Hamare Baarah movie review: Topical, Thought Provoking, Essential and Unmissable

Hamare Baarah movie review

‘Hamare Baarah’ directed by Kamal Chandra (the forgettable ‘Ab Dilli Dur Nahin’ and some music videos to his credit), this time tries his hand with a topical and hard-hitting subject which is prone trigger debate.

Already in news for all the reasons, ‘Hamare Baarah’ has nothing objectionable against any community and it’s an attempt to highlight the overpopulation issue while it underlines the women safety, empowerment factor in its due process.

A Muslim family in a Hindi heartland struggling with orthodoxy, gender bias that treats women as an object and how important is education in the country. The less privileged have no option but to bow by the dictate of the so-called messiahs of God who propagate discrimination and encourage hatred.

The highpoint of ‘Hamare Baraah’ is that it does puts forward the issue of population explosion and exploitation of women along with illiteracy/lack of education. Writer Kamal Chandra along with his writer Rajan Agarwal create a milieu of a typical Muslim household properly and its looks real. The idea of showing a thinking Muslim neighborhood where the daughter is free to study in colleges, can go for tours and picnics displays the divide and establishes the benefits and loss of narrowminded and open-minded thinking.

The emotions are felt and the audience gets connected with the plight of Alfiya and her step mother and on the other hand they raise eyebrows on the narrowminded thinking of people like Ali Khan.

However, the movie does raise questions when it openly supports the government bill. The makers over here do expose their political side.

However, the core issue of over population, women safety, education and right to live are bigger than the subtle support for population policy by the government.

The population in India has multiplied and yes there is a danger of explosion.

Kamal Chandra’s style of storytelling is old school, dramatic and at times it becomes overwhelmingly over the top (OTT) and loud.

The actors give their best and act as the major power supply.

Annu Kapoor is outstanding as the rigid hard-core Muslim who goes by the rigid norms and practices preached by the so called highly respectable and religious Maulanas. As the man who controls the house and future of his wife, daughter and sons bowing to the false, rigid beliefs of the male dominated society in the name of religion is excellent.

Ankita Dwivedi as Annu Kapoor’s wife in the film is very natural and controlled. The debutant makes her presence felt in a difficult and challenging role.

Aditi Bhatpahri as the daughter who goes against her father to save the life of her step mother gets a difficult and challenging role in her debut and the actress shows strength as a performer. The debutant shows promise and Aditi makes her mark.

Manoj Joshi as the senior lawyer is fantastic. Ashwini Kalsekar is powerful as Afreen Liyakat.

Good support comes from Rahul Bagga, Parth Samthaan (Alfiya’s love interest), Paritosh Tripathi etc.

Technicalities

Cinematography by Sethu Sriram is fabulous as it captures the emotional turmoil indoors and outdoors. Editing by Sanjay Sharma is fine. Production Design by

Murlidhar J. Sabat, Ratan Suryavanshi is adequate. Art Direction by Murlidhar J. Sabat is authentic. Costume Design by Jasmine Jawa, Jaswinder Prasad and Aarati Tiwari is apt according to the subject and characters.

 Hamare Baarah - final words

‘Hamare Baarah’ though loud but clear in its agenda, the thought-provoking film on the important issue of population explosion is a necessary cinema that comes with a message and is backed by fantastic performances.