Baaghi: All-out action

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Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor in a scene from Baaghi
Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor in a scene from Baaghi

Baaghi might appeal to action lovers if only for the action choreography.

By Deepa Gauri

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Published: Fri 29 Apr 2016, 2:25 PM

Last updated: Thu 2 Feb 2023, 9:20 AM

'Stories change with time,' says the villain to the heroine, who seconds earlier had asked him to go read the first four chapters of an epic before he even dared touch her.

Director Sabbir Khan, however, is caught in the time warp of formulaic fare recycled from Telugu and Tamil. Apparently he doesn't get tired of it.


After remaking a Telugu film as Heropanti to launch Tiger Shroff, the two decide to go back further in time, again to Telugu, to dish out 2004's superhit film Varsham as Baaghi.

The old-as-the-hills story is about the boy (Tiger Shroff) and villain (Sudheer Babu) falling in love with the girl (Shraddha Kapoor) at the same time.


Boy and villain are martial arts experts. But being a rebel without cause, the boy has to come to train under the villain's father in Kerala, where the girl has also come to shoot for a movie.

Girl's father, in greed, agrees to marry her off to villain. One thing leads to the other, and lo, boy and girl are separated, and villain has abducted her to Thailand. Boy must now save her, not for love, but for money because he has some very altruistic compulsion.

Will the boy rescue the girl? Will the ring that the girl has given the boy, urging him not to lose it, help them reunite and lead us to another duet? Will the villain reveal the secret of his father's death to the boy, whipping up his anger to land that fatal blow?

Well, you might know the answers, but if you like relentless action and the toned bodies of the heroes to tell you the rest, check out Baaghi at theatres.

Action films don't work for their logic; it is for the plausibility and for grabbing our mind- space where we suspend all disbelief by offering us something anew. Baaghi hardly gets into that space.

In showing Kerala, it even has a recycled bit of the Shah Rukh Khan- Preity Zinta shot of Dil Se. From the snake boat race to Kathakali, the film ODs on the state but hardly adds any value or impression.

But we are told of that old fable (of which Mohanlal wanted to make a film) of how Chinese martial arts have their roots in Kalaripayattu - and that it all went from Kerala.

As always, Thailand is shown as the setting for mindless violence. Sabbir Khan adds an Indian character here - a taxi driver, who is blind. So much for original comedy!

Tiger Shroff gives his all for the film. The boy must have endured some serious body blows and falls. Bravo. He definitely has what it takes to drive a movie forward. He might be below par in acting but hey, Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan all started much like this. Eventually, you can learn to act or to hoodwink us.

Sudheer Babu plays the evil villain with ease, while Shraddha is lost; some inane dialogues don't help her either. Baaghi might be remembered for Grandmaster Shifuji Shaurya Bharadwaj, who in real-life trained Tiger for the movie. He shows off some excellent moves - and also plays his role as the villain's father and master-trainer exceptionally well.

Baaghi breaks a lot of bones but not any new turf; action lovers, though, can check it out for some interesting stunt choreography.

Baaghi

Starring: Tiger Shroff, Shraddha Kapoor & Sudheer Babu

Directed by Sabbir Khan

Now playing in theatres in the UAE

Rating: 1/5


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