HARAAMKHOR (U/A)
Director: Shlok Sharma
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Shweta Tripathi, Irfan Khan, Mohd Samad, Trimala Adhikari
Running time: 118 minutes
In the mid-90s, Pahlaj Nihalani, now better known as the unpopular censor board chief, produced a film called Andaz about a schoolgirl (Karisma Kapoor) who crushes on her much older and married teacher (Anil Kapoor). Lewd and loud, the David Dhawan-directed film was full of double-meaning lines and gestures, pelvic thrusts in the name of dance and an assault to our ears — and senses — with a song called Khada hai. Released without a hitch, Andaz played in cinemas nationwide and even made a bit of a profit at the box office.
Two decades later, a film called Haraamkhor — the story of an illicit affair between a schoolteacher and his 15-year-old student — comes to Nihalani’s desk for certification. The man, citing the film’s “objectionable theme”, doesn’t allow it to release for close to two years, until a tribunal gives Haraamkhor the green signal for a Friday the 13th release.
There are many more films like Haraamkhor that are still waiting for that elusive Friday. A pity, because most of these films deserve to get an audience. Haraamkhor, patchy in parts, riveting in others, does have its problems, but it’s an important film to watch, especially in an age where our kids are growing up too fast… and often too dangerously.
Playing out over less than two hours, Haraamkhor — the title sits easy on almost all its principal characters — is set in an unnamed small town, its dusty roads and dirty alleys almost a metaphor for the mental machinations of the people who live in it. It is here that schoolteacher Shyam Tekchand (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) gets involved with his 15-year-old student Sandhya (Shweta Tripathi), a relationship that goes from holding hands and stealing glances to many an afternoon quickie when the girl is alone at home. Shyam, slimy and ever ready with a glad eye, is an old hand at the game — his wife Sunita (Trimala Adhikari) was once his student. Sandhya — abandoned by her mother as a kid and living with a drunkard dad — is only too eager to given in. But is she looking for true love, forbidden fun or simply a father figure in Shyam? Haraamkhor leaves that to the viewer to decide.
Even as the sleepy town remains unaware of this pressure cooker-like sex scandal, it’s followed every minute by two teenagers — Sandhya’s tuition mates Kamal (Irfan Khan) and Mintu (Mohd Samad) — who keep a keen eye on every move that the lovers make. Reason? Kamal wants to “marry” Sandhya and Mintu, the more resourceful and the more “haraamkhor” of the two, cooks up one slimy scheme after another to help his friend out. The two boys are natural actors, giving the serious film many of its lighter moments.
Haraamkhor is a great idea on paper, but very uneven in treatment. Shyam and Sandhya’s shenanigans play out over a series of repetitive scenes, many of which are pointless and only weigh the film down. Its conversational style and camera work is a bit rough around the edges, which sometimes gives the feel of a student film. However, it’s the actors — led by a brilliantly chameleon-like act from Nawaz and an effortless performance by Shweta — that keep you invested in the film, until it reaches its gut-wrenching denouement.
Haraamkhor may be slapdash cinema, but has a theme that’s universally relevant. For that alone, it deserves to be seen, discussed, debated. Give us a Haraamkhor over an Andaz… any day. Mr Nihalani, are you listening?
Priyanka Roy
