Directed by Shlok Sharma, Haraamkhor features an unconventional pair of Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Shweta Tripathi. The movie revolves around a sexual predator married school teacher, Shyam (Nawaz) who gets into an illicit relationship with one of his teenage student, Sandhya (Shweta Tripathi). The story takes a major twist when Sandhya’s tuition friend, Kamal (Irfan Khan) also falls for her and he enters into a one-on-one battle with the teacher himself. The story has a very dark subject which is forbidden to talk about in the Indian society, but Shlok has directed it to its perfection. Each and every actor has given an amazing performance in the movie which is commendable. The story captures the anguish and helplessness of the teenage girl, and the demeaning character of the teacher. The movie is worth a watch for those who appreciate such rustic and Indie movies, and to understand the reality behind this serious issue.

The Censor Board objected to the ‘bold’ content of Haraamkhor because they thought the Indian audience was not ready for such experimental cinema. This forced the makers to make a legal appeal before the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal, which delivered the verdict in the movie’s favour. Now that the film is released, the board will have to explain why they thought the film was not suitable for Indian audiences. Probably because Haraamkhor can connect with most of us. And it’s told sensibly. Siddiqui is at his deceptive best. He plays a sexual offender to perfection, but you can’t judge him instantly. Your opinion of Shyam may change if the government decides to lower the age of consensual sex to 15. Sharma smartly weaves the story from the perspective of two kids who study in Sandhya’s class. They are fast losing their innocence, but then, they were never supposed to remain immature – at least not in circumstances such as these. Brave and original, Haraamkhor walks the razor’s edge. One tiny mistake, and it could have been pronounced morally twisted. Some may call it immoral even now. However, Haraamkhor is one film you just shouldn’t miss, even if it’s just to see how Hindi cinema is exploring new themes with finesse.

Shlok Sharma's Haraamkhor revolves around the sexual relationship between a middle-aged teacher and his 15-year-old student. Can anybody right now in Hindi cinema play a haraami better than Nawazuddin Siddiqui? Most likely, no. Thankfully, from start to finish, Haraamkhor eschews Bollywood-isms and the greed to appeal to any imagined 'masses'. Haraamkhor's filmmaking is brave, ballsy and confident. Speaking of career haraamkhor, you have seen Nawazuddin Siddiqui play opportunist, conniving characters before (Talaash, Miss Lovely, Badlapur, Raman Raghav 2.0 even the 'family film' Freaky Ali) and each time he has added enough rough edges to make you feel like each avatar is fresh. Be that as it may, by playing the superhuman-among-lesser-humans character time and again, Nawazuddin has perfected and sharpened his tools as an actor to such an extent, that to match the street-smart evil in his eyes and the daredevilry in his gait in Haraamkhor would require an actor who has definitely not stepped up on the Indian big screen yet. There is a lot to love and lot to notice in Haraamkhor. The film is like a diamond; the more you notice, the more you find imperfections which make it all the more beautiful, all the more perfect. Just one advice: Don't take your jaanu to watch it with you; it is not a date movie.

When a first-time director dares not to opt for the easy way out, the act has to be deemed a happy augury. Shlok Sharma's Haraamkhor is a courageous film. It tackles a twisted and thorny theme with commendable sensitivity. However, a few of the crucial creative choices that the debutant makes - the shaky handheld camerawork, the abrupt tonal shifts and the fragmentary narrative - do not come off in their entirety. Needless to say, Haraamkhor is not an easy film to watch. A seemingly harmless man mutates into a predator and preys upon a psychologically timid girl. The consequences are inevitably disastrous. This tale is bound to fluster wide swathes of the Hindi movie audience accustomed to far less challenging big screen fare. The characters that the two play - deviant teacher Shyam and 15-year-old Sandhya respectively - are at the heart of the story. If nothing else, Haraamkhor is a triumph of casting. Every actor is perfectly suited for his/her part. The two young actors, Irfan and Samad, are outstanding, as are the older members of the cast - Trimala Adhikari and Harish Khanna. Haraamkhor isn't a ground-breaker, but it certainly is worthy of applause for its fearlessness and for the impressive quality of the acting.

Shweta Tripathi and Nawazuddin Siddiqui front a film about a topic we barely acknowledge, forget showing it in our films. Director Shlok Sharma shows talent. Sharma clearly has both an eye and an ear. He gets the claustrophobic feel of a small town to a T. His characters feel real, but I missed depth. The whole film and its shockingly brutal climax rests on a flimsy turn which never feels like a solid plot point. Random things happen, and some of those things turn bad, but you need more for the film to have weight. In this debut feature, a familiar sordid tale unfolds in a North Indian ‘kasba’: a bright-eyed pubescent girl falls for an older man, and takes the relationship into a space we barely acknowledge, let alone depict in our movies. Overall, despite some strong moments, the film suffers from slightness and disjointedness: did the censorship process snip off more than we could chew? Was there more? A second film from the clearly talented Sharma will give us a clue.

Haraamkhor addresses a significant issue without taking sides and that’s commendable. Sadly, the righteous social awareness disclaimers that appear frequently during the ‘diluted controversial’ scenes, do not embody the film’s dark humour or audacious nature. The jumpy narrative leaves a lot unanswered, making you feel indifferent towards the characters. It’s nice when a filmmaker leaves certain things to the audience’s interpretation but Shlok Sharma expects way too much from his unsuspecting viewer. What shines in this otherwise bold but ambiguous film are the performances and Mukesh Chhabra’s impeccable casting, especially when it comes to the young boys. Shweta Tripathi stuns you as a 31-year-old, playing a 14 something with her understated portrayal. Nawazuddin Siddiqui once again proves why he is considered to be one of the finest actors of today. He is effortlessly flawless and evokes diverse emotions like anger, disdain and laughter with an easy nonchalance. Haraamkhor shows a lot of promise but ends up being way too vague to be hard-hitting.