"Mumbai mein bhai bohot hain per Aapa sirf ek" taunts the Prosecution Lawyer doffing her hat to the cringeworthy TV serial vamps. Throughout the course of the film similar allegations and counter allegations are screamed out and yet by the end of this shouting match we have no idea what to make of Haseena Parkar.
How is life when you are the the sister of India’s most wanted underworld don Dawood Ibrahim? Turns out quite eventful, but it’s cinematic translation is simply vapid and utterly boring!
Haseena Parkar, one of the 12 children born to a Mumbai police constable and sister to the notorious Don Dawood -her transformation from a simple ingenue to becoming the "Godwoman" of Nagpada makes her an intriguing character no doubt.
Shraddha Kapoor steps into her role as this power wielding "Don's sister" fully bronzed and swollen faced with her failings as an actor clearly visible. She might have tried hard but frankly this role was way beyond her league. Also Suresh Nair's screenplay is riddled with jerks and poorly sketched characters. It's supposed to play out as a courtroom drama with flashbacks giving us meaty cliffhangers . But this narrative tool would have worked if the proceedings weren't as abrupt.
Haseena is a young stuttering waif-thin hesitant wife in one scene and just like that turns into a fierce battle-ready maniac punching someone in the face. Midway her character 's gait and style of sitting changes too. We are never told why.
Did Haseena take care of Dawood's notorious activities in his absence? Is she guilty or merely a victim of circumstances? Little effort is put in by Director Apoorva Lakhia to help us understand her predicament better . He focuses entirely on Shraddha and her swollen faced expression without any insight into the inner workings of her mind leaving both the on-screen Dawood and us to our own devices .
In the role of Dawood Ibrahim is Shardhha's real life brother Siddhant Kapoor. Suffice to say Dawood Ibrahim's file picture has more personality than the young Mr Kapoor.
Unremarkable and a tedious watch , Haseena Parkar deserves a royal ignore. 1 Quint out of 5.
Producer: Vivek Das
Camera: Shiv Kumar Maurya
Editor: Kunal Mehra
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)