Hisaab Barabar (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – Radhe Mohan, an honest TC working for Indian Railways, sets out to uncover a massive financial fraud by banker Mickey Mehta. As Mickey puts the entire system against Radhe, what lies next for him?

My Take – We all love a good David vs Goliath tale. A story device that depicts the journey of an underdog going against the high and mighty. And based on their emotional and inspirational weightage, irrespective of a film’s genre, most of these films usually connect with the audience, especially when it sees a middle/lower class individual take on a big untouchable corporate.

This is basically also the crux of this latest Ashwini Dar (Son of Sardaar, One Two Three) directorial, which is streaming on Zee5, and tells the story of a common man’s fight against a hefty banking fraud. But while the film is backed by an interesting premise, the execution leaves much to be desired, resulting in an underwhelming experience that fails to capitalize on its potential.

Yes, the film is achingly sincere with its ambition and intention, but it simply lacks the necessary smarts and wits in its writing to deliver the intended social commentary.

With a more restrained approach and tightly woven narrative, this one could have offered us a sharper look into how banking scams work and their far-reaching ramifications. Yet, despite its ingredients for success the films ends up being just another missed opportunity.

The story follows Radhe Mohan Sharma (R. Madhavan), an accounting genius who due to an unfortunate family circumstance ends up getting employed as a senior railway ticket examiner. Proudly wearing his morals on his sleeve, Radhe is also a doting single father to a 7 year son after his wife left the family without any trace of contact.

However, his life takes an unprecedented turn when he notices an unreasonable deduction of INR. 27.50 from his bank account. But when he takes it up with the bank, Radhe soon realizes that there’s a bigger scam at play. As bank’s owner, Micky Mehta (Neil Nitin Mukesh), has been exploiting a loop hole in the promised interest amount to rake in millions, and fattening up his firm just as it has entered into negotiations to partner up with a bigger international bank.

Teaming up with local inspector Poonam Joshi (Kirti Kulhari), Radhe sets out to expose the financial fraud, even as Micky creates unwarranted obstacles along the way.

Indeed, the central idea is intriguing and could have been transformed into a compelling one with the right approach. Sadly, that potential remained untapped due to the film’s numerous shortcomings. At the core of the film’s issues lies its incoherent screenplay co-written by Ritesh Shastri and Ashwini Dhar.

What could have been a gripping narrative is reduced to a poorly-structured story that feels rushed and disjointed. Scenes lack fluidity, and the transitions are abrupt, leaving the audience struggling to connect with the plot. Key scenes are either dragged out unnecessarily or cut too short, leaving little room for character development or audience engagement.

These detours are seen in form of a generically written romance between Radhe and Poonam, oddly placed comical gags and a barrage of futile side characters (which include an overly dramatic and unfunny Rashami Desai as a Bihari-speaking soppy neighbor).

The film doesn’t even attempt to interweave these multiple sub-plots, including Radhe’s estranged wife whose character is mentioned earlier but has no relevance in the story later on. The narrative choices are so jarring that they further amplify the flaws in the screenplay and direction, making the film feel like a collection of loosely connected scenes rather than a cohesive story.

Performance wise, as always, R. Madhavan lends weight to the relatable central character. Unfortunately, the film fails to utilize his skills effectively. Neil Nitin Mukesh tries to best with whatever he is given, even though his role feels more like a caricature than a meaningful part of the narrative.

Kirti Kulhari is saddled with a role that appears pretty substantial on paper, but is sidelined in a script that doesn’t give her character any depth or agency. On the whole, ‘Hisaab Barabar‘ is an underwhelming experience that fails to capitalize on its potential and promising concept.