A shallow, melodramatic Dawood-adjacent biopic that wastes its subject's story.
Verdict tier Unfavorable, most critics didn't like it, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.
Not streaming in India
Critic consensus
Critical reception for Haseena Parkar is overwhelmingly negative, with reviewers widely condemning the film as a poorly researched, superficial, and melodramatic biopic. The script drew the harshest criticism, with multiple critics calling it juvenile, stilted, and incapable of offering any meaningful insight into Haseena Parkar's life beyond her association with Dawood Ibrahim. Shraddha Kapoor's performance received divided notices — some acknowledged her effort and her handling of the younger portions of the role, while others found her transition into the older, hardened character unconvincing, citing inconsistent makeup and an overly theatrical delivery. A handful of critics noted Rajesh Tailang as a marginal standout, but no aspect of the film attracted broad praise.
4 not-rated reviews aren't plotted
Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10
AI-generated summary of 21 critic reviews · may contain errors
Report inaccuracyFrom the papers
Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated
Top critic
Film review ·
Shraddha Kapoor manages the young wife-and-mother part well enough, but her transition to the other side is never fully realized: she appears to be speaking her lines to order and the cheek-pads to add flesh to her jowls, and the deliberately heavier voice, is all put on.
Top critic
Film review ·
The only actor who stands out a tad amid the ruins is Rajesh Tailang in the role of Haseena's defence lawyer Shyam Keswani although he, like everybody else in the cast, is hopelessly trapped in a stilted script. Nothing, therefore, can salvage this insipid biopic from the morass of mediocrity.
Film review ·
For all those who savour and relish gangster dramas, Haseena Parkar can be seen just once, even though it does not qualify to be a 'must watch'. Secondly, those who idolise Shraddha Kapoor as an actress and worship Apoorva Lakhia as a film maker, you can also watch this film, despite the jarring screenplay.
Film review ·
Juvenile story-telling, melodrama and an shaky lead actor does not take Haseena Parkar to the level, it was expected to. And what is the point of revisiting a female don's life if the story fails to thrill. Sorry Shraddha, Arjun's Daddy left its mark better…
Film review ·
The dialogues are cheesy and are borderline juvenile at times. Shraddha's makeup is patchy and inconsistent. Blatant brand placement, especially of a jewellery and water brand that probably didn't exist in that era, is an eyesore. All this ends up making Haseena Parkar one of the weakest gangster movies to hit the screens.
Film review ·
Too Much Glorification of the Negative...
Film review ·
Shraddha tries hard to rescue the film, but the script totters so badly in the second half that any salvage seems impossible
Film review ·
Overall, what could have been a strong film, well-researched, stimulating and perhaps hard-hitting film, ends up as a poorly executed court room spectacle sans any drama.
Film review ·
The crime drama fails to offer an insight into Haseena's life whatsoever as an individual, beyond her infamous identity as Dawood's sister, who dropped her bhai's name to settle property disputes, extort money from builders etc.
Film review ·
Haseena Parkar is a superficial drama with no grit. The film has only glorified dialogues that has no real meaning to it. It's better to enjoy your weekend with other gangster flicks over pizza!
Film review ·
With films like 'Shootout at Lokhandwala' and 'Ek Ajnabee' Apoorva Lakhia fails to deliver a convincing plot due to a controversial subject that could not brainwash audiences perception towards the most wanted criminal in the world.
Film review ·
So much liberty was taken, Shraddha could have easily chewed a pan and that would have been better. Even in such a film, Shraddha managed to get a scene in rain. Batao...
Film review ·
Ditch Haseena Parkar without any guilt. You won't be missing much. Save that money, order a pizza and cola and watch Once Upon A Time In Mumbaii, Shootout At Lokhandwala or Company instead.
Film review ·
At over 2 hours, it's an overwrought saga which aimlessly beats around the bush but gives us no real insight. Amidst the clutter of lawyers barking at each other at unusually high decibels and Shraddha's swollen face (to emphasise her age), there's little to appreciate in this one. I will go with what one of the lawyers rightly pointed out – "This is frivolous!" He was warning us about the film. Get the hint!
Film review ·
It's brave of a really young actor Shraddha Kapoor to want to play Marlon Brando in The Godfather. And full marks for effort. But Haseena Parkar is a poorly researched film, which just makes you laugh at the end of it all.
Film review ·
Despite its 124-minute length, Haseena Parkar is a tedious watch. We already know whatever is shown there.
Film review ·
Siddhanth Kapoor gives Farhan Akhtar stiff competition in being the dullest Dawood Ibrahim on screen this year.
Film review ·
Shraddha Kapoor's act, and this film, are both inconsistent...
