Join WhatsApp Channel
The charm of a film franchise is all in the name, and it can either get a loyal audience or complete rejection.
Baaghi 4 has been advertised as the darkest and most brutal film in the 9-year-old franchise from which I personally liked Baaghi, found Baaghi 2 ‘adequate’ as an euphemism, and Baaghi 3 uncongenial. I would call this movie better than both the in-between movies and technically ahead of the first film (obviously!) and having a decent plotline.
But that said, the film has two strong negatives: it has too much of gratuitous violence and is overlong (163 minutes when content-wise, it should not have exceeded 120-plus).
Baaghi 4 is a sequel in ‘spirit’, which means that its characters are different, and the story does not continue from the prequels, but there is Tiger Shroff as the central character who is always nicknamed Ronnie and is in our armed forces. This time, he is in love with Alisha (Harnaaz Sandhu), who is a doctor and who he encounters when he is chasing a man. Ronnie grabs her phone and hits and grounds him.
After their acquaintance turns into love, the car in which both are traveling is hit by a truck, and Ronnie goes into a coma for seven months. After recovering, he has realized that Alisha is dead, but the shocker is that his elder brother (Shreyas Talpade) does not even accept the existence of a girl like that in his life. While a besotted and hapless Ronnie visits her grave (Yes, there is a grave!) frequently, he is made to believe that the grave is not hers.
Befuddled but not convinced that he is suffering from some form of a mental disorder after his recovery, Ronnie faces other mysterious incidents after that. A girl named Olivia (Sonam Bajwa) is sent to befriend him and more, but Ronnie cannot get over Alisha. A mysterious man named Paulo (Saurabh Sachdeva) also comes in, and certain developments bring Ronnie into the scrutiny of a quirky cop (Upendra Limaye) and his whimsical deputy (Sharad Kute).
And then, Chacko (Sanjay Dutt) enters his life. Chacko’s unrequited love story (not with Alisha) unfolds amidst the ongoing orgy of violence. Lives are lost, and Ronnie’s agenda now is vendetta.
Tiger Shroff is impressive in the demanding scenes where he is traumatized but just himself in the action mode. In many a scene and especially close-ups, he has an incredible resemblance to his father, Jackie Shroff. Sonam Bajwa in a parallel role is again, ‘adequate’
That brings us to Harnaaz Sandhu, Miss Universe in 2021. In a footage-wise much shorter role, Harnaaz, while looking ethereal in her long shots, also proves a very promising actress, and her faint resemblance to Priyanka Chopra Jonas cannot be overlooked. She lacks the rawness seen in the first films of most girls who come in from the ramp, and her expressions are spot-on. She is good in the action scenes as well.
Sanjay Dutt is good in parts, especially as the lovelorn guy who loses his girl, and pines for love. Shreyas Talpade as Ronnie’s elder brother is also alright, while Mahesh Thakur as the doctor has nothing much to do.
Among the songs, the lyrics are generally good. But musically, only Siddhaant Miishhraa’s (note the heavy numerology!) Marjana (lyrics by Sameer) and Agaazz, Josh Brar and Salamat Ali Matoi’s Guzaara (lyrics by Jagdeep Warring-Josh) make a mark. Danish Sabri-Paradox’s Akeli Laila is also interestingly worded. Sameer also pens the light Yeh mera husn well, but the Tanishk Bagchi composition is too similar in tenor and its visual presentation (concept complete with a seaside location, choreography and costumes) too close to Besharam rang from Pathaan to be a mere coincidence. Even the singer (Shilpa Rao) is the same!
Director A. Harsha does a good job overall, but Sajid Nadiadwala’s story and screenplay are geared to give the director a relaxed time as a substantial chunk of the sequences actually need to be directed handled by the stunt coordinators (Allan Amin, Steven Ho and Craig Macrae)! Dialogues writer Rajat Aroraa (known for his one-liners as well as excessive one-liners!) keeps in control and writes as per the needs of the script.
It will be interesting to see how the film fares, and whether it scores with Tiger’s fans or those of the franchise.
Rating: ***
Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment’s Baaghi 4 Produced by: Sajid Nadiadwala Directed by: A. Harsha Written by: Sajid Nadiadwala & Rajat Aroraa Music: Tanishk Bagchi, Agaazz, Josh Brar, Salamat Ali Matoi, Mani Moudgill & Badshah, Payal Dev & Aditya Dev, Siddhaant Miishhraa, Suyyash-Sidhaarth and Gourov Dasgupta Starring: Tiger Shroff, Sanjay Dutt, Harnaaz Sandhu, Sonam Bajwa, Shreyas Talpade, Saurabh Sachdev, Upendra Limaye. Sharad Kute, Mahesh Thakur, Pawan Shankar, Sheeba Akashdeep Sabir, Sudesh Lehri & others
