”Halal Love Story” is a movie about a group of Muslim men who want to make a telefilm to spread the teachings of their Islamic organisation. It captures the constant tension between halal (permissible) and haram (forbidden) and the Muslim community’s struggle with liberal values like democracy and equality.
There are two movies being played out. One is the main movie and the other is the movie within the main movie that the characters (of the main movie) are attempting to make.
A genuine creative process is not bound by any limits or rules. It does not fear religious or traditional repercussions. But the movie within Halal Love Story is bound by a halal script. For instance, the lead pair cannot be strangers; the script demands they know each other. It thus follows that the deeply religious Shareef (Indrajith Sukumaran) and his wife Suhara (Grace Antony) are cast in the lead role. The scenes between the two are laced with humour and make for an entertaining watch. The couple also shares some tense moments when Shareef resents Suhara’s superior acting skills, thereby affecting their on-screen chemistry. However, the two make up after Taufeeq (Sharafudheen), who is in charge of the film making, brokers a truce.
Grace Antony is easily the star of the movie, both within and without. She shines as Suhara, the subdued homemaker who blossoms as a fine actor on the sets. Indrajith Sukumaran’s performance as the well-mannered Shareef, who is forced to come to terms with his limitations, deserves applause too.
Other scenes explore the ambiguous definition of Halal and Haram. Raheem (Nazer Karutheni), the leading light of the local branch of the Jamiathu Ikhwan Al-Wathan organization, recruits screenwriter Taufeeq to pen the script. But the duo realises that a perfectly halal director is a rare commodity. They hence settle for Siraj (Joju George) , a non-believer who smokes and drinks. Like Shareef and Suhara, Siraj finds it difficult to keep his messy personal life out of the movie but eventually makes peace.
Soubin Shahir does a cameo as a sound recordist and is responsible for most of the comedy. He shuts down an entire village, disallowing housewives from washing clothes and forcing people to freeze mid-step when he shouts ‘Silence’ for a perfect take.
Director Zakariya Mohammed has explored a bold theme in Halal Love Story. Firstly, narrating two movies, one within the other, needs skill and acumen. In addition to that, he has made a strong case for a middle ground between tradition and modernity. In the process, he has just tickled the ribs of, without laughing at, the scriptures. I would also prefix the movie with the term ”feel-good” because there are no losers. Everyone, despite their personal issues and ideological biases, evolves and grows in the process of shooting.
Halal Love Story’s storyline was a little too simple, just like the men who embark on making the movie within the movie. But given the challenging theme, it is possible Zakariya did not want to take a risk.
Halal Love Story has a loud and clear message, which is that when tradition and modernity collide, it is humanity that must triumph.
Kanishka Uncensored 