Halla Bol is a honest story essaying a spoilt superstar who has come up the hard way. A shocking incident changes everything, rocking the superstar’s lifestyle. His inner voice wakes him up… He is caught between his human self on one side and his corrupted superstar image on the other.
Rajkumar Santoshi, the director attempts to tell you that corruption has become a part of our everyday life. However, a lone voice raised against injustice can multiply into millions progressively. Halla Bol, the film tells you that all’s not lost, that honesty, integrity and courage still have an advantage.
Ashfaque (Ajay Devgan) is a small-town boy aspiring to be a film star in the Hindi film industry. He joins a street theatre group run by a reformed dacoit Sidhu (Pankaj Kapur), who uses street theatre as a medium to bring about an awakening in the masses.
Determination and struggle pays off and Ashfaque gets a break in films. He dons a new screen name — Sameer Khan (trying his luck with the Khan surname?). Consistent hard work pays off and he gets better roles and in a very short time, he moves up the success ladder. Now, he becomes Sameer Khan “The superstar”. Being talented, helps him to enact any role with finesse, and even get under the skin of any and every character with ease and walk away with audience appreciation.
To achieve something, one loses something. Thus our Khan superstar gradually loses his own identity, amidst all adulation and applause. He loses his own individuality, forgeting his real self and virtually imbibes all personalities of a variety of roles essayed by him in films.
With success, he is isolated from all his loved ones, including his wife Sneha (Vidya Balan). He is now a materialistic, corrupt, opportunist and whatever one becomes with stardom.
While in a party, Sameer Khan witnesses a murder being committed. First reaction: he stays quite since he wouldn’t want to get entangled in a mess, and would not want to tarnish the name and fame he has achieved after a long struggle.
Initially Sameer thinks it futile to get into it after toiling day and night for his success. Furthermore, the culprits being sons of a politician and a liquor baron have top level connections, puts him off. Sameer Khan’s inner voice is awakened by his guru Sidhu (Pankaj Kapur) who still enacts street plays and it was his helping hand which led him to growth in his profession.
Finally he decides to jump in the game. Now he is willing to go all out to bring justice to the family of the innocent girl who was brutally murdered in the party. With constant powerful speeches from Pankaj Kapur, he is determined and ready to fight all the powerful forces against him. We have an instance of the police too conniving against him.
Pankay Kapur brilliantly plays the character of Sidhu, who stages a street plays in his attempts to bring about an awakening among the masses. Ajay Devgan is highly resourceful all throughout ups and downs in his struggles and success in the movie. The charming Vidya Balan is realistic in this movie with a straightforward performance.
A lone voice raised against injustice and corruption gradually but strongly gets support of millions of voices and finally the truth prevails.
The film is a hard hitting drama and bears a strange resemblance to the Jessica Lal murder case (some years back in Delhi). Rajkumar Santoshi succeeds in stirring and pricking the viewer’s conscience. Remember Rang De Basanti? When will this generation awake?
CAST of Halla Bol:
Ajay Devgan – Ashfaque/ Sameer Khan
Vidya Balan – Sneha
Kareena Kapoor – (in a footage from Omkara)
Pankaj Kapoor – Sidhu
Darshan Jariwala – Gaekwad
Sridevi – Special Appearance (as herself)
Boney Kapoor – Special Appearance (as himself)
Jackie Shroff – Special Appearance (as himself)
Pahlaj Nihalani – Special Appearance (as himself)
Neeraj Vora – Special Appearance (as himself)
Tusshar Kapoor – Special Appearance (as himself)
Ranjit Kapoor – Special Appearance (as himself)
Mukesh Tiwari, Lekh Tandon, Sayali Bhagat, Ishteyak, Ruby Bhatia CREDITS:
Crew of Halla Bol:
Director: Rajkumar Santoshi
Producers: Abdol Samee Siddiqui, Suresh Sharma
Written by: Rajkumar Santoshi
Music Directors: Sukhwinder Singh, Vanraj Bhatia
Writer: Rajkumar Santoshi
Lyrics: Sameer, Shri Dushyant Kumar, Mehboob
Original Music – Himesh Reshammiya
Makeup Department – Harish Wadhone
Sound Re-recording mixer – Leslie Fernandes
Visual Effects by – Ilamuruguselvan
Still Photographer – Nath Gupta
Halla Bol, movie review