Khuda Haafiz (transl. May God be your protector)[a] is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film written and directed by Faruk Kabir and produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak under Panorama Studios.[3] It stars Vidyut Jammwal and Shivaleeka Oberoi, with Annu Kapoor, Aahana Kumra and Shiv Panditt in supporting roles.[4] Set during the financial crisis of 2007–2008, the film is inspired by true events and follows Sameer Chaudhary, a young man who races against time to rescue his kidnapped wife Nargis from flesh traders. The film premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on 14 August 2020.[1] The film received positive reviews from critics, praising Jammwal's performance, action sequences performed by himself, tone, script and coherence. It was a success in Disney+Hotstar OTT platform.
| Khuda Haafiz | |
|---|---|
 Release poster | |
| Directed by | Faruk Kabir |
| Written by | Faruk Kabir |
| Produced by | Kumar Mangat Pathak Abhishek Pathak |
| Starring | Vidyut Jammwal Shivaleeka Oberoi Annu Kapoor Shiv Panditt Aahana Kumra |
| Cinematography | Jitan Harmeet Singh |
| Edited by | Sandeep Francis |
| Music by | Score: Amar Mohile Songs: Mithoon |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Disney+ Hotstar |
Release date |
|
Running time | 134 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Plot
Detained by cops in a fictional Middle East country named Noman, Sameer Choudhary (Vidyut Jammwal) agrees to reveal what led to his arrest to Mishra, an Indian embassy official. Sameer, back in 2007, is a software engineer and businessman who falls in love with Nargis (Shivaleeka Oberoi) and marries her. A financial crisis in 2008 leaves them both jobless. Three months later, they get jobs in Noman with the help of Nadeem (Vipin Sharma), an employee at an overseas recruitment company. Nargis leaves first, and Sameer stays to wait for his documents to come. After her arrival, Nargis calls Sameer in a panic, crying that someone is kidnapping her. Sameer travels to Noman, where he meets Usman Hamid Ali Murad (Annu Kapoor), a taxi driver. He asks Usman to take him to the address given by Nadeem but learns there's no such address. Usman takes Sameer to the police station, where he learns that Nadeem has gone missing.
Fallen out of help with the police due to his restless nature, Sameer approaches the Indian embassy. He poses as an employee of a telecom company and acquires the address of the person from whose phone Nargis contacted him, and it turns out to be a man named Shirazi. Sameer and Usman learn about Shirazi's involvement in the flesh trade. Sameer visits brothels with Usman in search of Nargis and finds her in one, but he is attacked by the owners and turns violent, killing men, followed by a car chase that ends with a crash and his arrest.
Back in the present, as Sameer has finished narrating his story, he is approached by a Nomani cop named Faiz Abu Malik (Shiv Panditt) who decides to help him, with officer Tamena (Aahana Kumra) joining along. They view the CCTV footage of the Noman airport, where they see Nargis entering a van with a man revealed to be Iztek, an Algerian modelling coordinator. Iztek orders that Nargis be killed. Faiz and Tamena come across a burnt corpse and believe it to be Nargis. Sameer sees her pendant on it and is shattered. Following her funeral, he is given compensation and tickets to India. Tamena learns Nargis is alive, and the corpse they found was of a different woman. She and Faiz try to find Sameer before learning he never boarded the flight. Now wanting revenge, Sameer disguises himself and arrives at Iztek's house. The two violently fight before Iztek reveals Nargis is alive.
Faiz and Tamena arrive, and Faiz is revealed to be Iztek's ally. Tamena subdues Faiz long enough to buy Sameer time to escape. Faiz kills Tamena and frames Sameer. An ensuing chase leaves Iztek dead. Faiz meets his crime partner, Iztek's boss, which is photographed by an undercover cop. Sameer is captured by Faiz before his betrayal is revealed by the commissioner. Sameer and Faiz engage in a fistfight where Sameer beats Faiz. Nargis and the other women are freed, and Tamena is given a State funeral. Faiz wakes up in a pound in the middle of a desert in front of a Firing Squad for his crimes. They shoot him to death. Sameer and Nargis prepare to depart the plane for India while making the last meeting with Usman. Sameer invites Usman to come to India and meet with their family, as they greet him before leaving.
