Right with his debut film, Tiger Shroff proved that doing high-octane action scenes is something that comes naturally to him. Though his acting skills did not find approval from some, there was no denying that he danced like a dream and pulled off difficult stunts with remarkable ease. Director Sabbir Khan and producer Sajid Nadiadwala, who provided him with a launch pad in ‘Heropanti’, decide to play on the young actor’s strengths and gave him another platform to showcase his skills in ‘Baaghi’.
Ronnie (Tiger Shroff) has been sent to an academy to learn Kalaripayattu, a form of martial arts, by his father. He feels that his rebellious son would learn a thing or two about discipline after being trained by Guruswamy (Shifuji Shaurya Bhardwaj), who happens to be a friend from his army days. On his way to the academy, Ronnie stumbles upon Sia (Shraddha Kapoor), a free spirited girl. Sia is also eyed by Raghav, Guruswamy’s son who runs a multi-million dollar crime syndicate in Bangkok. Ronnie, being the troublemaker he is, finds it difficult to settle into the disciplinarian environment of the ashrama but settles in eventually. Raghav, who has already informed Sia’s father (Sunil Grover) that he will marry Sia, decides to kill Ronnie after he finds out that Sia and he, have fallen for each other.
A major portion of the film has been shot in the picturesque locales of Kerala. So, the audience obtains some nice visuals to feast their eyes on. The major attraction of the film, of course, is the action. The wonderfully choreographed action has been performed by actors and stunt professionals who are very good at it. You get all this in a film that has been saddled with a wafer thin screenplay. The eye filling visuals and jaw-dropping action sequences needed the support of a plot that could hold your attention. While the first half throws up some routine incidents which one can see coming from a mile’s distance, the second half salvages the film to a good extent by offering some thrilling moments punctuated with well executed action pieces.
While action directors (Kecha Khamphakdee and Javed-Aejaz) do a splendid job in choreographing the fight sequences which one finds in abundance in the film, director Sabbir Khan could have handled the dramatic portions much better. The romantic track, too, seems half-baked. The eye-filling camerawork by veteran Binod Pradhan is one of the major highlights of the film. Most of the songs (Meet Bros., Amaal Malik, Ankit Tiwari and Manj Musik) are engaging. The background score (Julius Packiam) is very effective.
Tiger Shroff, no doubt, is terrific in the action sequences but his performance leaves a lot to be desired. He goes overboard in the dramatic scenes and his dialogue delivery needs a lot of work. Though the role does not demand much of her, Shraddha Kapoor looks pretty and gives a good account of herself. Sudheer Babu, whose voice has been dubbed, has a very good screen presence. He has minimal dialogues and leaves an impact with his menacing act. Sunil Grover is partly hilarious, partly annoying as P P Khurana, Sia’s father. Sanjay Mishra is wasted in a brief role that requires him to make a fool of himself.
‘Baaghi’ boasts of some spiffy camerawork and well-choreographed action pieces. Though the screenplay is devoid of any novelty value, the brisk pace at which the film moves makes it a fairly engaging affair.
Rating: 2.5/5
