Haddi Movie Review: Despite Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Anurag Kashyap's efforts, this film is 'no flesh only haddi'

There is no denying the fact that Nawazuddin Siddiqui can ace any role with ease and perfection, however, his transgender role needed a much better script than Haddi's. The neo-noir revenge drama has violent, gory sequences but lacks depth. Having said that, the representation of the transgender community is done beautifully though, evoking emotions, unlike the half-baked depiction in the recently released Taali. 

Haddi looms large over Nawazuddin’s transformation from ‘Harika’ to ‘Haddi’ only to take revenge on gangster-turned-politician Pramod Ahlawat played by Anurag Kashyap. The script has nothing new to offer except for a few emotionally resonating gory scenes which helped make the storyline engaging. At the very beginning, the debutant director Akshay Ajay Sharma gave his audience an idea about how gruesome can be the transgender’s revenge. It rightly followed with a few confusing and disjointed sequences, but gradually it became intense after the victim’s backstory was unveiled.

The film starts with Haddi going on a killing spree with gangs of crooks(Shridhar Dubey, Rajesh Kumar, Saharsh Shukla, Saurabh Sachdev and Bipin Sharma) to win the confidence of Ahlawat only to avenge the murder of her Revathi Amma played by Ila Arun. Until the first half, the main motive behind her move was intentionally kept under wrap to keep the mystery. Soon after the entry of Mohammad Zeeshan, who plays the social activist, Irfan, the film presents its best passage. The heartwarming family of transgenders, the chemistry between Haddi and Zeeshan, and a rare romance between a transgender and a Muslim man definitely touches the heart.

Even Nawazuddin’s transition from ‘Hari’ to ‘Harika’, her hospital journey to becoming a bride, laced with Rekha Bhardwaj’s song Beparda will melt your heart. No Spoiler but those scenes where Nawazuddin breaks down after the loss of his dear ones deserve a special mention and credit to the writers Akshay and Adamya Bhalla. Coming to performances, Nawazuddin, who is adept at effortlessly blending into the characters, justifies the role of transgender Harika beautifully. As a cold-blooded killer, he was reminded of his previous roles of Gang of Wasseypur and Raman Raghav but with a new layer. Anurag Kashyap pulls off both menacing and humorous villainous characters with nuance. The filmmaker should try acting more often. Ila Arun and Mohammad Zeeshan added much-needed warmth with their flawless acting. Also, Akshat’s directorial debut has a glimpse of his guru Anurag’s narration style, from striking characters to an affinity for violence.

In a nutshell, while there have been many releases in the past highlighting the transgender issue, Haddi definitely is in his league of its own. As Nawazuddin rightly said in the movie, “Main marta nahi”, Haddi will remain etched in people’s hearts mainly for his performance.