Halal Love Story Review – A satirical, thought-stirring experience brimming with endearing moments.

Halal Love Story which is streaming on amazon prime is not just thought-provoking but entertains the viewers with relatable circumstances from the life of common folks. The film focuses mainly on the relevance of the thoughts and teachings of the Muslim community mixed up with the ideas and actions of the present time. The film showcases the significance of preserving the holy ideologies not just by preaching but by implementing in our daily life. The story revolves around a few people who wish to keep their zeal and ethics together under a single roof.

 

The movie is set up amidst a large Muslim community were some ardent followers of the religion want to release a movie that reflects their principles in the social domain. It’s like a ‘film within another film’ and touches lightly on how it’s difficult for the movie crew to manage their personal and professional life together. The Islamic organization sets boundaries in shooting the telefilm so that there would be no ‘Haram’ or any violation of their moral values. The word  ‘Halal’ meaning lawful, points out the strong need to follow certain emotions that we never choose in this era.

 

The film progresses with Taufeeq( Played by Shrafudheen), a teacher with strong religious morals, and Rahim Sahib (played by Nazar Karutheni), approaching Siraj ( Joju George), an associate director of the film industry who has tangled family life as well as a failing professional journey to direct a telefilm. Meanwhile, they prefer to cast a real-life couple to play the leads as they consider that unmarried gestures of touching each other can hurt the religious glory of their community. So they select Shereef (played by Indrajith Sukumaran), an orthodox Muslim man who aspires to be an actor, and his wife Suhara (played by Grace Antony). Things take a turn when Suhara unexpectedly shows up her excellent acting skills which makes Shereef uncomfortable. Everyone started to acknowledge Suhara for her dedication and natural flow of emotions which eventually triggers an inferiority complex in Shereef.

 

The film also tries to put up the events occurring at the backend of every movie director, the plights and hard work of the crew as well as the training sessions that they need to undergo before becoming a perfect fit for their role. Some events remind viewers of the importance of being frank in a marital relationship and also how things can deteriorate when the partner itself becomes toxic about the growth of the other person. The audience gets a chance to compare the personal life of Siraj and Shereef both of which are facing turmoils on their way.

 

Halal Love Story Cast

Nazar Karutheni succeeds to win the hearts of viewers with a flawless debut. Indrajith shows up the versatile actor in him balancing with the spin of characters inside the film. Grace Antony the fame of ‘Kumbalangi Nights’ came back with another strong performance which garnered the appreciation of fans. Soubin in his extended cameo managed to highlight the humor elements in the film while Parvathy Thiruvoth who played a trainer was one of the important plot turn characters of the movie. The film had a majority of new faces with each of them putting their soul into making it a success. Sharafudeen stole the screen with his natural expressions much needed for his character. Joju Joseph  was the star in the film, from playing an arrogant director to a father who wishes for the presence of his daughter, his ability to transform along with the script must be appreciated.

 

Direction, Screenplay, and Music

Being a director Zakariya Mohammed known for his work  ‘Sudani From Nigeria ” took immense effort not to portray the film as a religious representation, he gave a strong message in a light-hearted manner. Muhsin Parari in the screenplay has consciously tried to make the film not just a faith-based one rather something embedded with our reality. Though the foundation of the theme is Islamic virtues they managed to implement that from a global perspective. The viewers may feel a bit dragging in the second half but soon lands to a mindblowing twist that grips them to their chairs. The featured songs of the film are composed by Shahbaz Aman and Bijibal produced by Rex Vijayan. Each song has an authentic and traditional sounding reflecting the beauty of Malabar.

Zakariya has succeeded in crafting the much-needed revolution less dramatically. The film is not filled with action or excessive build-ups but can be an eye-opener for us. It’s in short a simple, realistic film that resonates with each one of us.