Friday 29 April 2016

Baaghi :: Movie Review



Baaghi helmed by Sabbir Khan touted as love story of rebels is a heady cocktail of thrills, romance and jaw dropping action making it an entertaining watch for action lovers. The best part about Baaghi are its action sequences which have been outstandingly orchestrated and brilliantly executed by its cast especially Tiger Shroff. In fact, Tiger wins you over with his fitness level right in his introductory scene where he is shown upside down, balancing his full weight on a thumb and a forefinger. It's a treat watching this young actor so much in command of his body. As a director, Sabbir Khan scores brownie points by casting two well chiseled, brawny actors who play the characters of Ronnie (Tiger Shroff), the protagonist and Raghav (Sudheer Babu), the antagonist. Both these actors are so fit and agile that they take the fight sequences to a new level. You bet, Baaghi has some of the best action that Bollywood has witnessed in recent times. The drawback of the film is its predictable screenplay and some shoddily written characters who are introduced in the film to induce humor but instead fall flat. Sabbir Khan's last flick 'Heropanti' also featured Tiger Shroff  as the main lead, so Sabbir knows the strengths of Tiger and has utilized them to the optimum. Sabbir has given Tiger a character to portray that suits him to the TEE i.e. of a Rebel. Tiger is at his best when he is in action (fighting) and you see plenty of that in Baaghi. In short, it is the action that elevates the stature of this ordinary film to another level. 

The story of the movie that has been penned down by Sanjeev Dutta is very ordinary and massy. He fails to etch out the characters convincingly which acts as a deterrent. Moreover, he has tried to project the tale as a modern day Ramayana with reference to the kidnapping of the heroine Sia (Shraddha Kapoor) by the antagonist Raghav who even goes on to say in the film that in present day Ramayana, Raam will die. The basic storyline of two guys falling for the same girl is very average and routine with nothing new to offer. Even the ploy of inserting characters ( including a blind cab driver ) to generate forced humor doesn't add value to the film. It is only the earnest performances and great action that make this movie a watchable entertainer. The movie begins by introducing us with Ronnie (Tiger Shroff) who is a rebel but fails to tell us how and why he is a rebel. Moving ahead, Sia (Shraddha Kapoor) who is an upcoming actress is kidnapped by Raghav (Sudheer Babu) and taken to Bangkok. Ronnie who needs money for treatment of a young boy takes on the task of getting Sia back for the sake of money. But has Ronnie undertaken this task just for the sake of money or there is something else.....A flashback ensues in which we are subjected to the events that led to blossoming of love between Ronnie and Sia. We are told how Ronnie arrived in Kerala to become a student in Academy of kalaripayattu where fighting skills along with discipline are taught by Guruji. Meanwhile, Raghav who is Guruji's son also falls in love with Sia and wants to marry her at any cost. Raghav is a big businessman in Bangkok who owns several fight clubs there with turnover of several hundred crores.  He not only uses money power and manipulates Sia's father (Sunil Grover) to create a misunderstanding and rift between Ronnie and Sia but also kills his own father as his father wants him to marry someone else. Flashback ends as Ronnie reaches Bangkok. To save Sia from clutches of Raghav is a herculean task as Raghav resides in a multi tower building whose each floor is guarded by well trained fighters. Will Ronnie be able to save Sia, Will the misunderstanding between them get sorted out is what forms the rest of the story. 

Tiger Shroff is a pro and definitely in league of his own when it comes to action sequences and its a sheer delight watching him perform action scenes in the movie. Mind you, he has not used a body double for any of the high octane action stunts which is exemplary. The most remarkable aspect is the flow with which he uses his build, hands, legs in perfect sync. Tiger has his own distinctive style of action which is unparalleled and none of the present day Bollywood Heroes can perform that. He seems to have worked really hard to learn these fight techniques which can be gauged from his performance in Baaghi. Whether jumping from buildings or kicking his opponents, there is an easy going unflappable attitude to Tiger's on-screen persona, as though to say, there is much more to movies than just flamboyant machismo. Tiger's sincerity in it all is quite winsome. Though, he needs to improve on dialogue delivery and emotional deftness but when it comes to action, Tiger is a star. An action star who has set real high standards for his contemporaries to follow. 

Shraddha Kapoor has delivered a power packed performance in Baaghi. There are two facets to Shraddha's character in the movie ; one being a vivacious, bubbly girl who loves chirping and dancing in the rain while the other being a strong willed girl ready to kick the ass of her opponents. To her credit, Shraddha has come out equally endearing in both. Though, we have seen her in her chirpy avatar before but be ready to get surprised by watching her perform some amazing action in the movie. Shraddha seems to have invested a lot in action training and you will realize this once you see her performance in the movie. It's good to see Shraddha pushing herself to the limits to portray a character convincingly. 

Sudheer Babu is pitch perfect and looks utmost convincing as the main antagonist in Baaghi. With his well chiseled body, he has taken action sequences to an altogether new level in the movie. To match the Heropanti and action skills of Tiger Shroff, an equally impressive opponent was needed and Sudheer Babu has perfectly fitted the bill. Though, his conventional Hero looks and charm make Sudheer Babu look like protagonist but with his acting prowess and able use of eyes and expressions, Sudheer plays the part of antagonist in Baaghi to perfection. Sudheer has made a perfect debut in Bollywood and looking forward to seeing more of him. 

Sunil Grover has given a delightful performance as the funny and mean father of Shraddha in the movie. 

The musical soundtrack of the movie that has been composed by Meet Bros, Amaal Mallik, Ankit Tiwari & Manj Music is ear pleasing and comprises of varied numbers. But, it is the background music composed by Julius Packiam which is outstanding. Julius's score is neither loud nor jarring but is apt enough to elevate the cinematic experience and provides a further impetus to the visuals we watch on-screen. A big round of applause for Kecha Khamphakdee and Javed-Eizaz for their effective contribution in action department. They have masterfully orchestrated some of the best action scenes that we have ever witnessed on Bollywood celluloid. The cinematographer of the movie is Binod Pradhan who has ably captured the scenic locales of Kerala and Thailand with aplomb. The movie has been edited by Manan Sagar who has kept the run-time of movie to 149 minutes. As a director, Sabbir Khan has done a fantastic job as he made Baaghi an entertaining film despite its ordinary and predictable storyline. Sabbir has made the film in a very slick, stylish manner and the way he has captured the action sequences is worth applauding. Sabbir knew the strengths of his film's protagonist i.e.Tiger and not only utilized them in the most effective way but also gave him a worthy opponent in form of Sudheer Babu. It is only because of Sabbir's good direction that an average script got converted into an entertaining film. 

Baaghi is a typical masala entertainer embellished with some real high-octane action portrayed effectively by its cast especially Tiger Shroff. If you have penchant for action thrillers featuring brawny men, Baaghi is cut out for you.   

ROHIT SHARMA. 
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