When Tiger Shroff debuted with Heropanti 2 years back, his killer moves and unconventional looks evoked mixed reactions. While some loathed him for his ‘feminine’ appearance, the masses made him their darling. Heropanti rocked the box office. I personally found it disappointing but Tiger Shroff was damn impressive. And it’s thanks to him and his brilliant action moves that made me really curious about Baaghi. Thankfully, it’s not a disappointment like Heropanti but is no great film either. Yet, a must watch for action film and of course, Tiger Shroff lovers!
The story of the movie: Ronny (Tiger Shroff) is sent by his father to Kerala to learn martial arts and also some discipline from Guruji (Grandmaster Shifuji Shaurya Bharadwaj). While on the way, he meets the chirpy Sia (Shraddha Kapoor) and both fall for each other. At the same time, Raghav (Sudheer Babu) too sees Sia and he too falls for her. However, while Ronny like a gentleman tries to woo Sia, Raghav decides to forcibly marry her. Ronny is tough but it becomes difficult for him to fight Raghav as he is even better trained in art of Kalaripayattu.
Baaghi’s plot begins half way and then it goes on a flashback. This style of narrative works as it arouses curiosity and makes one look forward to the proceedings. Tiger Shroff’s entry is awesome and as expected, it was greeted with hoots and whistles! The flashback portion begins on a sweet note but the interest level does drop at places. The Guruji-Ronny portions are the best part of the first half. The action and face-off between the hero and the villain begins soon enough which is a treat. The intermission point is superb. Sadly, things go downhill in the second half when the second round of flashback portion begins. This is where the story moves really quickly and certain developments don’t get properly established. And this really affects the chain of events. The misunderstanding that occurs between the lovers is very unconvincing and could have been better explained. The Bangkok portion however is quite fun. The much awaited climax wherein Ronny enters the ‘deadly building’ comprising of hordes of dangerous goons on every floor makes for a nice watch. But one wonders why there are so lesser number of goondas especially during the intro shot, they showed hundreds of them.
Performance wise, Tiger Shroff is not the best in terms of acting skills – he still has to work on it. But his screen presence is great and needless to say, he kills it in the action scenes! There was a void of a young actor who can appeal to the masses with his action dance films and Tiger has filled that space beautifully. And in some scenes, he does startle with his correct use of expressions and body language but this is not consistent. But no worries because as Sia says in the film, “Tu bahut aage jaane waala hai.”Shraddha Kapoor looks stunning and impresses a lot in the first half. Sadly, she hardly has much to do in the second half. Her sudden makeover as an action girl is bewildering. Sudheer Babu plays the villainous role quite well. The best part about him is that he has that innocence in his eyes that makes him look like a seedha saadha guy in some scenes, especially when he’s behaving all sweet and humble. But the way he transforms into a baddie in the very next moment in some scenes makes for a great watch. Grandmaster Shifuji Shaurya Bharadwaj, also the action coordinator in the film, is just terrific to say the least. Like Tiger, he too hasn’t used any cables or stunt doubles. And it’s nice to see the way he gets honoured in the end. Sunil Grover (Sia’s father) is quite funny especially in the beginning scenes. But some of his character’s actions after a point are quite repulsive and also a bit unconvincing. Sanjay Mishra (Bangkok cab driver) plays a unique role by adding his comic elements. The result is not extraordinary but it’s likeable nonetheless. The other playing Sanjay Mishra’s brother in law, Raghav’s right hand man, Raghav’s deadly Chinese henchmen and Ronniy’s friend in the Kerala ashram are quite good.
Music is well placed in the film but half of the songs sadly aren’t memorable. The best is Cham Cham– beautifully shot and choreographed (Ganesh Acharya). The next best is Sab Tera. Julius Packiam’s background score enhances impact in some scenes. Binod Pradhan’s cinematography is spectacular. Some scenes are brilliantly shot, especially the fight at the petrol pump. Kecha Khampakdee & Javed-Aejaz’s action is one of the best parts of the film. The fights are well thought of and it never gets repeated or stretched. Hence, kudos not just to action directors but the cinematographer, editor (Manan Sagar) and director as well for making sure it’s presented on screen in the best possible way. Sanjeev Dutta’s story is quite nice. It neatly borrows from various sources like Dabangg, Commando, the epic Ramayana and even the Hollywood animated flick Kung Fu Panda! But it’s nicely done. And yes, the only similarity to The Raid is the building bit – that’s it! Screenplay is effective but too quick at certain places that significantly hamper the impact. Dialogues are nice in some scenes but could have been better, especially in the important scenes between Ronny and Sia. Sabbir Khan’s direction is nice and much better than in his previous films – Kambakkht Ishq and Heropanti. Heropanti especially had too many loopholes and in that regard, Baaghi is way better. The first half is not that extraordinary but makes for a nice watch. But the manner in which the film jumps forward in the second half without properly showing what exactly happened and went wrong between the rebellious lovers is just not done. The impact of it remains right till the end. One can’t fully empathize with the lovers as one doesn’t properly what went wrong exactly between the two. And not just that, Sia’s transformation as an action girl is sudden while the track of Ronny trying to collect money for a special person’s treatment is forgotten in no time. If these things were taken care of, Baaghi would have been a film like no other!
On the whole, Baaghi deserves to be seen for the action and for the brilliant act by Tiger Shroff. The actor’s acting skills aren’t at his best but he has a great screen presence and certainly knows how to rock the show! The first half and climax are quite fun but the way the narrative just runs ahead in the second half without properly explaining what exactly happened and why brings the film down to an extent. An average fare, sadly! To best enjoy this film, go for it in a single screen. The way the masses will react to Tiger’s histrionics will ensure you get your money’s worth!
My rating - ** ½ out of 5!