Raj Kumar Santoshi is one film maker who has almost never strayed away from his mission to make a socially relevant film and Halla Bol is no different.

Based on the Jessica Lal murder case (the disclaimer is there in place though), the movie tracks the story of a super star’s conscience who witnesses a murder at a high profile party.

Ashfaque Khan’s (Devgan) meteoric rise from being the best actor of a reformed terrorist’s (Kapur) theatre group to a super star is the envy of the tinsel town. But it also alienates him from his integrity and his wife (Balan).

His materialistic life then gets thrown out of gear when a minister’s son shoots a girl in a party and walks out of it without being questioned. After a couple of hiccups, his conscience finally kicks in, and the hero decides to seek justice for the girl and fight the corrupt system.

Bollywood has churned out many hit films,  on the time tested formula of ‘angst against the system’, some of the most memorable ones directed by Santoshi himself. But while Damini and Ghayal told gut wrenching stories, Halla bol fails to make any kind of impact. The screenplay gets divided into too many subplots that do not allow the audience to connect with any of them. Dialogues fail to stir you and that huge emotional tug you keep waiting for just doesn’t make an appearance. There are powerful scenes, but they are few and far between and there is  absolutely no continuity in the story telling.

Ajay Devgan’s performance is jaded at best while Vidya Balan had precious little to do. It is the character actors who really shine through and thank god for them. Darshan Jariwala’s disgusting politician almost makes you want to get up and slap him.

But it is Pankaj Kapur who gives you a reason to believe in this confused mess. A beyond brilliant performance, it is a pity that the actor barely graces the screen for half hour. The intentions are right and the message is relevant but Santoshi needs to go back to his own work to figure out where he lost his audience.