal.

Extremely violent and terrible conflicts occur between a group of transsexual people and a world of ruthless, profit-driven gangsters (assisted by a bureaucracy and a smarmy policeman). Harika/Haddi is forced to exert all of her effort in her pursuit of justice because she is the only victim among others who is capable of resistance.

In addition to the transgender people and the cisgender criminals, Haddi also has another category of people. These are males who engage in a nighttime trade in drugs and sex while dressing up to attract clients. They include Satto (Rajesh Kumar), Jogi (Saharsh Kumar Shukla), and Chunna (Shriidhar Dubey). They are an essential component of the covert operation planned by Pramod Ahlawat, together with a government officer named Bibek Mitra (Vipin Sharma).

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The antagonist wants to evict the transgender communities from their houses and take their property in order to build opulent new condominiums. One of these groups is led by Revathi Amma (Ila Arun), a matriarch who defends many people, including Haddi. Irfan Rizvi, a transgender rights activist, uses the judicial system to try to halt Pramod Ahlawat’s initiative (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub).

The villain’s backyard is where terrible things are happening. Additionally, Pramod is the owner of a chemical plant that harbours a dark secret.

Until Haddi enters the fray with his own scheme, his faithful aide Inder (Saurabh Bharadwaj) is the only one in the know. There are numerous flashpoints in the plot, including several murders, an accidental death, and a full-scale massacre that wipes out tens of thousands of people in the blink of an eye.

Pramod Ahlawat and his gang have set their sights on Revathi Amma’s home, an oasis of love and tranquillity. Haddi, who is in a relationship with a straight guy, Irfan Rizvi, takes up the responsibility of dispensing justice when things go out of hand.

Since’she’ was a boy, Haddi had grown accustomed to violence. Haddi, whose life is portrayed in an information-heavy flashback, is pursued, lynched, humiliated, and abandoned before finding shelter in Amma’s house. And the first few moments of Haddi demonstrate that when that home is attacked, she transforms into a killer on the loose.

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A few of the characters in the overdone movie are underdeveloped, none more so than the villain. Anurag Kashyap avoids going all out. As a result, Pramod Ahlawat lacks the scary presence he is intended to have and instead comes off as a grinning, wisecracking deviant.

Haddi is a vengeance drama with a noticeable difference in that it makes a strong case for inclusivity while also pushing transgender problems to the forefront. It is more bones than flesh, though, despite its compelling atmospheres, inventive song selection, overarching goal, and a stunning Nawazuddin Siddiqui performance.

Cast:

Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, Saurabh Sachdeva, Ila Arun, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Anurag Kashyap

Director:

Sharma, Akshat Ajay