Shraddha Kapoor-Tiger Shroff’s ‘Baaghi’ Enthralls with Action but Not Much Else

"Baaghi" has a simple formula: Recycle old storylines, make the heroine completely one-dimensional and throw bodies around in tons and tons of action sequences

[Photo Credit: Facebook/Baaghi]

What does it take to make a Bollywood movie? The answer, according to “Baaghi” at least, is simple: Recycle old storylines, make the heroine completely one-dimensional and throw bodies around in tons and tons of action sequences.

Before it seems too much like this review is ripping Tiger Shroff’s new movie to shreds, it’s important to note that there are exciting moments in “Baaghi,” but the bad definitely outweighs the good, which is a shame given the amount of potential to make a really cool film.

It follows a story we all know so very well: Rebellious hero falls in love with girl, girl resists at first but falls for hero’s charms. The girl is kidnapped by an evil thug and must be rescued by said hero in some spectacular fashion. The way director Sabbir Khan has attempted to make this outing different than so many others is first and foremost through Tiger Shroff’s martial arts skills. Shroff’s Ronny begins the film as the titular “baaghi” who becomes a disciplined fighter through martial arts and strict, impressive training from his mentor.

Let’s break this thing down, shall we? Here’s what does work about “Baaghi”:

1. Many of the martial arts sequences definitely work in the film’s favor. The kalarippayattu movement is exhilarating, especially the work done by Ronny’s guru, played by Grandmaster Shifuji Shaurya Bharadwaj.

2. The film’s settings in both Kerala and Bangkok are also breathtaking, especially the training sequences in Kerala. Seriously, the views alone might be worth the watch.

3. Despite serving little purpose to the story aside from allowing the hero to have some reason to kill a bunch of people, Shraddha Kapoor’s Sia also gets throw a few punches and kicks in Baaghi. So even though most of the film is extremely regressive toward women, at least Kapoor doesn’t have to just sit around waiting for her prince to come.

And then there are the many, many things that don’t work about the film:

1. The story, of course. “Baaghi” has been accused of copying the storylines of the Telugu hit “Varsham” as well as the Indonesian blockbuster “The Raid: Redemption.” In “Varsham,” the heroine loves rain, the lovers meet at a train station and the villain is also in love with the heroine and kidnaps her for himself. To be fair, “Baaghi’s” producer Sajid Nadiadwala has the rights to “Varsham,” so the Hindi version has all the makings of an official Varsham remake. It’s just not actually called an “official Varsham remake.”

As for the similarities to “The Raid: Redemption,” Ronny’s quest to find and rescue Sia bring him to the top floor of a building where the villain and his lady love wait. But Ronny must fight the villain’s goons on almost every floor to reach the final fight between him and the baddie, played with surprising panache by Telugu actor Sudheer Babu. Sabbir Khan claims that none of “Baaghi” was copied or influenced by “The Raid: Redemption.” Instead, the film is based on the age-old tale of the Ramayana, which gives Tiger Shroff the unenviable task of taking on the role of Lord Rama in this tale.

2. It’s a task Shroff can’t quite achieve, as he still lacks the grace, passion, fire, and subtlety in his acting that he does have in his fight choreography and general movement. Being that this is only Shroff’s second film, it can only be hoped that he will learn more tricks of the acting trade, especially given his father’s many brilliant performances. Unfortunately, “Baaghi” puts him in a box as to what he can and cannot do, that stereotypical angry, rebel hero is so cliched and superficial that it does not allow Shroff to stretch and grow as an actor. It would have been better to watch Shroff try and fail with a character that has depth and pushes the envelope than with a paper-thin hero who does nothing but fight and seduce his heroine.