Baby movie review: Akshay Kumar gives us his best action thriller so far!

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The Khiladi is set to give leading actors a run for their money with this Neeraj Pandey venture

Neeraj Pandey’s A Wednesday had left a lasting impression on my mind. I walked into the theatre with high expectations from Baby, and fortunately I walked out, as a viewer who invested her time in watching a fantastic film. Read on to know more about my opinion on this action thriller..

What’s it about

Remember playing “dhishoom dhishoom” with toy guns and tanks as a kid? Well,Baby is a classic grown up version of the same which has the ‘good guys,’ ‘bad guys’ and the famous ‘happy ending.’ Let’s me take you through the good fellas first. Meet Ajay Singh Rajput (Akshay Kumar), an agent who rather than dying for his country, chooses to live for it and protect it. He loves telling his wife that he’s in a “conference” as he beats the bad men bloody. Feroze Ali (Danny Denzongpa ) is Akki’s boss who heads an organisation to prevent terrorist activities. Jay Singh Rathore (Rana Dagubatti) and Taapsee Pannu are Akshay’s peers who work for him. Enter the bad guys, Bilal Khan (Kay Kay Menon) who along with his head Maulana and peer Javed (Sushabt Singh) are planning a big terrorist attack in India. Ajay, Jai and Shuklaji (Anupam Kher) plan a mission to track the terrorists down and stop the big boom which is being planned. How do they go about it? That’s the part where you shell out the bucks, tug into your bucket of popcorn and try not falling from the edge of your seat!

What’s hot

I would first like to point out the efficiency with which Baby has been directed. Whenever I saw Hollywood action thrillers like Mission Impossible or Die Hard, I would question the ability of our Indian filmmakers in shelling out ventures possessing such high standards. Today, Neeraj Pandey has convinced me that the mission is in fact possible! With smooth sequences, an intriguing plot line and an impressive background score, the director has given us yet another masterpiece afterA Wednesday and Special 26. Coming to Akshay Kumar, the Khiladi with his effortless performance and killer stunts has pushed the envelope and lived up to his ‘action hero status.’Taapsee Pannu though in a minute role, is memorable. I especially loved the actress’s fighting sequence with Sushant Singh.Kay Kay Menon is brilliant as the silent, serious, light eyed Bilal Khan. The actor’s intensity kept me glued to the screen and how! Anupam Kher brings humour to the table with his sarcastic jibes, followed by Danny Denzongpa who was a refreshing change to see on the silver screen. I would like to give a shout out to Mr Pandey for incorporating some spectacular scenes such as Akshay slapping the living daylights out of his arch nemesis, followed by his chase with Rana to capture Kay Kay. Brilliant cinema is hard to produce and Neeraj has managed it really well. The scenes are stringed together perfectly and fall in place, an element which I found hard to not notice.

What’s not

The plot tends to get confusing in parts. I had to keep going back to where it all began in order to stay focused and gather what’s going on and is about to happen next. At one point, there were too many characters being introduced at once and hence I found it a task to keep count. Most importantly, the ending segment of Baby and the climax reminded me of Ben Affleck’s film Argo. The Hollywood venture involved a bunch of people escaping a country after completing a mission and hoping to make it back home in order to declare their plan successful. Similar was the case inBaby where Ajay and Shuklaji are holding on to their breath, counting their stars to fly out and make it to India. I couldn’t help but be reminded of Argo and was slightly disappointed to learn that maybe, at some level the concept of the ending was aped by the maker.

Verdict

Well every venture has it’s pros and cons. Baby certainly has more of the former. The film is gripping, classy, sophisticated and well directed. With a stellar plot, memorable performance by Akshay Kumar and appealing sequences, I believe Baby is a venture which must be watched for it’s high class international quality!

Rating:4 out of 5