Film review ·
Haseena Parkar is a film with very limited commercial value as it doesn't touch the heart. At the box-office, it will turn out to be a flop fare.
Film review ·
A compromised film on the godmother of Nagpada...
Film review ·
"Haseena Parkar" is yet another film in the long line of hagiographies that Bollywood tends to pass off as gangster films. That a person can be evil and still lead an interesting life worth recounting seems to be beyond the imagination of our film-makers.
From our readers
1 rating · user score 5.0
Haseena Parker, a film by Apoorva Lakhia, is a biopic on Mumbai's Lady Don, the Godmother of Nagapada – Haseena Aapa, younger sister of Dawood Ibrahim. It was believed that Haseena took up the control of operations of Dawood's business in India. She was notorious for running an extortion racket in Mumbai and also allegedly involved in hawala rackets in sending money from India to Middle East and vice versa. It is said that Arun Gawli Gang murdered her husband Ismail Parkar in 1991. Soon after that she entered into the crime world. Dawood had retaliated to his brother-in-law's death by a shootout at JJ Hospital and killing innocents as well in the process. Haseena shifted to the Gordon Hall Apartments in Nagpada from where she headed the crime syndicate. She dies of heart attack in 2014. The film takes us through the journey of Haseena from a meek, 7th standard pass out daughter of an honest police constable Ibrahim Kaskar to wife of an hotel owner / actor Ismail Parker to the Lady Don's status. But the challenge with the film is it does not really let us know who Haseena is, it is just a chronological journey of Haseena's life. But what sort of person she was, what did she feel, and how that inner transformation from a powerless girl to powerful don happened – all these are superficially dealt with, rather what we have read in newspapers. But, the film will definitely is intriguing as far as one needs to understand the flow of events in her life. The film begins with the dramatic entry of Haseena Parker and a few other ladied in Burqa. . Journalists and people outside the court are having doubt whether Haseena Aapa would come for the court proceedings. And finally when she comes, people were not able to figure out who the original Haseena Parker was. Further the film unravels through court proceedings where Haseena Parker (Shraddha Kapoor) is questioned in an extortion case against a builder. Haseena, who was one amongst the 12 children (probably 7th) of Ibrahim Kaskar and Amina Bi. They used to live in a very small house. The questions by the lady Public Prosecutor (Priyanka Sethia) is arranged by the director in such a manner that its answers takes us to the flask back to Haseena's life. Haseena was extremely attached to her brother Dawood Ibrahim (Siddhant Kapoor, Shraddha's real brother). Her father Ibrahim Kaskar was an honest constable, who did not even shy away from making his sons Dawood and Sabir surrender before the police for their robberies. But Dawood was unstoppable, he grew to be the king of underworld very soon. Haseena is shown to have shared a special bond with Dawood. She gets married to Ismail Parker (Ankur Bhatia), owner of a small restaurant as well as an actor. When asked by Dawood that how she was after the marriage, she expressed that she could experience freedom of choice, freedom of living life after marriage. This is beautifully captured, where one gets to understand the real pain of Haseena, wherein the male fraternity have always decided for her but she was happy after marriage since she could breathe freely. Stories move further to the instances where Dawood had to flee abroad, Mumbai bomb blasts, JJ Hospital Shootouts, Haseena being mentally tortured by the police officials for her fault of being Dawood's brother, murder of her husband Ismail Parker and then how she grew to be the Haseena Aapa. Shraddha looks good till she transforms into Haseena Aapa. Probably her make-up is not good, especially her cheeks look strange and also her frame looks different than the original Haseena Aapa. She does deglamorize herself for the role, but looks did not appear convincing. If we ignore her looks, she has certainly given her best possible shot to the role. Siddhant Kapoor has portrayed the role of Dawood Ibrahim well, although in the second half, his character is reduced to be the one living in posh White House in Dubai. Post intermission, he either appears in TV as a terrorist in news or else talking to Haseena over phone. One gets to miss the Ajay Devgan's touch to Sultan Mirza and Imraan Hashmi's Shoaib Khan in Once Upon a Time in Mumbai. Ankur Bhatia as Ismail Parker is good. Priyanka Sethia is a surprise package in the film, she is good while provoking, questioning Haseena Parker in the court and also in her verbal spats with the defense lawyer. Haseena Parker aka Haseena Aapa's story unravels during courtroom drama. It is about her transformation from an innocent and meek sibling of Dawood Ibrahim to powerful lady don – Godmother of Nagapada. Apoorva Lakhia takes us through her journey chronologically but it turns out to be a collection of reports which we already have read in newspapers. The 'real Haseena' does not come out on screen except in one or two instances.
Credits
Shraddha KapoorHaseena Parkar
Siddhanth KapoorDawood Ibrahim
Ankur BhatiaIbrahim Parkar
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