Baby: Definitely not a Baby step but a giant leap in Espionage genre
There are few movies which break the mould of your quintessential Bollywood movie and Neeraj Pandey has done it successfully with his previous movies “A Wednesday” & “Special 26”. With “Baby” he takes huge leap with a genre that has not been explored too often in Bollywood, the espionage genre.
“Baby” as a movie has a huge canvas spread across countries like Turkey (Istanbul), Nepal (Katmandu), Saudi (Abu Dhabi) and Story & Screenplay written by Neeraj Pandey himself, tells the story of a secret Intelligence cell “Baby” headed by Firoz Ali Khan (Danny Denzongpa) and with the help of his trusted lieutenant Ajay Singh Rajput (Akshay Kumar) he unveils a plot of terrorist attack on India planned by the international terrorist group headed by Maulana Mohammed Rehman (Rashid Naz).
The screenplay is gripping and fast paced with every sequence flowing smoothly to other. The characters are well defined and have a purpose in the story. The screenplay is patriotic without being preachy. The “Argo” style climax is nail biting. It keeps you at the edge of the seat throughout its run time of 159 minutes. Where it fails albeit in a small proportion is that it took the complete first half to set up the base and it is only in the second half when the real plot commences. The dialogues are smart and at the same time witty adding to the entertainment quotient.
There are very few films which boast of the fact that it was aptly cast, in “Baby” the biggest highlight is perfect casting done by Vicky Sidana. Akshay Kumar as Ajay Singh Rajput the leader of the mission fits the bill completely. His agility, his demeanor everything is spot on and this performance is one of his best performances as well. Danny Denzongpa as Firoz Ali Khan is brilliant as the head of secret service team. It was good to see Danny after a gap in a role which complements his persona and stature completely. Tapsi Pannu in a small role as Agent Priya Suryavanshi is impressive and creates an impact. Rana Dagubatti as Jai Singh Rathore is good but he does not get a chance to show his histrionics in a brief role. Anupam Kher as Shuklaji gives the necessary punch to the proceedings. Rashid Naz as Maulana the head of the terrorist group gives the necessary chill with his presence. Kay Kay Menon as Bilal shines in a brief role. Another cracker performance was of Sushant Singh as Wasim, he created an impact in a brief role. The rest of ensemble cast Madhurima Tuli, Jameel Khan, Murli Sharma, Mikal Zulfikar do a brilliant job.
Cinematography by Sudeep Chatterjee is another highlight of the movie; he has captured Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, Katmandu, Mumbai and Delhi to perfection. Background score by Sanjoy Chowdhury enhances the sequences and adds to the impact. Abbas Ali Moghul’s action is spot on especially the chase sequences, the action is realistic and without the unnecessary frills. Good Editing is one of the pre-requisite of a good thriller and Shree Narayan Sigh does not disappoint, every sequence blends easily to other. Sanjeev Ravade’s production design is realistic and blends with the narration beautifully. Costume design by Falguni Thakore again blends with the narration which is commendable. In a nutshell the technical team put a brilliant effort which enhances the movie watching experience.
“Baby” is another feather on Neeraj Pandey’s cap, making him a well sought out film maker and I feel Akshay Kumar should do more such movies which compliment his persona perfectly…
Kudos to team “Baby”, I will go with 4 stars….
Movie Rating: 
(4 / 5)