Faraaz movie review: Half-baked film inspite of its best intentions, sensitive crafting

From Hansal Mehta, this is half a journey, yet recommended for balance for poignance and cause towards better cinema

Hyderabad: The repertoire is growing even if not steadily. The maker of City Lights, Shahid, Omerta, and Aligarh gives you a short take on terrorism with Bangladesh for the backdrop. What is surely appreciable is that the film does not advocate any special stance against the perpetrators.

Holed up are five young untrained terrorists who are committed to an unknown cause. They enter this fashionable restaurant in Bangladesh and the drama is spread on the traumatic night for the inmates and a tense challenge filled experience for the terrorists.

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It is a motley group of near adolescent lads fed on some diet of persecution of the community. They include Mobashir (Jatin Sarin) Bikash (Harshal Pawar), Rohan (Sachin Lalwani) and led by Nibras (Aditya Rawal). Caught in the action is Faraaz (Zahan Kapoor), calm and holding his own space against his mom Simeen (Juhi Babbar) who dreams that her son go to Stanford.

The five terrorists have multiple differences among themselves. Exposed to a major project to be independently handled without any instructions on minor details, they announce their entry with barbaric shooting. The night long vigil within and a parallel of the police and military stepping in, is two paced. While happenings outside are brisk and dramatic, inside there is almost nothing dramatic happening.

Inside, Faraaz who played football in school with Nibras is offered a free exit. However, things get nasty with his two accompanying lady friends and the terrorists. They stay back. All through the narrative there is no clue as to why the terrorists have embarked upon the said operation. This appears to be a crime without a motive. Difficult to digest in the context of art and cinema.

The problem with the film inspite of its best intentions and sensitive crafting is it is palpably half baked. It throws up multiple questions. It chooses to keep away from answers.

Zahan Kapoor debuts in the title role of Faraaz but there is very little for him to do. Not much scope to determine whether he would leave an impression like his paternal grandparents (Jennifer and Shashi Kapoor) and walk away silently like Dad Kunal.

In contrast, Aditya Rawal (son of Paresh Rawal and Swaroop Sampath) in the role of the leader is brilliant and balanced. He gives very silently the film its needed punch and gravitas.

Good intent is sometimes half the journey. From Hansal Mehta, this is half a journey, yet recommended for balance for poignance and cause towards better cinema.