Faraaz Review - A Tiny Film On A Tall Name & A Tall Message

Hansal Mehta, who is known for making hard-hitting and realistic films, is back with a hostage drama, Faraaz. Well, the meaning of this word is "tall," but does that suit the film too? The answer is No. Why? Let's have a further discussion. Hansal Mehta tried his hand at commercial cinema with his last film, Chhalaang, which was a strictly average product. By God's grace, it went to OTT, where many mistakes remain hidden. There's a saying that one should stick to what he is best at and not experiment with other things unnecessarily. Hansal Mehta returned to the artistic cinema, which he is known for, but the quality isn't the same. Faraaz falls flat in conveying the message about humanity, but what causes the harm is a two-hour boredom (including interval).

Faraaz is based on a true story about the terrorist attack on the Holy Artesan Cafe, which happened in Dhaka in 2016 and shook entire Bangladesh. It is a tense hostage drama that unfolds over one claustrophobic night. Faraaz (Zahan Kapoor) is the prince of Bangladesh who refuses to go to Stanford University for further education and decides to stay in Bangladesh so that he can work for the people. One day, Faraaz visits a cafe along with his friends, where a group of terrorists (Aaditya Rawal and others) barge in and shoot people randomly. How the Bangladesh Police, SWAT, and RAB plan to bring terrorists down and how Faraaz stands tall against all odds form the crux of the story.

Faraaz tries to say many things but fails miserably. By the time it reaches a point to convey the message, it's too late. The party is over. The runtime of Faraaz is 115 minutes, which should deliver a pacy flick, but do we always get what we expect? The film seems to be too long and stretched. A film with such a short duration needs crisp editing, should be engaging enough, and should hold the audience by the ribs. The screenplay offers zero thrills and becomes repetitive, and you might take a couple of naps in between.

We have many unheard Indian stories to tell; why should we tell stories of other countries? Most people have the perspective that Islam promotes terrorism, and Faraaz shows the good vs. the bad side, only to teach us the old humanity method that it's wrong to blame the whole community just because of one person. Faraaz deals with different ideologies among people belonging to the same community. The old footage of people blabbering about how small kids are forced into terrorism in the name of Islam and that by killing innocents they'll go to Jannat (heaven) The terrorists are well educated, as we can see them talking in English, but instead of studying further, they are brainwashed to join terrorism, and instead of having books in their hands, here they hold bombs and guns. There is one scene where we can see terrorists and hostages praying together. It gives a message about humanity, yes, with the deaths of loved ones, but it doesn't look convincing.

Faraaz asked for performance-oriented actors, and fortunately, it got a bunch of passionate artists. Talking about performances, Aaditya Rawal tops the chart. We have seen Aaditya Rawal in the ZEE5 film Bamfaad, and he looked promising there. In Faraaz, he has gone one level up and delivered a solid performance as a terrorist. Zahan Kapoor is a bit disappointing, and his dialogue delivery is also not up to the mark. Juhi Soni Babbar does well as a worried mother; just what else can you expect? Aamir Ali, who is known for his role in F.I.R, doesn't get much to explore; hence, he goes unnoticed. The supporting cast is okay, with a lot of new names.

The cinematography is decent, but those bullet-firing scenes in the tense atmosphere are shot beautifully. Technically, the film required more attention to detail. Hansal Mehta has made two powerful films like Aligarh and Shahid in his career, but Faraaz does not even match half of those classics. Hansal Mehta seems to have lost his focus and touch both. His last 3 flicks, Omerta, Chhalaang, and now Faraaz, have been highly underwhelming for his own high standards. I still wonder why Hansal Mehta made a film on such a topic that has nothing new to offer. Faraaz is made for classes, but even classes had moved on from such topics before the pandemic. Passable!