Haider 2014

In the turbulent backdrop of the Kashmir conflict in 1995, Dr. Hilaal Meer (Narendra Jha) finds himself in a perilous situation when he chooses to perform an appendicitis operation on the leader of a pro-separatist group in the confines of his home, much to the dismay of his wife, Ghazala. She is tormented by doubts about his loyalty. The following day, during a military raid, Dr. Meer is wrongfully accused of harboring terrorists. A chaotic shootout breaks out, culminating in the death of the separatist leader and Dr. Meer being taken away for brutal questioning.

In the aftermath, the doctor’s home is bombed to eliminate any remaining militants. Days later, their son, Haider, returns from university, desperate to uncover the truth about his father’s mysterious disappearance. To his shock, he discovers his mother displaying an unexpected closeness with her brother-in-law, Khurram, leading him to question her loyalty. Driven by concern, Haider embarks on a frantic search for his father alongside his fiancée, Arshia, a journalist.

As frustration mounts from his mother’s burgeoning relationship with Khurram and the lack of information about his father, Haider’s spirits begin to dwindle. However, Arshia encounters a man named Roohdar, who claims to have information about Hilaal’s fate. In their subsequent meeting, Roohdar reveals their shared experience of torture in the detention center, with Hilaal attributing his suffering to Khurram. Roohdar passes on a chilling message from Hilaal: a call for revenge against his uncle’s betrayal.

Fueled by rage and a fractured mental state, Haider struggles with the conflicting narratives. When Roohdar offers him a gun for retribution, Arshia inadvertently alerts her father, prompting Khurram to confine Haider to a mental institution. The next day, just as he prepares to confront Khurram, fate intervenes—preventing him from seeing his uncle in prayer—and he narrowly escapes capture.

Determined for vengeance, Haider receives guidance from Roohdar to undergo training in Pakistan. He informs his mother of his plans, asking for a final meeting where Ghazala reveals her own secrets about being coerced into revealing information about terrorists. Before the rendezvous concludes, tragedy strikes as Arshia’s father finds them, resulting in Haider killing him in self-defense and managing to flee.

Overwhelmed by grief after learning of her father’s death, Arshia succumbs to despair and takes her own life. Meanwhile, Ghazala discovers Roohdar’s contact through Arshia’s diary, setting a dangerous chain of events in motion. When Haider visits his father’s grave, he reflects deeply on mortality, only to be struck by the realization of Arshia’s demise. In a confrontation with her brother, a violent struggle ensues, leading to his death, and soon after, Khurram arrives with armed men, initiating a brutal clash.

In the chaos, amidst bullets and explosions, Haider finds himself alone against Khurram’s men. As Khurram corners him, Ghazala intervenes, pleading for a chance to speak with her son. Their emotional confrontation exposes the tragic cycle of revenge, but Haider, consumed by his desire for vengeance, remains deaf to her words. In a heart-wrenching moment, Ghazala, wearing a suicide vest, sacrifices herself, annihilating her surroundings and leaving Khurram severely injured.

In the aftermath of the devastation, Haider is engulfed in sorrow as he approaches his mother’s remains. Against his father’s wishes and Khurram’s desperate pleas for death to relieve his guilt, Haider recalls Ghazala’s wisdom: “revenge only results in revenge.” Choosing a path of mercy over vengeance, Haider walks away, leaving a broken legacy of tumultuous conflict behind.