Hisaab Barabar review: R. Madhavan, Neil Nitin Mukesh in a mathematics class you wish you had bunked

Hisaab Barabar review

In Hisaab Barabar, Neil Nitin Mukesh plays a flamboyantly dressed, overly quirky politician Mickey Mehta who says things like “Common man is a donkey”. R. Madhavan is Radhe Mohan Sharma, former CA aspirant-turned-ticket collector who firmly sticks to his principles and rarely defaults on fine collection duty. He teaches students in what seems like a makeshift classroom at the railway station. Radhe Mohan seems to be obsessed with tallying balance sheets. He simply cannot rest unless LHS=RHS, and everything adds up.

Hisaab Barabar Movie: Plot

His entire personality as a single father revolves around cross-verifying numbers. Unsurprisingly, Radhe Mohan lands up in the bank when he spots a discrepancy of Rs 27.50. In an unlikely turn of events, he uncovers a large-scale bank fraud involving Micky Mohan. Where the plot goes next is anyone’s guess. A burgundy haired Kirti Kulhari plays Inspector Poonam Joshi, who travels by train on the same route as Radhe Mohan.

The two begin an unlikely romance, as Radhe Mohan investigates the bank fraud. Some 20,000 times the phrase ‘hisaab baraabar’ is uttered by the lead, supporting cast, and extras, almost as a force-fit brand plugin. Heck even the background score is a VO artist whispering ‘hisaab barabar’ on loop. We get it, the aim here is to expose the large-scale corruption, the unholy nexus between banking sector and politicians, while also championing the spirit of a common man who stands for the right.

Hisaab Barabar Movie: Performances

But why is the execution so on-the-face? Director Ashwni Dhir goes to great lengths to make the anti-corruption message painfully obvious. Hisaab Barabar practically hammers the social commentary in your head, like a henchman forcefully opening your eyelids, coercing you to look at the giant hoarding-sized social message in case you missed it the first hundred times it was spelled out. The commentary is so non-subtle that it makes the film painful to watch. That it takes forever (approximately 40 mins) to set up the predictable premise doesn’t help the cause.

Hisaab Barabar Movie: Writing And Direction

Rashami Desai as Monalisa Yadav tries to bring in quirky humour in her role as the babysitter but her eccentric traits don’t quite land. As for Neil Nitin Mukesh, the actor tries his best to salvage the film with his over-the-top traits, but the cringe-inducing dialogue and amateurish characterization don't do him any favour. The film, which premiered at the 55th International Film Festival of India in Goa, has a novel promise but doesn't care to utilize it fully.

Hisaab Barabar Movie: What Works, What Doesn’t 

It is important to note that Hisaab Barabar comes out at a time when scams (from digital arrest to banking fraud) are at an all-time high. The film is relevant now more than ever, especially given the anti-capitalist, pro-people messaging. The satirical thriller (which neither offers biting satire, not thrills) could have been a timely tale of caution. It could have been just the reckoning we need to reexamine the world-at-large (think: Squid Game season 2 and Severance season 2, both critiquing the capitalist, corrupt societal structures). Much of this potential is lost when the film shows all its cards and leaves little to imagination. As they say, Impact is more important than intent.

Star rating: 2 / 5 stars

Hisaab Barabar is now streaming on ZEE5.