Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

SteinMo What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Sherazade 'Halla Bol' Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi (China Gate, Lajja, Pukar, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, and Khakee) is a film about recognizing what is wrong in society and standing up for what is right. Anybody who has a problem with the director's decision to cast his male lead as a sexy superstar should first refer to present day Bollywood and ask why all of India has selected and endured an average looker as their bad-shah for nearly two decades now. Okay, with that kind of an introduction, I am pleased to tell you that the movie stars Ajay Devgan as a larger than life Bollywood superstar with a rags to riches story (Shah Rukh Khan any one?) Aptly named, Sameer Khan (Devgan) has it all, the fame, the fortune, the goods & the glory. But he is also a ruthless businessman without honor, who would choose his career over his wife in a heartbeat. When the film begins we met our protagonist as he arrives at the premiere for his latest film. We are immediately introduced to the notorious two-faced world of behind-the-scenes Bollywood. What with back-stabbers at every corner and gold diggers on every street, it's the true definition of a dog-eat-dog world. However, Khan navigates through all of these would-be obstacles with such finesse and ease that it's practically second nature to him. That is until he witnesses a murder one night while out reveling with his friends and fans at a nightclub. The initial shock of witnessing such a gruesome crime coupled with the fact that he had been acquainted with the deceased young woman earlier, may be the reason why Khan then decides to keep quiet about what he had seen. When a police investigation is launched, with big star Khan implicated in the case, it instantly catches the media's attention and becomes front page news. A chanced encounter with the younger sister of the deceased forces Sameer to battle the demons within himself in order to "Halla Bol" (translated to mean "Speak Up" or "Raise Your Voice") & a media circus erupts when he steps forward to recant his testimony of not seeing anything that fateful night when indeed he had accidentally witnessed the murder.As he ponders the implications of the new turn of events, Khan flashes back to his life before he was a superstar (with half of the movie already done, I'm sure most people –like me- were probably wondering where does Vidya Balan -- his big name co-star-- fit in to all of this?) and it is at this point where we first see Ms. Balan. She initially appears as Khan's love interest then later as his wife as the film progresses. Ms. Balan has given applause worthy performances since her debut in 'Parineeta' but she seems to have faltered with this film. No, I am not talking about the fact that this is her first (second billing) flop, I am strictly commenting on her lack luster performance in this film (she did better in her multi-starer flop 'Salaam-e-Ishq'. Maybe the fact that she was up against the stellar acting prowess of Ajay Devgan (a legendarily talented actor in his own right) had something to do with it; I don't have all the answers. All I know is that I did not like Balan in this film at all. Something just was not right.All of the characters that we are introduced to in Sameer's flashback, now come to life to help defend his character against the forces that have turned against him(don't worry, the reason why they were initially absent from his life to begin with is explained during the flashback). The two men that Khan witnessed murdering the young party-goer turn out to be sons of prominent members of society, including a crooked politician with ties to the underworld and top-notch business mogul. This spells out trouble for superstar Khan who must now not only defend his honor but also his life as well as the lives of everyone he holds dear all in the quest for justice.Look for blink-n-miss-it cameos by Kareena Kapoor (in a weird non- speaking role…even though u can clearly see her speaking dialogue for some strange reason her audio was muted while in conversation with other people whom we could hear…I guess they did not want to pay her LOL!), Jackie Schroff, Sridevi, Tusshar Kapoor (his was the longest cameo, he could even be considered a character in the film.) Just to mention a few. Devgan's playing a Bollywood superstar after all; he has to have star friends. Oh! And just in case you missed the fact that Santoshi directed The Legend of Bhagat Singh & Khakee (also starring Devgan in pivotal roles), he never misses an opportunity flaunt this as part of his character's Bollywood achievements. Touché!The movies excels in its plight to establish and send a positive message (Santoshi is a pro when it come to that) but fails in its attempt to be modern and stylish. All in all, the film had its moments. Great performance by Devgan (he is such a seasoned actor that even when he plays the younger version of himself in flashback it is so believable), Darshan Jariwala also co-stars. A-

