Opening Doorz

By Martin D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | March 30, 2018

Rating: 1.5 / 5

The essence: Baaghi 2 is your average Bollywood film, with a bit of the 90s ‘anything will do’ plot. Had it not been for Prateik Babbar, Randeep Hooda and Deepak Dobriyal, it would have been way below average!

Don’t go looking for a story or logic in Baaghi 2. The plot is convoluted at best, but even with a mess of a storyline, you are treated to some fine performances thanks to Prateik Babbar, Randeep Hooda, Deepak Dobriyal and to some extent, Darshan Kumar.

Tiger Shroff has the film riding on his shoulders and abs, but the lad has to work on his dialogue delivery and diction: at times he is hardly audible, making more attempts to make his eyes talk, when he is talking. Eyes can talk, but when the mouth is shut!

The film begins with an assault on Neha (Disha Patani) and the kidnapping of her daughter. Two months later, after spending 10 days in coma, she is still looking for her daughter, with no one willing to help; not even the cops. Desperate, she calls Ronny (Tiger Shroff), who is somewhere deep in the interiors of India serving the Army.

We later learn that Ronny has been contacted by Neha after four years, and although Ronny is confused he is worried for Neha and decides to ask for a week’s leave. There are lots of things we learn in a haphazard manner of the relationship between the two; of how they met and how they almost married, but never made it to the altar. But since Ronny had promised to be there for her when they were dating; here he is!

He begins the search for her daughter and later realizes she has no daughter. This he learns when he visits the kindergarten where the child was studying, from the people who live in her building and her husband.

As Ronny is looking around for her daughter and drawing up a blank, with a script that is going nowhere, in walk Prateik Babbar and Randeep Hooda. Both light up the screen with their diverse roles. Prateik as Sunny, this drug addict who is the brother-in-law of Neha makes an impact the moment he walks onto the screen. Body language, dialogue delivery and chutzpah, he displays it all. Hooda on his part as this funky ACP from Punjab, posted in Goa (yes the movie is set in Goa), dresses up like a junkie. He leaves a lasting impression with his character, LSD, all out to bust the drug gang in Goa. A full-on redemption from his Charles Shobraj character which fell flat on its face!

Deepak Dobriyal who fronts a garage and car rental business to camouflage his association with the drug world is another shining light who helps lift this mundane movie, while Manoj Bajpayee as the DIG of the region has an ‘unconvincing’ character which he tries to make the best of.

Tiger Shroff has the whole canvass to showcase his talent. However it will be a while before he grows to own every scene and frame of a movie he is cast in, whenever he comes on screen. Although the action scenes are convincing and he packs a punch: the overall impact is missing.

Baaghi 2 is your average Bollywood film, with a bit of the 90s ‘anything will do’ plot. Had it not been for Prateik, Randeep and Deepak, it would have been way below average!

CREDITS
Producer: Sajid Nadiadwala
Director: Ahmed Khan
Star Cast: Tiger Shroff, Disha Patani, Deepak Dobriyal, Prateik Babbar, Randeep Hooda, Darshan Kumar