Cast
- Vidyut Jammwal as Sameer Chaudhary, Nargis's husband
- Shivaleeka Oberoi as Nargis Rajput Choudhary, Sameer's wife
- Annu Kapoor as Usman Hamid Ali Murad, a taxi driver in Noman
- Shiv Panditt as Faiz Abu Malik, Itzak's ally in the ISA
- Aahana Kumra as Tamena Hamid, ISA
- Vipin Sharma as Nadeem, an agent, and employee at Ansaar Overseas Recruitment
- Nawab Shah as Iztak Regini
- Rio Kapadia as Commander Ali Azam Ghazi, Faiz and Tamena's boss
- Ikhlaque Khan as IK Mishra, Deputy Council of Affairs at the Indian Embassy in Noman
- Arradhya Maan as Employee
- Suparna Marwah as Nagma Rajput, Nargis' mother
- Farabi Md Refat as Ifraan, ISA
- Mohit Chauhan as Harsh Rajput, Nargis' father
- Shahnawaz Pradhan as Suraj Pradhan Chaudhary, Sameer’s father
- Gargi Patel as Nandini Chaudhary, Sameer’s mother
- Nithish as Sahir
Production
Following official announcement in April 2019, shooting commenced at Uzbekistan on 14 October 2019.[5]
Soundtrack
| Khuda Haafiz | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |||||
| Released | 11 August 2020[6] | ||||
| Recorded | 2019 | ||||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | ||||
| Length | 20:53 | ||||
| Language | Hindi | ||||
| Label | Zee Music Company | ||||
| Mithoon chronology | |||||
| |||||
| |||||
The music for the film was composed by Mithoon who also wrote lyrics for four of the tracks, with Sayeed Quadri penning two songs in the soundtrack album.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jaan Ban Gaye" | Mithoon | Mithoon, Vishal Mishra, Asees Kaur | 3:31 |
| 2. | "Khuda Haafiz – Title Track" | Sayeed Quadri | Vishal Dadlani | 3:38 |
| 3. | "Mera Intezaar Karna" | Mithoon | Armaan Malik | 4:25 |
| 4. | "Aakhri Kadam Tak" | Mithoon | Sonu Nigam | 4:17 |
| 5. | "Jaan Ban Gaye" (Reprise) | Mithoon | Asees Kaur | 1:40 |
| 6. | "Khuda Haafiz" (Unplugged) | Sayeed Quadri | Javed Ali | 3:22 |
| Total length: | 20:53 | |||
Marketing and release
On 29 June 2020, Disney+ Hotstar conducted a virtual press conference where Uday Shankar announced the film's digital release on the platform on 14 August 2020, exclusively as part of the Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex initiative which was a result of cinemas being shut down due to COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8] However, Vidyut Jammwal was not invited for the social media announcement, along with Kunal Khemu, whose film Lootcase also released on the same digital streaming platform.[9][10] Disney+ Hotstar released and promoted the film's trailer first, through the streaming application on 24 July 2020, along with the much anticipated premiere of Sushant Singh Rajput's last film Dil Bechara.[11] The trailer was launched through YouTube, the following day.[12]
Critical reception
The film opened to positive reviews from the audience. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film 3/5, mentioning, "The spirit of this film, for whatever it is worth, is best exemplified by the hero wishing a friend Khuda Haafiz with his hands folded to denote a namaste. That alone would have set Khuda Haafiz apart if only it had been a better film."
Sequel
A sequel titled Khuda Haafiz Chapter II was announced in September 2020 after the success of the first part with Kumar Mangat and Abhishek Pathak as the producers and Faruk Kabir as the director.[13] Vidyut Jammwal and Shivaleeka Oberoi will reprise their roles, and the sequel will go on floors in March 2021 before releasing in October 2021 in cinemas.[14]
Notes
References
- ^ a b "Vidyut Jammwal glad his upcoming film 'Khuda Haafiz' will launch on OTT". India TV News. 24 July 2020.
- ^ "In Pakistan, saying goodbye can be a religious statement | Syed Hamad Ali". the Guardian. 17 April 2012.
- ^ "On the sets". Bollywood Hungama. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
- ^ "Vidyut Jammwal starts shooting for Khuda Hafiz". Outlook. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
- ^ "Vidyut Jammwal starts shooting for Khuda Hafiz in Uzbekistan". The New Indian Express. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Khuda Haafiz – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Jiosaavn.
- ^ "Vidyut Jammwal starrer Khuda Haafiz to release on Disney Plus Hotstar". The Indian Express. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ "Disney Plus Hotstar Makes Strategic Choice to Bypass India's Theaters, Give More Movies Streaming Premieres". Variety. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ "Vidyut Jammwal upset with streaming platform as they snub him from an invitation - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ MumbaiJune 29, Shweta Keshri; June 29, 2020UPDATED; Ist, 2020 20:05. "The cycle continues: Vidyut Jammwal's Khuda Haafiz gets no mention in Disney+Hotstar announcement". India Today. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
{{cite web}}:|first3=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Khuda Hafiz trailer: Vidyut Jammwal has nothing to lose as he goes on a rampage to find missing wife". Hindustan Times. 25 July 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ "Khuda Haafiz trailer: You don't mess with Vidyut Jammwal". The Indian Express. 26 July 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ "Actor Vidyut Jammwal begins shooting for 'Khuda Hafiz' sequel in Mumbai". Web News Observer. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Khuda Haafiz Chapter II: Vidyut Jammwal Film Gets a Sequel, to Release on Big Screen". News 18. 3 September 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.