In “Khuda Haafiz” newlywed Sameer (Vidyut Jammwal) travels all the way from India to the fictional country of Noman when he learns that his wife, Nargis, is believed to have been abducted and forced into the flesh trade after being lured by the prospects of a job. After great difficulty, he is able to garner the trust of the embassy and enlists the help of a taxi driver and some shifty authority figures who are willing to help him on his rescue mission…but can he trust them?
A Bollywood Actioner that is a Breath of Fresh Air
In a sea of Bollywood mainstream action escapades that more often than not tend to solely rely on bland clichés and shirtless, chest thumping heroes—who showcase over the top machismo and no personality whatsoever—this movie with its well-layered characters is a breath of fresh air.
What works in its favour is its protagonist Sameer isn’t your run-of-the-mill super soldier or action hero. He’s not a hacker, a secret agent, and martial artist rolled into one. He’s just an ordinary software engineer hit hard by the recession and sucker-punched at his lowest point. He has no martial arts training whatsoever; and considering the film takes place in 2007, neither can he rely on high tech gadgets to rescue his wife. All he has is a trusty flip phone (the kind with a physical keypad) and the hopes to reunite with his beloved Nargis through the grace of God (the literal translation of the movie title from Urdu is ‘God protect you’).
What sets “Khuda Haafiz” apart from the others Bollywood actioners is how rooted in reality the stunt sequences are. The lead, Vidyut Jammwal (who is adept in the art of Kalaripayattu and also has extensive industry work as an action choreographer) shows heavy restrain here since his character demands him to be an average fighter at best. So much restrain that at times I found it hard to believe that this was the same man who performed numerous backflips and parkour sequences in his debut movie “Force” or single-handedly took down armies in high octane movies such as “Commando.”
Realistic Stunt Scenes and More Emoting Elevate ‘Khuda Haafiz’
A majority of Jammwal’s stunts in this movie involve flailing his arms about like an amateur while fighting off goons and seasoned secret agents alike; this is unlike expert punches, karate chops, and parkour as in his earlier ventures. This conveys a certain sense of rawness and urgency; here we have a protagonist who will go to any lengths to save the love of his life despite the fact that he lacks the skills to fight off her captors. This further allows viewers to root for him in his endeavour, especially when the tremendous odds against him.
The script and characterization also allows Jammwal to showcase his acting chops, since in the past, he has often been typecast as a stereotypical action hero. He portrays Sameer in a nuanced manner. He beautifully conveys the stern, do-or-die attitude as well as the grief stricken, vulnerable side of this character. But additionally, I highly recommend closely watching his body language and subtle changes in facial expressions in certain scenes. When Sameer and Nargis comfort each other after they’ve lost their respective jobs—or the portions of the movie wherein Sameer breaks down at the police station and later at the embassy—are among the film’s best. Hopefully Jammwal’s talent and potential will come around again in future projects. Shivaleeka Oberoi is a natural and lends Jammwal ample support as Nargis, and their chemistry is nothing short of heartwarming.
Breaking Down Muslim Stereotypes; and Beautiful Cinematography to Boot
Special mention to the writers for including positive Muslim and Middle Eastern characters who act as allies rather than enemies; this includes Usman (Annu Kapoor), the kind-hearted taxi driver, and the bad-ass ISA agent Tamena played by Aahana Kumra. There is often a tendency to portray all Muslims as ‘enemies of the State/Nation’ in the Indian media in particular; or the Muslim community is usually relegated to pawns in obvious Islamaphobic propaganda pieces. Thankfully, “Khuda Haafiz” steers clear of the same.
Cinematographer Jitan Harmeet Singh not only does a great job at capturing the scenic beauty of the locations, but also deserves brownie points for capturing the psyche and inner-turmoil of Sameer with his camera work. The shallow focus shots during scenes particularly help in shedding light on the protagonist’s dejected and dazed state of mind. The soundtrack by Mithoon consists entirely of ballads; they complement Sameer and Nargis’ strong and loving bond perfectly.
I did feel that replacing the CGI in some scenes with practical effects would yield positive results; this is especially true since the computer-generated blood and gore often resembled the kind that one would find in a poorly-rendered video game. Additionally, the running length could also have been cut short by doing away with some unnecessary scenes.
Despite its few shortcomings, “Khuda Hafiz” is a sign that Bollywood action movies should consider taking the road less travelled; it’s high time to start prioritizing depth and substance over the ripped abs of their stereotypical macho lead.
“Khuda Haafiz” is available to watch on Disney+ Hotstar in India. We could not find any streaming options in the States or abroad.
