Baby

Director – Neeraj Pandey

Cast – Akshay Kumar, Rana Dagubatti, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa, Taapsee Pannu, Kay Kay Menon, Sushant Singh

            If you were impressed by Liam Neeson’s ‘Taken’ and its sequels then ‘Baby’ is the film for you. It’s an action packed film that excites you till the very end. Relying completely on the script and minus special effects, Neeraj Pandey has come up with a thrilling entertainer. 

Special officer Ferzoe Khan (Danny) narrates the story of the final operation of a ‘temporarily wing designed for covert operations’ named Baby which is currently left with only four officers. Ajay Singh Rajput (Akshay Kumar) leads the team of Jai (Rana), Shukla (Kher) and Priya (Tapsee) to save the country from a sinister plot developed by Jehadi terrorists. 

Akshay Kumar occupies the maximum screen space. The film belongs to him. Rana Dagubatti gets his due in the second half. Anupam Kher is hilarious as Shukla. Tapsee Pannu has a limited but relevant role. You’ll be impressed by Rashid Naz’s portrayal of Muhammad Rahman which bears a striking resemblance to LeT founder Hafiz Muhammad Sayeed. 

Director Neeraj Pandey steals the show with pace. It is that one element that makes you ignore all the other aspects. Certain scenes are nerve gripping despite absence of breathtaking action. Plus, action is acceptable and not unrealistic as shown in South films. However, the turn off is when a top Saudi cop speaks Hindi minus the typical Arabic accent.

Thankfully, this time he’s not emphasized much on the romantic angle which was a spoiler in ‘Special Chabbis’. Cinematography is flawless. At times you won’t be able to adjust to the overdose of loud background music. But it works as the script doesn’t have any subplots. 

I’m going with four out of five stars for Neeraj Pandey’s ‘Baby’. It’s the perfect release for the Republic Day weekend.