THIS HADDI NEEDED A LOT MORE MEAT ON ITS BONES, TOO.

 Story of Haddi: A merciless transgender is out to avenge those who wrecked her life. However, she has a lot of dark secrets and owns a dubious business, which could expose her before her task is over.

Haddi review: A good actor playing a deeply sinister character who undergoes a dramatic change does not ensure a good plot. The movie "Haddi" serves as a harsh reminder of a work that explores a terrible subject matter, mainly relies on the performances of its protagonist and antagonist, but falls short in terms of the breadth of its storyline.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui portrays the evil transgender character Haddi, who plunders deceased people from their funeral processions for money. But she also collaborates with a notorious mob that engages in extortion, the trade in human beings, and other crimes. Politician Pramod Ahlawat (Anurag Kashyap), who will do anything to gain what he wants, is the ruthless boss of this group. The core of this confusing tale is what Haddi's true motivation is and what will happen as a result of his acts.

The IMDB synopsis of ‘Haddi’ reads, “Is this move aspirational or driven by revenge?” Well, that’s exactly where the problem lies. It’s a confusing narrative. Firstly, it’s not aspirational by any stretch of imagination. It is for all practical purposes, a revenge drama but with a lot of detours, especially in the first half. In a bid to create mystery around Haddi’s character and her motives, it confuses the audience with random and disjointed storytelling that robs us of any further interest in what the characters are up to. As the second half rolls in, there is some semblance of consistency and director and co-writer Akshat Ajay Sharma manages to evoke some curiosity over what will happen next. However, the major problem here is the lack of conviction in the characterisation and an uneven narrative that doesn’t quite touch your heart. The chemistry between Haddi and her boyfriend Jogi (Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub) falls flat. Despite being good actors, neither Nawazuddin nor Mohd. Zeeshan are able to bring the required intensity into their equation. Nawazuddin invokes fear, hatred and empathy for his character. At places his makeover speaks louder than his actions. Anurag Kashyap’s villainy is impactful but we have seen him do this in movies earlier as well. Ila Arun is well cast as the endearing Amma. The film’s consistent dark tone goes well with its story. One song ‘Beparda’ (composed by Rohan Gokhale) in the soundtrack, stands out.

There was promise here for a suspenseful thriller and an intense drama. The movie got the potential to portray the challenges of the LGBTQ community in realistic detail. But in order for "Haddi" to really stand out, the writers had to devote much more attention to developing its key components.