Hawaizaada

Hawaizaada is like a picture post-card – watch it for the outstanding effort of a first-time director.

Very rarely do cine-goers get to see a movie that charms them with its simplicity coupled with the sincerity of those who make it. Director Vibhu Puri's Hawaizaada is one such endevour that retains the essence of the simplicity of narration without going overboard.

The film is a straight one time watch. There is nothing exceptional or starry that would keep you glued to your seats. It is worth a watch for people who are more interested in knowing about Shivkar Talpade than people who just want to have a good time.

Debut director Vibhu Virender Puri was probably attempting— as one can see from the visual splendor, shots of magic realism, and wry humour— to make a Wes Anderson-meets-Sanjay Leela Bhansali style epic. But barring the film's story and a few immersing scenes, all you have is characters you don't emotionally invest in, bizarre dialogue, and a lifeless romance. That's unfortunate indeed, as this story was rich with possibilities.

You know that the makers have their heart in the right place because of the scale on which they have mounted this drama. The sets and VFX deserve a mention. However, you come back a tad disappointed because unlike Shivi who managed to put the wind beneath his wings, the film itself doesn't provide even surface-level thrills.

So many negatives makes it difficult to take Hawaizaada seriously as a liberally-altered biopic. Honestly, I got onto the plane, but after a few minutes, I was frantically looking for a parachute to escape.

...difficult to take Hawaizaada seriously as a liberally-altered biopic. The premise was promising, but the film never soars dramatically.

It breaks my heart to see so much money, time and effort being spent on building such massive gorgeous sets for a film that doesn't have much to tell.

...the only thing that works for Hawaizaada - something different was attempted. Despite all its pitfalls, Hawaizaada attempts at telling the story of a carefree, wayward, rich, spoilt brat who is also smart and sharp when it interests him. And he went on to fly a plane. Patriotism and national pride aside.

Hindi cinema feeds us enough fiction for us to expect a completely true story told with hundred per cent accuracy. So the factual question marks are not entirely what we fault 'Hawaizaada' for. True or not, it was a good subject that the director had his hands on. But sadly, 'Hawaizaada' limps a bit too much to even come close to convincingly recreate the life of a man who dreamt to be the first one to fly.

Hawaizaada turned out to be a sheer disappointing watch. It has a yawn-inducing storyline which makes it difficult to watch even as it drags for over two hours. It is low on historical knowledge and even the execution is not top notch.

Lost in Translation is what best describes Hawaizaada best. What started off as a biopic turns into a sobbing love tale that you wouldn't want to watch. Read up on the scientist instead.

While the background score of the film is as uninspired as its screenplay, the many songs are generic at best. Hawaizaada, in the end, is a flight of fancy that fails to take off.

Hawaizaada supposedly based on the exploits of an Indian pioneer called Shivkar Talpade, is a long, exhausting and excruciating account that leaves you running for cover by the end. This flight of fancy never takes because the screenplay is all over the place. It attempts to integrate romance, adventure, science (pseudo), singing, dancing and all the ingredients of a typical Bollyood film.