Hacked Movie Review Rating: 3/5 Stars (Three stars)

Star Cast: Hina Khan, Rohan Shah, Mohit Malhotra

Director: Vikram Bhatt

What’s Good: It’s good to see a film that seems like a reality check about the world of the internet. It’s thrilling, gripping and disturbing.

What’s Bad: Unnecessary songs, too much drama which ends up stretching of the film.

Loo Break: You can take a chance when there’s a song going on because the songs are longgggg.

Watch or Not?: Watch it for Hina Khan’s stellar debut in Bollywood and the message the makers want to give us out.

User Rating:

Hacked is the story of Sameera Khanna aka Sam (Hina Khan), a chief editor at a popular fashion and lifestyle magazine. Despite having a great job that pays exceptionally well, Sam is lonely but not helpless or weak. A 19-year-old boy named Vivek (Rohan Shah) who lives is Sam’s neighbourhood is obsessed with her. He follows her to the office and wherever she goes and clicks her pictures. Vivek and Sam are good friends but she isn’t aware of his terrible intentions.

Sam is in love with a Bollywood actor Om Kapoor (Sid Makkar) who is married and keeps giving her false hopes that he will soon divorce his wife. However, when he doesn’t show up on her birthday party, Sam is devastated and seeks comfort in Vivek. Well, that’s when everything comes crashing down as after that night Sam and Vivek spend together, his obsession only grows. Despite Sam’s repetitive rejection and warning to him to get over her, he doesn’t budge away. He makes her life hell where she loses everything she has in this crazy and dark world of the internet which is now the reality and real-life for everyone.

Hacked Movie Review: Script Analysis

Vikram Bhatt is known for giving stories which are dark, thrilling, bold but they also are too dramatic. Hacked is a mixture of all of it. Bhatt has taken a very good subject this time by telling us what obsession can make a person do with no shame and regrets. By using the internet as the main tool to tell the story, he also gives us insight into the dark, scary and ugly side of it. The film has a very good scene where Hina Khan’s character Sam fears cameras after the constant stalking, harassment and threats by Vivek. She looks at every camera on the roads, cafe, buildings and keeps saying ‘There’s Nowhere To Hide’. We all might think that we are privately living our lives, but there’s someone constantly watching us through these cameras.

Some scenes will shock you for sure. I was annoyed at the audacity of Vivek who kept telling Sam that she has to accept that she needs him as she’s helpless. But Vikram didn’t show his main character weak at all. Sam gives it back to him by saying ‘I don’t need anyone or anyone’s help’. We have seen such terrifying cases in real life where a guy threatens and ruins a girl’s life when she rejects his proposal. Hacked is exactly what it is and in parts, it will remind you of popular Netflix series ‘You’ and ‘Black Mirror’ but in a desi and way too much dramatic way.

The film has a strong dialogue which will stay with me – “Real life is not real anymore. Only internet is reality”. However, the film doesn’t bore you at all. It’s engrossing and you want to know to what extent Vivek’s character can ‘hack’ Sam’s life and how she will get out of it. Despite many things shown it in seeming unbelievable when it comes to hacking, it also makes us aware and witnesses to what extent the internet can ruin lives. How the skill of hacking can be used to in a wrong way, how some people can’t take rejection and decide to harm the person they claim to be in love with, how women are poorly treated and assaulted for saying ‘No’ and how we are in a constant watch.

Hacked Movie Review: Star Performance

Hina Khan is a good actor and we have seen it on her two shows – Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Kasautii Zindagii Kay. However, the acting in Bollywood films is expected quite different than what we see on TV. But Hina makes a promising debut with a fantastic act. Whether it’s emotional, angry or scenes where Sam’s scared, Hina has given a top-notch performance. She looks stunning on-screen and we all know her fashion sense is amazing. Vikram Bhatt has been saying since the beginning that Hina is perfect for his film as she’s a good actor and he admires her fashion sense. Well, looking at her character, I can now understand why he saw her apt to play the lead.

Rohan Shah as Vivek is a guy you’ll end up hating. That’s what the makers intended. How can a 19-year-old boy do such horrible things? As Sam said ‘Shaitaan Ki Koi Umar Nahi Hoti’ (A devil has no age) which is true and considering the crime and news stories we have been reading for the past 8-9 years about crime against women, we can agree that age doesn’t matter considering the intensity and heinous nature of the crime. Rohan’s Vivek, who has a cute and innocent look is a vicious, cruel, toxic, and problematic who has no limits to what extent he goes to torture and use women for his pleasure. Mohit Malhotra who plays Hina’s childhood friend and neighbour is good too. But I wish we could’ve got to see more of him as his talent seemed a bit wasted.

Hacked Movie Review: Direction, Music

Vikram Bhatt wanted to tell us the story of crime, stalking, obsessed lover and how the internet is a new weapon which can be used to destroy lives. The intention is quite good but we wished it didn’t look very dramatic. While I understand that’s how Bollywood films are, but such a crucial topic could’ve given the message loud and clear with crispness and subtlety.

What I didn’t find impressive is the use of songs which stretched the story unnecessarily. I am not saying the songs aren’t good, they are pretty melodies to enjoy but what is being presented as a psychological thriller, these songs seemed forced to me which affected the narration.

Hacked Movie Review: The Last Word

Overall, Hacked is quite an interesting watch as the topic is relevant and significant. It feels stretched and too dramatic in parts but the message is something one must not miss out on.

Three stars!

Hacked Movie Trailer

Hacked Movie releases on 7th February, 2020.

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