Laal Rang: Review

India is a country of many diversities. Diversity in various criminal activities in various parts of the country has always been a popular topic in the Indian celluloid-be it Parallel or Commercial cinema. Laal Rang breaks the barrier of such films where probably for the first time in Hindi cinema, a dialect of Hindi as spoken in southern Haryana-Karnal to be precise is used as a medium of communication. The Hindi spoken in this area interspersed with Punjabi and Haryanvi words and bearing the acute intonation and the accent of its native speakers adds to the authenticity and unique regional appeal of the film.

Concentrated on mostly the Blood Mafia of the Northern states, this is one of the best depiction of a racket so highly detrimental to the society, yet so very suppressed and hushed-up among the politicians and top ranking IPS officers in the region. We all know this happens, but none made a film out of this before. So Bravo to director Syed Ahmed Afzal for exploring this. Randeep Hooda delivers one of the best performances of his lifetime in the role of the mastermind behind illegal Blood Banking and Akshay Oberoi adds to the sidekick who displays grey shades of a greedy student from the heart of Haryana. As a man who sacrificed everything for love, with broken hope in his eyes and relentless addiction to cheap liquor and ultimate craving for redemption, Randeep is a force to reckon for. I am not a fan of the language or the dialect, or more so the MEN from this part of India, but appreciate the effort and the picturesque appeal of Haryana and its surrounding areas. This is a must watch for every viewer who appreciates parallel content with a hint of regional appeal. And yes, not meant for the weak-hearted.