jaspreet-kaur The story has been treated very well, the issue has been brought up very nicely and the way a person standing against norm has to suffer has been very well portrayed. At the same time options for a person to fight against such evils are also presented. The story also presents that we Indians are so engrossed in our daily lives and also doesn't want to be a part of any controversy even when it concerns other people life. The characters are realistic ans presented extremely. A lot of study has been done in understanding the whole case and then the characters have been developed bringing the miserable plight of all the people who were involved in the case. The director and all the actors has done a gr8 job and played their parts really well. Congrats to the whole team!!!

bobbysing It is encouraging to know that in the current scenario of rip offs, remakes and comedies, a filmmaker is there who has the courage to make films on social issues which need to be addressed. Halla Bol is Rajkumar Santoshi's hard hitting movie inspired from a well known real life incident. It has a slow and unimpressive start but gains after the intermission. In the second half you see the good old Rajkumar Santoshi back in form in some well directed scenes. In short some straight conclusions about the movie are : 1. It is inspired from the famous "Jessica Laal" Murder case which questioned our judicial & political system. 2. It can also be seen as a redefined version of Rajkumar Santoshi's own masterpiece "Damini". As here Ajay Devgan witnesses a murder and then fights for the justice. 3. There are few firsts in the movie. A hero using the main hall of a minister's home as his bathroom and Vidya Balan giving some bold statements as the wife of Ajay Devgan to the press reporters. 4. This time Santoshi's 'Sunny Deol' is the powerful "Pankaj Kapoor" who is equally power packed and punchy as Sunny was in "Damini". He is such a great actor that even when he has not got that physical appearance, still he makes you believe when he fights many men single handedly. He gets a author backed meaty role and does full justice with it. The film belongs to him completely.Ajay Devgan plays the role of Bollywood Star who was there in a party where a girl was shot dead. As he comes from a good social background he stands alone against all oppositions and becomes a witness. He is quite impressive but also seems similar to his act of "Aprahan" and "Gangajal" . Pankaj Kapoor is there for his support who was once a dacoit and had surrendered after a moral transformation. The movie is enjoyable in parts, specially the confrontation scenes between Ajay Devgan and the politician father of the murderer, with some powerful dialogues inviting cheers from the viewers. But its all the way "Pankaj Kapoor" which you remember coming out of the theater for his gem of a performance. Vidya Balan has nothing to do as Ajay's wife except one good scene with the press. Whereas music is satisfactory & could have been better, the background music on the other hand enhances the impact of the scenes. The movie is tense and lacks lighter moments of good humour. Rajkumar Santoshi only manages to impress in the second half. If only the first half had been more entertaining and engrossing, it could have resulted into a better movie. "Halla Bol" lacks the complete ingredients of a blockbuster, still it's a welcome change to have a movie on social issues after "Rang De Basanti" and the movie should be watched only for one person, that's Pankaj Kapoor.

prateekarora Every time Pankaj Kapur's movie comes out, I eagerly wait to watch it. So I went to watch Halla Bol, but for the first half hour I could not decide if I am watching Halla Bol or Madhur Bhandharkar's "Page 3" or Jessica Lal murder case on some news channel. Its the same old plot, same old story. But as always Pankaj Kapur stands out. What an actor! Maqbool, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, Chameli Ki Shaadi, etc., awesome movies. Hope he gets more movies, and film industry does justice to his talent.This movie is not up to the standard of what we expect from Raj Kumar Santoshi. The person gave us awesome movies like Damini, etc. but this movie is not like those movies. As for Vidya Balan, I don't understand how is she managing to get movies. She is not a good actor, and does over acting most of the time. Looks can only take you so far, but she doesn't have talent. She has this patent face expression in most of her movies. But anyways, do watch the movie, it is a one time watch.