'Hisaab Barabar' review: R Madhavan can't save laughably bad film
What's the story
Ashwni Dhir's Hisaab Barabar, which will stream on ZEE5 from Friday, is a shockingly absurd, flimsy, and sub-par film.
It appears too amateurish and undercooked and completely wastes the talents of R Madhavan and Kirti Kulhari.
It's one of those films that have an interesting idea at their core, but as is often the case, novel ideas don't always guarantee entertaining films.
Story
A common man's fight against the system
Hisaab Barabar comes across as a series of random, non-entertaining scenes stitched together with a half-baked storyline.
It follows ticket collector Radhe Mohan (Madhavan), who notices a minor discrepancy in his bank account and files a complaint.
Soon after, he realizes that the bank's owner Micky (Neil Nitin Mukesh) is defrauding several others, and decides to take him down.
Will Mohan succeed?
#1
Starts wearily and stays that way
Apart from the performances, the film doesn't have anything going for it.
Scenes have been so ineptly executed that one wonders how they made the final cut and the painfully inconsistent movie tests your patience.
The constant voiceover in the first few scenes takes the edge off completely, and you are left struggling with the wobbly events of this toothless film.
#2
Hardly any supporting character leaves an impact
The world of Hisaab Barabar is filled not with characters, but with caricatures.
A helpless man leading a crusade for the aam aadmi, being told off by police officers who are knee-deep in corruption, a (supposedly) manic villain who has no qualms in destroying lives, and a female character whose entire personality is loving alcohol.
How many times have you seen such characters before?
#3
Curious case of good premise, bad execution
Hisaab Barabar reminded me of Netflix's Sikandar Ka Muqaddar and JioCinema's Visfot, which also flirted with some interesting ideas, but then eventually creaked under the weight of their own ambitions.
Hisaab Barabar thinks it will pull the rug from under our feet, but everything is so frivolous that you are neither intrigued by any character nor emotionally connected to them.
#4
Wastes both Rashami Desai and Kulhari
Rashami Desai plays Mohan's son's caretaker and is tragically wasted in a role that only asks her to act "quirky" and nonchalant.
She is used for a comical track nobody asked for, and the film would have been the same without her character.
As for Kulhari, by the time you see her character Poonam actually do something, it's already too late.
#5
Without a meaty storyline, film spends two hours struggling
The film runs out of steam once the first hour is over and then painfully struggles to make any relevant points.
There's no surprise element, no jaw-dropping revelations, and the story is too simplistic and predictable.
The film wants to be a romantic story, a suspense drama, and a cautionary tale—all at once.
Eventually, it ends up in the no man's land.
#6
You can't ever take anything seriously
Films where characters suddenly break into applause for the protagonist or collectively take out their phones because they are hell-bent on making something "viral" teem with flimsiness.
Hisaab Barabar is no different.
Supporting characters come and go (once they have been used to fill up the frame), people have random epiphanies, and resolutions happen within just minutes.
#7
What's going on with Mukesh's character?
Hisaab Barabar has some good ideas but they never come to fruition because nearly all characters are detached from reality.
Take, for instance, Micky, who the film wants to demonstrate as a ruthless, unforgiving villain, but with his blingy costumes and tendency to break into dance randomly, he comes across as a laughing stock.
Eventually, the film reduces him—and itself—to a spoof.
#8
There's no method or logic in scenes
Hisaab Barabar is also plagued by many inexplicable scenes and bizarre dialogues.
For instance, in one such scene, part of Mohan's house is demolished, but the very next scene opts for a "comedic" approach.
Why?
In another sequence, Madhavan sits atop a table and when asked to climb down, says, "Sara system mujh par chadha hua hai kya main table par nahi chadh sakta?"
Verdict
Don't invest your time in 'Hisaab Barabar'; 1.5/5 stars
With its jaded treatment, Hisaab Barabar is possibly among Madhavan's poorest films, even though he is extremely earnest in his role.
Rajesh Jais and Manu Rishi Chadha, too, are wasted in a project that doesn't quite know what to do with the caliber of its ensemble cast.
For a film that prides itself on raising awareness, Hisaab Barabar isn't self-aware at all.
1.5/5 stars.