Read here to count the similarities between Madhavan’s film, which is currently available for streaming in a mega dubbed version on Zee5. The film stars R. Madhavan in the lead role as Radhakrishna Mohan, an honest railway TTE and chartered accountant who gets to the bottom of a major scam after ₹27.50 goes missing from his bank account.
The story of Hisab Barabar depicts the mindset of a common middle-class man and his struggling life. Madhavan has played his character with utmost honesty and sensitivity, which makes the audience feel connected to his character. Though the background of the film is based on a big scam, the way it is presented is not that impressive.
Director Ashwini Dhir’s film disappoints due to the lack of a strong screenplay despite an interesting idea. The Telugu dubbing also looks a little awkward, making many scenes laughable. Overall, the film seems like a great missed opportunity, especially when it has a talented actor like Madhavan.
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | Hisaab Barabar |
| Release Date | January 24, 2025 |
| Platform | ZEE5 (Telugu-dubbed version) |
| Language | Hindi (Dubbed in Telugu) |
| Genre | Satirical Thriller |
| Duration | Less than 90 minutes |
| Rating (123telugu) | 2/5 |
| Lead Cast | R. Madhavan, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Kirti Kulhari |
| Director | Ashwni Dhir |
| Producers | K. T. Kunjumon, Jio Studios, SP Cinecorp |
| Music Director | Aman Pant |
| Cinematographer | M. Sukumar |
| Editor | Manan Sagar |
Hisaab Barabar Story
The film Hisaab Barabar is a satirical thriller starring R. Madhavan in the lead role. The film recently released in Telugu dubbed version on ZEE5. The story revolves around Radha Krishna Mohan (Madhavan), an honest railway TTE and chartered accountant. He notices a discrepancy of ₹27.50 in his “Do Daily Bank” account and investigating this small amount leads to a major bank scam of ₹2000 crores, masterminded by the bank’s CEO Mickey Mehta (Neil Nitin Mukesh).
The film begins with a simple middle-class man’s thoughts and his honesty. Madhavan’s character reflects the struggles and values of common people, which makes the audience feel connected to him. However, the film has a weak script and fails to create the impact of a thriller. Writers Ashwani Dhir and Ritesh Shastri’s writing lacks depth, especially in the confrontation between the hero and the villain.
Neil Nitin Mukesh’s character Mickey seems more like a social media star than a serious criminal, which affects the seriousness of the story. On the other hand, Kirti Kulhari’s character seems limited and incomplete. The dubbing of the film also seems awkward and hasty, which makes some scenes humorous.
Technically the film is average, the music is ordinary and the editing lacks finesse. Overall, Hisab Barabar, despite being a good opportunity, fails to make an impact due to weak writing and direction. For Madhavan fans, this film might be worth a one-time watch, but for the rest of the audience, it would be better to skip it.
Trailer
Review
Hisaab Barabar is a satirical thriller that revolves around an honest ticket collector (TC) of the Indian Railways. The film is directed by Ashwani Dhir and stars R. Madhavan in the lead role. The film starts with an interesting concept – starting from a minor bank account fraud of ₹27.50 to a major scam of ₹2000 crores. The subject has the potential to engage the audience, but unfortunately the execution of the film does not live up to the idea.
The film changes tone several times during the story. At times it seems like a serious thriller, at other times it becomes a light-hearted satirical presentation. Due to this instability, the audience is not able to connect with the story. There is some interest in some scenes, but they too soon turn into meaningless and incoherent scenes. The repetition of the word “hisab barabar” in the film – not only in the dialogues, but also in the background music – becomes quite boring and annoying.
R. Madhavan has played the role of an honest TC with great sincerity. His acting shows truth and simplicity, which impresses the audience. However, towards the end of the film, his dialogues become overly dramatic, which reduces their impact. Actors like Neil Nitin Mukesh, Kirti Kulhari and Manu Rishi have played their characters well, but the writing of their characters is so weak that they are unable to leave any special impact.
Talking about the technical side, green screen has been used excessively and poorly in many places in the film, due to which many scenes look artificial and low quality. This affects the seriousness and credibility of the story and the film appears like an amateur project.
On the other hand, some people like the viewer Amar Yadav have liked the film a lot. He says that this is a film in which there is neither any boring moment nor any unnecessary scene. In his view, the story of the film may be simple, but the direction and screenplay win hearts. He found Madhavan’s performance natural and impressive, and did not find any unwanted songs or drags in the film. He said the film is a must-watch with family and friends, with light-hearted satirical moments providing balance to the story.
Conclusion
Despite having a good idea and a strong subject, Hisab Barabar fails to captivate the audience due to its weak screenplay, inconsistent direction and technical flaws. R. Madhavan’s honest acting is the biggest strength of the film, but even that cannot compensate for the weak writing. The film does not strike a balance between satire and thriller, which reduces its effectiveness. If you are a Madhavan fan, you can give it a watch, but for general audiences, this film will be an average attempt with missed potential.