Cast: Vidyut Jammwal, Shivaleeka Oberoi, Annu Kapoor, Aahana Kumra and Shiv Panditt

Director: Faruk Kabir

Rating: **1/2

Remember the film 'Baaghi 3' in which Ronnie (Tiger Shroff) goes on a rampage of destruction to save his brother Vikram (Ritesh Deshmukh). Well, Khuda Haafiz reminds you somehow of the same with a few believable facts. But still, at the end leaves you with numerous unanswered questions. Moreover, the film's storyline is based on an old concept served with a fresh attempt. Khuda Haafiz highlights the global economic crisis of 2008 when millions lost their jobs and how a couple becomes a prime victim of the catastrophe.

The film's dropback is set in Lucknow, where Sameer (Vidyut Jammwal) is a software engineer and gets married to a woman named Nargis (Shivaleeka Oberoi) in 2007. Their lives turn upside down when the 2008 financial crisis leaves them both jobless. Three months later, they get jobs in an unknown fictional country 'Noman' with the help of Nadeem (Vipin Sharma), an employee at Ansaar Overseas Recruitment. Nargis leaves first and Sameer stays so that he can arrive once his documents are ready in a few days. After her arrival in Noman, Nargis gets kidnapped but somehow, manages to make one last call to Sameer, who sets out in her pursuit. The involvement of the Police force, Indian Embassy & intelligence agencies and the revelation of human trafficking and Sameer's journey to find his wife, is the premises of Khuda Haafiz.

Director Faruk Kabir stressed more on the romance between the lead pair rather than showcasing Vidyut's 'Commando' action in the film. Screenplay by Faruk Kabir & Zaheer Abass Qureshi is not less than a roller coaster ride but delivers a forgettable film that loses its authenticity in the end.


Vidyut still needs to learn many things to capture the right emotions of his characters although he gets a few scenes to kick some backs and delivers a never seen before performance. On the other side, one film old, Shivaleeka Oberoi looks gorgeous, her eyes, her laughter, her pain, her yearning fits best in the role of 'Nargis'. Annu Kapoor as 'Usman Hamid Ali Murad', a taxi driver in Noman perfectly picks the Arabic accent. The supporting cast includes Shiv Pandit as 'Faiz Abu Malik' and Aahana Kumra as 'Tamena Hamid' who have done a commendable job.

The lack of suspense in the film is clearly reflected, which fails to keep the audience connected to the story. The writer's choice of showcasing a Hindu-Muslim arranged marriage, a family that was only presented in the initial scenes and disapperears after Sameer's trouble situations looks unconvincing.


Do not expect Quentin Tarantino style action as CGI in Khuda Haafiz is extremely jarring and animated visual appeal leads to loose film's authenticity. Moreover, the low-quality computer-generated blood shots can be seen clearly that disappoint. But Vidyut holds the shattered pieces with his power-packed action and emotions.

The standout quality of the film is the melodious music composed by Mithoon and Sayeed Quadri, which compliments the storyline.

Well, the film is 2 hours and 13 minutes long but if the editing department could have easily chopped it off 20-30 minutes saving a lot of the viewer's time, it could have become a great suspense-action-thriller but, sadly that's not the case.

Overall, despite having some pit holes, the film is an average one time watch. If you are a fan of Vidyut and want to see him in a different and a heart-wrenching avatar then go for it.