HAASIL has me in a bit of a spin. Whilst appreciating the fact that the director has tried something different, it left me unaffected, untouched and frankly, somewhat disinterested because the mayhem continues, right from the opening scene when Ranvijay Singh (Irfan Khan) is running from hoodlums at a university campus, and runs into Niharika (Hrishitaa Bhatt), a moment which is to take on a greater significance later in the film, to the very end when he finally and predictably meets his end. Good triumphs over evil - Or does it.
The film is set against a background of University politics where Gauri Shankar (Ashutosh Rana) and Ranviyay Singh are both vying for presidency of student's union. The random shooting of a student or a gang member makes no difference to every day life at the campus; in fact, the goings on at the university mirrors more the life of gangsters and a provides a frightening expose of what politics is like at the student level and clearly how it parallels politics on a much higher level. Corruption everywhere, it is all about power. Mass killings are littered all over the film. The police has no control and are seen to do nothing.

Within all this mayhem, we find a rather simple Anirudh (immy Shergill) who falls for Niharika. However, with a conservative father, its not easy for them to meet. Ani is keen on theatre and on one of his rehearsals, he helps Ranvijay to escape, more out of fear than anything else but this endears Anirodh to Ranvijay. Gradually, you see Anirodh sinking into the cesspit of the malevolence that exists within Ranvijay until he shoots one of Niharika’s cousins in a show of false bravado. Now wanted for attempted murder, Ani escapes only to have Ranvijay step into his shoes and want the hand of Niharika. Ani now has to return, to win his fair maiden and slay the dragon.

Tigmanshu Dhulia attempts to make a taut and realistic film, but gets waylaid by the fact that he concentrates too much on the love story. It is in fact the love story that takes precdenece post interval whereas, the film appeared to have a different concentration in the first half of the film. Ranvijay Singh’s machinations in trying to marry Niharika is simply out of the old Pran-Rehman school of villany…it seems out of place and not very convincing. Bombay was a love story set against a backdrop of communals riots. Both worked well together. Why is it then that it doesn’t work in Haasil. Primarily, because the Haasil attempts a gritty realism within a commercial cinema and the marriage between the two does not seem to be a comfortable one. This is not Arth Satya neither is it Bombay. .
Both Jimmy Shergill and Hrishitaa Bhatt perform well but it is Irfan Khan who makes for a chilling Ranvijay and walks off with the acting honours.

Jatin-Lalit's music is a notch about their recent efforts but will go largely unnoticed as it does not pander to the public and fits in nicely in the film. On the whole, Haasil is a decent effort but one that leaves you unsettled and ultimately, unaffected. It deserves a larger audience because it does attempt to be a different film but its not a film which slots into a niche audience…it doesn’t deserve the gentry nor will it be lapped up by the masses.