Hisaab Barabar

Wached it for Madhvan, but what an absolute waste. Childish style of story telling. Madhavan's honesty is the only saving grace.

The movie stops being entertaining beyond the first half an hour till they are establishing Madhavan character and the plot unveils. The masala movie treatment of realistic plot with honest intentions of actors is absolutely cringe worthy. All the other characters beyond Madhavan are mere caricatures, specially Neil Nitin Mukesh was looking like a joker right through. Songs are just for effect too.

I only wish Madhavan and the cast were used for a more honest effort of story telling.

For Madhavan, I will rather watch The Railway Man once again.

Some movies have a novel concept but suffer from poor execution and this is one such example. Director Ashwani Dhir has written and directed good comedies like " Son of sardar" and " Atithi tum kab jaoge" and so this movie is truly disappointing. Since the movie is poorly structured and has a weak narrative even Madhavan has not been able to make it absorbing enough. The plot is about an ordinary railway ticket collector who is good in accounting and who discovers an error in his bank account showing that a small amount has been siphoned off. He takes up with the bank, relentlessly pursues this and finds that this irregularity is only a tip of the iceberg. His personal safety is in jeopardy as he takes on the establishment exposing a scam of huge proportions. ( After seeing this movie it is possible that some account holders may have examined their bank transactions in detail.) One only wishes that the screenplay was more coherent and had more focus. Presently it is lackluster, not at all convincing and hence the movie is not able to connect with the audience. Madhavan does try to make things work but doesn't succeed. Priti Kulhari doesn't impress in an indifferently presented character. Neil Nitin Mukesh as a quirky boss of the bank has overdone it and hammed his way through. He is reduced to a caricature.

The plot is good along with Madhavan's acting as always. The character depth is appreciated in protagonist. (there could have been a monologue maybe of him talking about his marriage)

Kriti's character was never able to establish itself on the screen. It had much scope to play an important role in the plot but it was constructed poorly without any depth and had no influence on the plot.

Same for Neil's character, made poorly, did not have a strong hold on the plot, and lacked the character depth and hence was a poorly made antagonist.

Though the plot had scope the direction was not up to the mark.

The start was good but towards the climax it gets a bit gimmicky and easy. This could have been a much better movie if it was not this filmy and had been more precise and accurate with it's ending.

Madhavan's Railway to Redemption Has Delays, But Reaches Its Destination!

Ashwni Dhir's Hisaab Barabar starts brilliantly, with Madhavan delivering a cracking performance as a ticket collector who accidentally becomes a corporate whistleblower. The chap's got that everyman charm down pat... think his 3 Idiots days but with more righteous indignation and fewer engineering jokes.

The film's opening act is genuinely engaging, setting up a David-versus-Goliath tale that promises proper thrills. Madhavan anchors proceedings with his trademark blend of bumbling determination and moral clarity, making even the dodgiest dialogue sound almost profound.

Sadly, director Dhir can't quite maintain the momentum. What begins as focused storytelling gradually descends into tonal confusion-part social commentary, part melodrama, with comic relief that lands about as gracefully as a derailed train. Neil Nitin Mukesh hams it up deliciously as the corporate villain, whilst Preity Kulhari remains criminally underused.

The technical elements are workmanlike rather than inspired, but Madhavan's committed performance elevates material that could have been thoroughly mediocre. It's formulaic filmmaking with genuine heart, rather like a delayed train that eventually gets you where you need to go.

Rating: 7/10 (including 1 extra point purely for Madhavan making earnestness look effortless)

Hisaab Barabar, directed by Ashwini Dhir, revolves around an honest Ticket Collector (TC) working for the Indian Railways who sets out to expose a massive financial fraud by a banker. While the premise seems promising on paper, the execution falters. The film struggles to find a consistent tone, failing to strike a balance between being hard- hitting or a light satirical take. Though there are a few interesting scenes, they are quickly followed by sequences that feel nonsensical. The overuse of the phrase "Hisaab Barabar" by the lead and in the background score becomes repetitive and annoying, further diminishing the film's appeal.

OVERALL RATING

R. Madhavan delivers an earnest performance as the honest TC, but even his effort cannot salvage the film, especially with the overly dramatic monologues toward the end. Neil Nitin Mukesh, Kriti Kulhari, and Manu Rishi deliver okay performances at best in their poorly written characters. The heavy use of green screen in several scenes further derails the film making the film look amateurish and distracting from the narrative. Overall, Hisaab Barabar wastes its promising premise with inconsistent execution, weak writing, and a lack of focus, offering only a few noteworthy moments and a sincere effort from its lead.

OVERALL - 7/10.