This Friday saw the release of yet another action-thriller by Milan Luthria titled ‘Baadshaho’ starring Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Ileana D’Cruz, Esha Gupta, Vidyut Jammwal and Sanjay Mishra. Ajay Devgn as Bhawani is the most convincing character in the film, and shortly after that, comes Emraan’s character Dalia which has a flavorful Marwari accent to him. He is a conman who invariably invites trouble wherever he goes. The film is designed as a heist film set in the backdrop of emergency with many con artists trying to get hold of a truck full of gold. The dialogues written by Rajat Arora are captivating and bind the film really well. The director has put a lot of efforts in giving Baadshaho a period film look. The climax is a little loosely tied which takes away from the basic essence of the film, but it is definitely a one-time watch.
Gitanjali Devi (Ileana D'Cruz) is a reluctant heiress to a Rajput kingdom who wants all the wealth with no responsibilities. Dressed in translucent chiffon saris and pearls, and sporting an immaculate hairdo, she is the only remotely interesting character in Baadshaho. But even a character inspired by the gorgeous Maharani Gayatri Devi has to take a backseat if you have Ajay Devgn in the midst. The actor (looking bored for most part) plays Gitanjali's fearless bodyguard Bhavani who is smitten with her and follows her decree. His mantra for life: Char din ki zindagi hai, aur aaj chautha din ha, yehi sochkar zindagi nikaal li. Viewers, on the other hand, will struggle to spend the coming two hours in the theatre. Viewers will be forgiven for forgetting that Baadshaho is an Emergency-set drama for Luthria seems least interested in looking at the troubled state of civil liberties in the era. Instead, you will see a Life magazine cover featuring Gitanjali and bell-bottoms and sleeves to remind you this is the 1970s. As the chase begins, the film loses momentum. The plot twist can be called from afar, rendering the whole journey and the final destination entirely meaningless. The nonstop action is a distraction for a lack of narrative. Luthria's great truck robbery is a thriller without thrills.
This Ajay Devgn and Esha Gupta film is old wine, in a not very new bottle. The women in the film are decorative. Ileana D’Cruz is togged out in regal chiffons, one of which remain spotless through the long proceedings. Esha Gupta’s role (she hangs out with the three 'khazana chors') seems to have been created simply to include a second pretty face. But we don’t blink, because we know these are all masala movie imperatives. Because it’s the old masala entertainment genre, we sit back and enjoy a few familiar guilty pleasures — the item song (Sunny Leone shaking it), the ‘seeti-maar’ dialogues (the deep-seated misogyny in a few make you cringe, even as you hear, without a shred of surprise, bunches of young men guffawing), the cheerful absence of logic (what’s that), and coherent plot points. Only it’s 2017 not the 70s, and whatever you might do – add some spit-and-polish and intrigue and new faces, and create funny dialogues – the film comes off as old wine, in a not very new bottle, which we have to sip for over 2.5 hours. At some point, a character asks another, ‘chor police mein mazaa aa raha hai kya’? And even while you say: ‘thoda thoda’, you ask yourself; ‘aur kab tak?’
On paper, Baadshaho may have had the merit of a Hollywood heist thriller like Ocean's Eleven. This would seem like why Ajay Devgn agreed to be a part of this multi-starrer-- that attempts to make outlaws look like Robin Hood. However good intention is defeated, when the execution offers zero novelty. The highlight of the film is the chase that ensues soon after Seher(Vidyut), an army officer alights from the train. You so wish that the film had maintained the same breakneck speed all through, but alas! For a heist-thriller to work, the moves of the rural bandits should have been more calculated and precise. Instead, here you have buffoonery. Everyone is mouthing signature lines trying to constantly reiterate how ``bad-ass'' they are. However, if you're in the mood, indulge them-- these are Bollywood's paisa-pheko, dialogue-suno moments. Ajay burns the screen with his searing intensity; Ileana passes muster as the Maharani with hidden facets; Emraan's takeaway is that he gets to shimmy with Sunny Leone and Vidyut gets an `interesting' introduction. Sunita Radia's lens captures the expanse of the desert deftly showing scale. Certain shots even stay frozen in your memory. The song Mere Rashke Qamar rekindles the magic of the voices of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. If you're an action junkie, this could be your weekend big-ticket ride.