BABY
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Rana Daggubati, Danny Denzongpa, Anupam Kher
Classification: TBA
Running Time: 160 minutes
Rating: ***
Akshay Kumar has made a good career out of diverse movie roles. His latest, as an Indian army man, places his character in the midst of national warfare.
While Baby is loaded with plenty of high-octane action, it succeeds by upholding traditional Bollywood entertainment values.
Plot: During a rescue mission in Turkey, Indian security agent Ajay Rajput (Akshay) learns about a terrorist plot against a popular mall in Delhi. Ajay and his colleague Jai (Rana) attempt to prevent the massacre from happening in their home country, India.
As the security concerns increase, Ajay is co-assigned to officer Priya (Taapsee) to investigate the several strategies planned by the terrorist.
Verdict: The director is wise in restricting the light-hearted and musical elements. This ensures full effectiveness of the script without surrendering to commercial demands. There is a strong sense of nationalism projected here.
Even though it is somehow biased, Pandey’s intention is to drive a message about the India-Pakistan conflict. While some may disagree with the Indo-Pak sensitivities portrayed, it serves its purpose as a fictional film.
The particularly standout moments come from the suspenseful second half, comprising several unexpected plot turns. These assist in creating the tension, while the action sequences heighten the abrasiveness.
The romantic subplot tends to bore the viewer with unnecessary proceedings. This impacts poorly on the pace of the film, resulting in a 160-minute duration.
Kumar is in top form and returns to being a remarkable action hero. He is able to reinstate his dynamism as a serious character after nonsensical roles in Entertainment and The Shaukeens. Rana Dagubbati, Anupam Kher and Danny Denzongpa are notable aides to the hero.
Sushant Singh, Rasheed Naz and Kay Kay Menon are brilliant negative characters. Taapsee and Madhurima have brief yet substantial roles.
Recommendation: Baby will please action flick fanatics at the expense of its nationalism theme.