Review of Halla Bol

Halla Bol (2008)
5/10
Watch it for Ajay!
6 March 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Ajay Devgn is a superb actor. He is one of the few actors who manage to speak a lot through their eyes. Having won 2 National-Awards, Devgn has proved his range time and again. And once again, in 'Halla Bol', he delivers a sincere performance.

'Halla Bol' tells the story of how a small-time, timid wanna-be actor, becomes a superstar and then how he takes his stardom for granted. But after witnessing a brutal murder, he raises his voice to prevail justice.

'Halla Bol' is an average fare. It lacks a solid/powerful script. Maverick filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi directs this story with his usual touch, but the writing here lets him down.

The first hour doesn't work. In fact, the back-story, where Ajay is shown as a timid wanna-be actor, is far from convincing. The film picks up dramatically in it's final 30-minutes. The climax is captivating & keeps you hooked. But the weak first hour, as well as the long running-time, leave you disappointed.

Acting wise, It's only Ajay who stays with you, even after the film has ended. He delivers, as mentioned, a sincere performance. And like I also mentioned before, he is a performer who speaks a lot through his eyes. Easily, amongst the best actors of Hindi Cinema. Vidya Balan gets limited scope, yet she manages to leave a mark. Pankaj Kapur is average. Darshan Jariwala is merely passable as the calculative, conniving, heartless villain. Anjan Srivastava & Anupam Shyam are excellent in their respective parts.

On the whole, 'Halla Bol' suffers from a erratic screenplay, yet I'd say to watch it for Ajay. He's worth giving this flick a shot!
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