Review: 'Khuda Haafiz Chapter 2' has an earnest Vidyut Jammwal trying too hard but the screenplay is a mess!

Khuda Haafiz Chapter II: Agnipariksha

The streak of watching bad films one after the other has been a strenuous one so far. Lately, we have been awarded with 'masterpieces' like Heropanti 2, Nikamma and most recently, Rashtra Kavach Om. 

I wouldn't be unfair to say that Khuda Haafiz: Chapter II - Agni Pariksha (Khuda Haafiz 2) is that bad but it is indeed almost that bad.

Having had the chance to see the sequel to Khuda Haafiz before hand, here's what I thought about it-

The Long Runtime

I wonder if filmmakers are so self-indulgent with their product that they don't want to shorten the runtime even at the cost of it being a tedious affair. Khuda Haafiz 2 clocks over 2 hours 26 minutes and you can imagine just how taxing it can be. Focusing on just one central conflict, the film bunny-hops to different tracks ultimately making that central conflict irrelevant. The excruciating runtime definitely is one of the biggest drawbacks of the film.

Moments of Encouragement

What is sad about Khuda Haafiz 2 is that after the first half, you feel actually neutral about it. You don't hate it, you don't love it - that is a decent place to be. The first half is sans Vidyut Jamwal action and focusing on only the emotional tracks ultimately leading to the main issue by the end of the half. So far, so decent. It is only the second half that the film nosedives into some sheer ridiculousness thus becoming an underwhelming experience. If it was only for the first half, this film would have even deserved 3 stars.

Wasted Talents

Oh my! To be watching fine talents like Sheeba Chadha and Rajesh Tailang reduced to such characters is such a pity! Watching the trailer led me to be happy for an actor like Chaddha, who I assumed would have so much fun with this role of a lady mafia. Instead, she gets literally nothing to work with and ends up being so irrelevant, let alone menacing. The funny thing? Inspite of being the main antagonist and Vidyut Jammwal being the main protagonist, they literally don't face each other even once in the entire movie.

Bizarre Screenplay & Even More Bizarre Development

Director man of the movie, Faruk Kabir is also the writer of the film and I haven't seen a more disjointed screenplay (apart from the aforementioned honors) than others in recent times. What begins as a revenge saga for a father turns into him being jailed, have a pointless fight in the jail, turn mafia-esque, go to Egypt (not to see the pyramids), and then become the ultimate kingpin. It sounds interesting actually, however, the movie's screenplay is anything but. This isn't helped by the situational developments and the characterisation, which is even more bizarre.

The Biggest Plus

According to me, and undoubtedly, the biggest plus for me is Vidyut Jammwal's effort of unlearning for the character. Jammwal is undoubtedly weak as an actor and cannot emote in multiple situations but the one thing we know he excels at is - seamless action sequences. Being the premier martial artist he is, it would have been an incredibly tough task for him to unlearn and react in this movie's action sequences as a common man. Not once while watching the film you feel that this is the Vidyut Jammwal martial artist we know but instead a common man character, who is try gradually gaining power and strength.

On the same lines, another huge bonus in the good first half is that there is not one action sequence in the film till the interval. For a Vidyut Jammwal movie, that's a big deal.

Perplexing & Underwhelming Characters

While, I have already talked about the characterisation of a few actors, the biggest disappointment is the character of Shivaleeka Oberoi's Nargis. After being the central focus in the first film, here, she makes the most brain-twisting calls and decisions on situations ultimately leading to a giant mess! Getting even better actors like Danish Hussain, Dibyendu Bhattacharya and others, they are literally given a blank paper to work with.

The Verdict

Khuda Haafiz: Chapter II - Agni Pariksha is not the sequel we needed or not the sequel we deserved. Inspite of a few positives, the film might only be for the ardent fans of Vidyut Jammwal and the ones who loved the first chapter.

Rating - ** (2/5)