Khuda Haafiz: Chapter 2-Agni Pariksha Movie Review: Vidyut Jammwal's Film Gets Engulfed In Flames Of Clichés

Story

Khuda Haafiz: Chapter 2 takes off from where its predecessor ended. After rescuing his wife Nargis (Shivaleeka Oberoi) from a gang of flesh-traders in Noman, Sameer (Vidyut Jammwal) is now struggling to bring his marital life back on track.

Nargis on the other hand, is grappling with post-traumatic stress disorder and seeks therapy. At one point, Sameer even asks his wife's therapist, "Doctor saab, aapko lagta hain agar Nargis aur main ek bachche ke liye try kare toh, phir se sab kuch theek ho jaayega?" If only things were that simple!

However, Sameer and Nargis' lives light up in an unexpected way with the arrival of an orphan, Nandini. Initially reluctant owing to her traumatic past, Nargis slowly warms up to the kid and decides to adopt her. However, their happiness is short-lived. In a twist of events, Nandini gets kidnapped along with another girl from her school.

When Sameer and Nargis' worst nightmare comes true, it is up to the former to draw blood and break bones in order to punish the culprits.

Direction

Writer-director Faruk Kabir teams up with Vidyut Jammwal and Shivaleeka Oberoi once again for the sequel of his 2020 film Khuda Haafiz. Unfortunately this time, he trips over his clichéd writing and poor direction. He dishes out a typical rape-revenge film in the most unimaginative way and leaves you highly disappointed.

The slow-paced narrative especially in the first half tests your patience. Faruk Kabir relies more on gimmicks rather than good writing to draw emotions, which pulls down the film by several notches. While Khuda Haafiz at least had some good action sequences to keep you invested, its sequel ends up as a middling affair that has barely anything memorable.

Performances

Vidyut Jammwal hardly gets enough scope to flex his muscles which might break the hearts of his fans. Except a few action sequences where the man puts his best foot forward, the writing doesn't give him enough chance to tap into his strength.

In terms of emoting heavy-duty emotional sequences, the actor falls short of tugging at your heartstrings. At times, the mediocre screenplay fails him.

It looks like Faruk Kabir made the minimal effort in writing Shivaleeka Oberoi's character. In turn, the actress too puts up an average show. Sheeba Chaddha as the 'godmotherly' figure Thakur tries to send shivers down the spine. Sadly, that fear doesn't seep deep. Rajesh Tailang essays the role of a hot-shot journalist with a conscience. If only Faruk Kabir's pen had done justice to his part! That character starts on a promising note, only to disappear midway.

Technical Aspects

Unlike last time, cinematographer Jitan Harmeet Singh barely gets an interesting canvas to pull up some tension-driven frames. The track involving Egypt too has nothing substantial to offer in terms of visuals. Sandeep Francis' editing could have been more taut.

Music

The music album of Khuda Haafiz: Chapter 2 consists of four tracks- 'Chaiyaan Mein Saiyaan Ki', 'Rubaru', 'Junoon Hai' and 'Aaja Ve'. Though they flow seamlessly in the narrative, they lack a recall value. An absolutely 'thanda' album from Mithoon & Co.

Verdict

In one of the scenes in Khuda Haafiz: Chapter 2, Nargis' therapist cites the example of a Japanese art called Kintsugi to explain how one can mend broken relationships in a similar way. Unfortunately, one can't say the same for this film, which is crippled and all over the place.