Haider 2014

In the midst of the Kashmir conflict’s turbulent 1995, Dr. Hilaal Meer (Narendra Jha) made a fateful decision to perform an appendicitis operation on the leader of a pro-separatist group at his home. This clandestine procedure, carried out with precision and care, raised suspicions among his wife Ghazala (Tabu), who questioned her husband’s loyalty. The very next day, as military forces conducted a raid on their residence, Hilaal Meer found himself accused of harboring terrorists. A shootout ensued, resulting in the leader’s demise and Hilaal’s subsequent detention for questioning.

As the days passed, Hilaal’s house was targeted in a bombing attempt aimed at eliminating any remaining separatist sympathizers. Meanwhile, Ghazala began to move on with her life, finding solace in her brother-in-law Khurram (Kay Kay Menon). This transformation left their son Haider (Shahid Kapoor) perplexed and determined to uncover the truth behind his father’s disappearance.

Haider’s search for answers took him to various police stations and detention camps, accompanied by his fiancée Arshia (Shraddha Kapoor), a journalist. His mother’s growing closeness with Khurram only fueled his desperation, leading him down a path of increasing despair. However, Arshia’s chance encounter with Roohdar, a mysterious individual claiming to possess information about Hilaal’s fate, offered Haider a glimmer of hope.

As the enigmatic Roohdar (Irrfan Khan) began to share his tale of captivity and torture alongside Hilaal in one of the detention centers, Haider found himself drawn into a complex web of betrayal and deceit. Roohdar revealed that Hilaal had attributed his imprisonment to Khurram’s treachery, fueling Haider’s anger and sense of injustice. With his father’s message of revenge burning within him, Haider became increasingly erratic, struggling to reconcile the conflicting narratives he was presented with.

As tensions mounted, Haider’s uncle Khurram revealed the truth about Roohdar’s involvement in Hilaal’s death, leaving their nephew torn between two versions of reality. His mental and emotional turmoil eventually led him to confide in Arshia about his inner conflict and newfound sense of purpose, which included a gun given to him by Roohdar for use against Khurram. Unbeknownst to Haider, his father’s secrets would continue to haunt him, as Arshia inadvertently disclosed the gun’s existence to her father, ultimately prompting Khurram to have Haider institutionalized.

As the morning sun rises over the desolate landscape, Haider prepares himself for the ultimate act of vengeance against his uncle, but fate intervenes, thwarting his plans. Instead, he finds himself captured by Arshia’s father, who orders his execution, only for Haider to escape and flee to Pakistan with Roohdaar’s guidance. The motivation behind this bold move is rooted in a desire for retribution against those responsible for his father’s tragic demise. Prior to embarking on this perilous journey, Haider confides in his mother, Ghazala, who reveals that she had inadvertently betrayed the presence of terrorists hiding in their home to Khurram, unaware that he was an informer for the Indian army. This fateful disclosure ultimately seals Arshia’s father’s fate at Haider’s hands.

Ghazala’s words, however, are laced with a profound sense of foreboding, as Arshia’s death at Haider’s own hand sends shockwaves throughout the narrative. Meanwhile, Ghazala seeks out Roohdaar, using Arshia’s diary to uncover his contact information. As Haider prepares to cross the border into Pakistan, he is drawn back to the gravesite where his father rests, grappling with the existential implications of mortality.

Unbeknownst to Haider, Arshia’s death has already occurred, and it is only when her brother stumbles upon Haider’s presence at the graveyard that the true extent of his devastation becomes apparent. A fierce confrontation ensues between Haider and Arshia’s brother, culminating in the latter’s demise.

Khurram arrives with a contingent of armed men, precipitating a frenzied exchange of bullets and explosives that ultimately leaves only Haider and a few surviving members of Khurram’s entourage standing. Just as Khurram readies his rocket launcher to deliver the final blow, Ghazala appears, pleading for a chance to reason with Haider, urging him to surrender. However, Haider remains resolute in his determination to exact revenge against those who have wronged him, refusing to be swayed by Ghazala’s words of wisdom.

As Ghazala locks lips with Haider, she abruptly exits the scene, her secrecy shattered when it becomes apparent that she’s been donning a suicide vest beneath her attire. Panicked, Khurram and Haider hasten towards her, but Ghazala’s swift action precedes a devastating explosion that claims the lives of the remaining men and leaves Khurram gravely injured, his legs irreparably maimed. Haider subsequently pays homage to his mother’s remains, unleashing a torrent of tears as he grapples with the trauma of the events. Seeking closure, Haider makes his way to Khurram’s bedside, poised to fulfill his father’s dying wish by blinding him. However, the haunting words of his mother - “revenge only begets revenge” - resurface in his mind, prompting him to abandon his vendetta and spare Khurram’s life. As Haider prepares to depart, a desperate Khurram implores him to deliver the final blow, pleading for release from the crushing guilt that has consumed him since his father’s death. Yet, Haider refuses to yield, instead choosing to leave his tormentor be, as the weight of his moral dilemma hangs precariously in the balance.