CAST: _ Tiger Shroff, Shraddha Kapoor, Sudheer Babu, Sunil Grover, Sanjay Mishra, Master Shifuji Shaurya Bhardwaj
It would’ve been more appropriate to let the film’s tagline read - Rebels without a cause. Baaghi bano par ek maqsad ke liye, says a Kalaripayattu guru to Tiger in the film. But the ’maqsad’ doesn’t make its way into the screenplay. The film is singularly dull and devoid of logic with nearly no spark between the leads. Shraddha and Tiger are earnest and director Sabbir Khan’s efforts show, but the focus is not on making a good film. Just winsome action suffices for the makers.
It is difficult to root for the characters even as the actors score. Tiger’s back flips may make you cheer and his stunts have gotten dishier since Heropanti, but that’s about it. He does his best to bring forth the rage of an impassioned lover but clearly he romances Kalaripayattu more than Shraddha. His stunts are more sensuous than his kisses. As Tiger lures us with his badass moves, Shraddha looks luminous in every frame and takes us by surprise when she slays professional fighters. But their love story never rings true. Unspooling over a string of melodious songs, they get little scope to conjure up an affair to remember. Her giggles and his impish smile, their rain dances and cute pecks are effective but don’t go a long way in benefiting the plot.
This is by no means a terrible film but the actioner, that attempts to find support in a threadbare story, is far from riveting. The screenplay fails validate the cause of their rebellion.
Baaghi blooms only during the fights but by the time the clock ticks towards the climax, you are exhausted. How much can you hoot for broken necks and crushed bones? You could try finding thrill in Tiger’s kicks but the film has nothing more to offer.