By: Omair Alavi Milan Luthria’s Baadshaho might not have released on time in Pakistan, but the Eid-release opened to houseful cinemas, even two weeks later. The film has a star cast that takes you down the memory lane during the days of the Emergency in India, with a real-life incident shaping the plot and a first-rate execution making it…
SAMAA | Omair Alavi – Posted: Sep 18, 2017 |
By: Omair Alavi
Milan Luthria’s Baadshaho might not have released on time in Pakistan, but the Eid-release opened to houseful cinemas, even two weeks later. The film has a star cast that takes you down the memory lane during the days of the Emergency in India, with a real-life incident shaping the plot and a first-rate execution making it a good watch.
The Plot
Rani Geetanjali Devi (Ileana D’Cruz, playing Gayatri Devi) is arrested during the Emergency and her treasure is being shifted to Delhi on the orders of the Prime Minister’s son Sanjeev (Priyanshu Chatterjee, playing Sanjay Gandhi). She has a backup plan that involves her trusted bodyguard Bhavani (Ajay Devgn) and his team of crooks who would do anything for money. Will an expert safecracker (Sanjay Mishra), a thief (Emraan Hashmi) and the Rani’s manager (Esha Gupta) be able to outwit the officials led by Major Seher Singh (Vidyut Jammwal), watch the film to find out!
The Good
The best thing about Baadshaho is its dialogues – chaar din ki zindagi hai aur aaj chota din hai, yehi soch kar saari zindagi guzar di or mera ik dost tha. These dialogues keep the audience involved and bring smile on their faces, especially when Ajay and Emraan deliver it. Sanjay Mishra also gets a chance to show his acting prowess in a comic role while Esha Gupta looks as badass as she is supposed to be. Ileana D’Cruz has come a long way from Barfi and now she is being asked to play roles that might have been written with Aishwariya Rai in mind. Vidyut Jammwal doesn’t look like Commando at all (his most famous role) and manages to deliver punches as well as dialogues with the same intensity.
The Bad
The film has been heavily censored in Pakistan making the audience wonder whether it would be better to wait for the DVD release and watch it at home. If the Censor Board continues to cut crucial scenes rather than giving the film an 18 + Certificate, people will resort back to watching films at home and cinema industry will be back to where it was 10 years back. As for the film, the Armoured Truck that had qualities of KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand from Knight Rider) didn’t display its special features and that disappointed the audience. The story seems a little drag in the second half but keeps the audience involved as to what will happen next.
Verdict – 3/5
There are many reasons why Baadshaho is likable – the plot was interesting like the Hollywood films of the modern era and it is interesting because there was a rumour that the real-life Gayatri Devi had too much Gold in her palace that went missing during the Emergency. The film may not follow the actual events but it stays close to what really happened. For some, the twists and turns in the plot might be too much but for me, all’s well that ends well and Baadshaho kept me entertained through its entire run.
