Neeraj Pandey's 'Baby' is a another winner from the Writer-Director. An Engrossing Film, that serves as an impressive espionage action thriller. Its well-paced & also well-acted! 2015...has clearly got its first winner!
'Baby' Synopsis: A group of Indian Patriots, track down Muslim Terrorists, who are planning a series of bomb blasts.
'Baby' has a decent first-hour, where the drama & the brutal action-sequences leave a mark. But, its the second-hour, which is a complete knock-out. The final 40-minutes especially, when our heroes capture the kingpin & plan to get him back home, offer nail-biting moments. Despite a long running-time of over 158-minutes, 'Baby' makes very good use of its length!
Pandey's Screenplay is strong all through. The first-hour isn't without its moments, but the Second-Hour takes the narrative to an all time high. Pandey's Direction is equally competent. Cinematography is lavish, it captures the exotic locales of Istanbul, Nepal, Dubai & India, admirably. Editing is a bit loose at times, but is otherwise crisp. Action-Sequences are raw, but effective. Background Score is superb.
Performance-Wise: Akshay Kumar is in top-form. Its so nice to see the talented actor donning a serious role, after a hiatus. He's tough throughout. Anupam Kher, who enters the scene pretty late, is remarkable. His scenes with Akshay provide genuine humor. Danny Denzongpa is superb. Rana Daggubati & Taapsee Pannu are decent in brief roles. Kay Kay Menon, Sushant Singh & Rasheed Naz are menacing as the conniving villains.
On the whole, 'Baby' works big time. Grab a ticket now!
Plot summary
The country is perpetually under threat from terrorist powers and the common man walks unaware of the threats and the attacks that our Government controls and prevents. While the common Indian fights for everyday issues, there are deeper and bigger threats to him and his family that he will never know exist because it is the men and women in uniform that safeguard them. The men and women who put country before self, the men and women who define our history because they give a damn! Ajay (played by Akshay Kumar) is one such officer who is part of an elite team chosen from amongst the best in the Forces to form a covert Counter Intelligence Unit. In the course of foiling one terrorist attack bid, Ajay discovers a major threat to our nation - a plan to cause damage and strike fear at the heart of our very existence. The plot is masterminded by a maniacal leader whose organization has its tentacles spread across the world. As days progress, the unit goes through escalating challenges with time ticking against them and risks escalating. At all points, the members of the unit give it all they've got and stand tall to guard us with all their strength so that we may sleep safe in our homes. Covert and courageous operations are performed across Kathmandu, Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, Delhi and Mumbai as our protectors will not rest till evil is debated. Will the maniacal Maulana Rehman and his band of evil succeed in striking terror in the heart of India? Will the Indian Government change gears from being reactive to proactive and strike? Will Ajay and his unit be able to prevent this terror tsunami?
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Movie Reviews
An Engrossing Film!
A Satisfactory Espionage Drama. ♦ 53%
I like Neeraj Pandey's stories. His A Wednesday! (2009) is a masterpiece and Special 26 (2013) a good satire. Baby is good, but not great. But consider it as 2015's first watchable film.
The opening credits serve as a prologue which tells us that an Indian elite squad (codenamed BABY because of their martial infancy) is sent out to infiltrate huts of terrorism around the world so as to prevent any act of terrorism in India (and/or elsewhere, but let us focus on the exclusive Indian patriotism here). Ajay (Akshay Kumar),a father of two, is the skipper of this squad and mostly acts as a one-man army. Basically, this squad carries out unofficial surgical operations outside India. The story starts to make sense only after you are successfully pulled inside the plot which maneuvers between places around India and the world.
A brawny first half will make you uncomfortable with some boring sequences that will surely raise few questions on the editor. The humor is destructive rather than constructive as the audience awaits a dose of real thrills. There are one or two scenes that MAY make you feel good from a spectator's perspective, but trust me it looks cooked. Enter second half and greet Anupam Kher in his appreciable performance as a quirky strategist. The pace catches up in the last forty minutes and if it were not for these crucial minutes, I am positive the film may have never come out its self-inflicted sabotage.
The plot is ambitious and no wonder Pandey has sampled some real life events into his story. They work and as far as an unsuspecting viewer is concerned, it all goes well. If you dig deeper, the narrative has nothing substantial to deliver. Yes we talk about killing these mercenaries before they plan another attack. But when every other bad guy dies prematurely, the fun quotient drains. And that is what happens in Baby. It is all so simple yet so difficult.
Denzongpa and Kumar are good, not great. I somehow missed Daggubati; Kumar's actress (from that seemingly sexist Airtel ad) had more screen-space than him. The dialogs are funny and the one thing that really works for the film is the combination of drama and humor that goes hand-in-hand with all those weighty happenings. Even if you start to wonder where the thrills are, the witty dialogs will take care of you. The raw sequences of interrogation and infiltration dictates your attention.
While the photography is good, the cinematography is below average. Direction is the usual Pandey, nothing to talk about. There is some good writing in here (a la A Wednesday!) but otherwise Baby is a slightly exaggerated drama. The namesake stunts are punchy and as the story turns to the climax, you will surely feel a satisfaction that if not in reality, a fictional India is doing something bold and not busy promoting superficial campaigns like Swachch Bharat & Make In India.
BOTTOM LINE: Baby is a tasty dish for our palates, but it ends up being more of a meaty affair than an intellectual thriller. A one- time watch!
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES
Fall little bit short to make a way to Oscar
BABY REVIEW- An epic thriller which deserves to be in Hollywood but Neeraj Pandey made it in Bollywood and raise Bollywood standard higher.i watched it with very high expectation and film completed all my expectation.last 30-35 Min's were inspired by Hollywood Oscar winner flick Argo.i am 90% satisfied with the movie and 10% disappointed because last scenes in Argo of interrogation on airport were nail-biting but Baby badly missed those scenes.performance wise Akshay Kumar proved that why he is my favorite after Srk and why he is the best for this role.if there would be an award for best actor in thriller category then he deserves it.remaining star cast were superb.Neeraj Pandey proves that he is king of thriller movies.another masterpiece after A Wednesday and Special 26.he proves why should we watch his movies with high expectations.i could have given 9 stars to the movie but as i already said climax were 10% disappointing.if Neeraj would have copied Argo climax then Baby would have been out of the world movie..so a must watch movie for all.here we have the 1st quality movie of 2015.