Baabarr

wogma rating: Add to that never-watched 'To Watch' list ^(?) - for lovers of violence

quick review:

I'm still hearing gunshots in my head, my eyes feel jaundiced only with the color red. For context, it's been an hour since I saw Baabarr. Can't think of much other than the brutality of the human being. It's the law of the jungle, only the fittest shall continue living. Sure, there's a story and an interesting one too. But again, very little is new.

Director: Ashu Trikha

Cast: Mithun Chakraborty, Om Puri, Sohum

Running time: 130 minutes

Genres: Action, Crime, Revenge

More Movie Info

Most underworld-crime based films more or less have to circle around the "vanity of vengeance". With an audience that mostly doesn't belong to the world from where the characters of the film come, the story writers pretty much don't have a choice. And yet, through this situation the writers here have made the going as interesting as possible. Building characters along the way. Creating situations for unrest at regular intervals.

The pre-requisite for a crime-based action film is a swift pace and that is one thing Baabarr doesn't lack. There's always something happening and one situation leads to another in a clean and clear flow. And so is the flow of the "boom-dishum-bang-dhickyau". The gun-mania just won't take a rest. As if the little boy just found a new toy.

I'm not easily disturbed by violence, but Baabarr in Hindi cinema takes it to a new level. There was one scene in which I actually felt sick in my stomach. And what can I say you can count the number of non-violent scenes on your fingers. And even in those scenes the dialogue is about the violence that took place or was going to take place.

Yet, it's not like the characters haven't been worked upon. Each type of characters have traits that stay consistent and comply with the boundaries set for them. Thus adding to the believability. They were given decent dialogues too. Though all characters, most of the time, have to either scare or get scared, there's not much wrong with the acting department. Except for maybe Mithun Chakroborty who just can't seem to keep the actor's style out of the character.

Also the grainy texture adds to the "realistic" feel of the film. The handheld, jerky camera is put to use almost continuously, but there is chaos and tension throughout the movie too. One refreshing aspect is that the backdrop is neither Mumbai nor Hindi cinema's favorite Punjab. They've also tucked in tributes to presumed inspirations like The Godfather and Satya. But, it would be only a shock if they didn't do that.

We see 5, maybe even 10 films, based on some underworld concept every year. The storyline can only be so much different. The only basis for watching one and not another could be something different tried in the build-up towards the climax. Baabar has a couple of vexing situations but that's about it. And besides the excessive gore this isn't much of a variant from other crime-related fields.

- meeta, a part of the audience

16 reviewers^(?) - 5 yays 4 so-so 7 nays

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

Thumbs up, by Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM : ...BAABARR is Ashuu Trikha's best work so far. His handling of the dramatic sequences is commendable.... full review

Thumbs up, Movie Talkies : ...the most outstanding performance comes from Om Puri. ... full review

Thumbs up, by RK, Passion for Cinema : ...Sudden killing of a tannery owner in his own plant looks chilling and impressive and such technical competency has been maintained in many of the scenes in the film.... full review

Thumbs up, by Esha Razdan, real bollywoood : ...Cinematographer Suhass Gujarathi is simply superb. ... full review

Thumbs up, by Avijit Ghosh, Times of India : ...rovide a feel of the ethos, the motivations, the values and attitudes of places like Amanganj where criminals become demi-gods... full review

So-So, by Udita Jhunjhunwala, DNA : ...A gripping start is wasted as the 'second-half syndrome' strikes and the plot winds around like a corkscrew.... full review

So-So, by Ashok Nayak, Now Running.com : ...Quite a few sequences are hard to digest, far too many cinematic liberties taken... full review

So-So, by Hanumant Bhansali, Radio Sargam : ...He has pinned all the complexities of gangster wars and criminal sequences to make a power packed script... full review

So-So, by Sameer Dagga, StarBoxOffice : ...though a decent attempt, Baabarr does not leave the impact it could have.... full review

Thumbs down, by Noyon Jyoti Parasara, AOL INDIA : ...Every character is treated like a stone, with no explanations to why they do things. Worse, they are brought in and out at the writer’s will!... full review

Thumbs down, Apun Ka Choice : ...movie becomes a cat-and-mouse game between Baabarr and the cops who are forever on his tail without being able to snare him... full review

Thumbs down, by Khalid Mohamed, aslibaat.com : ...Admittedly, Trikha’s style is gritty on the lines of let’s say Ankush and Kaalchakra.... full review

Thumbs down, by Abhishek Mande, Buzz18 : ...Baabarr tells the story of its eponymous hero's rise in the world of crime and the eventual downfall.... full review

Thumbs down, by Martin D'Souza, Glamsham.com : ... Baabarr Director : Music : Lyrics : Starring : Ashu Trikha Anand Raj Anand Anand Raj Anand, Sunil Singh Soham, Mithun Chakraborty, Urvashi Sharma, Om Puri, Sushant Singh, Mukesh Tiwari, Tinu Anand, Govind Namdeo Baabarr Movie Review September 10, 2009 6:55:14 PM IST By Martin D'Souza, Bollywood Trade News Network Send to Friend view BAABARR movie stills view BAABARR movie stills BAABARR is the story of crime set with Lucknow as the backdrop. It is also the story of how crime is nurtured for political gains; how vote banks are developed and protected and of the good cop and bad cop. Shot in the by lanes of Uttar Pradesh, this crime fest is loaded with gunshots and dead bodies. You lose count after the first reel. It is also the story of a 12-year-old boy who fires his first shot to save his brothers from being killed. There on, at age 22, he roams the streets fearlessly, protecting those who pay their ?protection fee' and eliminating those who refuse. As expected, there is violence galore. But our hero Baabarr (newcomer Soham Shah) looks more a lover boy than a killing machine. There is no meanness in his eyes and his body language is that of a teenager who has just set his hands on a revolver; not that of a seasoned killer. Though heavily bearded, he is allowed to enter a school dressed in a uniform. He is there to assassinate the Chief Minister's brother. At another instance, he dresses up as the groom and sits besides the bride's father! Even when he is shot from a point-blank range with the gun placed at his temple, he survives with a scratch on his cheek. What cheek! Though Soham has a screen presence, his choice to play the lead was a bad one. In fact, Tabrez, Baabaar's rival, portrayed menacingly by Sushant Singh has enough fire in him to give Soham a complex. There are also shots of Baabarr's elder brother Sarfaraz (Shakti Kapoor) making frantic calls to a Mayawati lookalike from his prison cell when Baabarr has been captured. What one cannot understand is how Sarfaraz became so powerful in prison. He was sent to jail when Baabarr was 12 years old. Sarfaraz then had accidentally killed a goon in a fight, which got out of hand. download BAABARR wallpapers download BAABARR wallpapers Also, what one cannot understand is how the cops cannot capture Baabaar when they know his whereabouts. They keep chasing him, and missing him. The second half is all about this chase and miss, which takes whatever little sting, there is in the movie. Mithun Chakraborty is S P Dwivedi who is given the task of capturing the dreaded criminal dead or alive. Om Puri is A N Chaturvedi a corrupt cop who feeds on the excesses of Baabarr and his brothers. Coming out with all guns blazing is Zia (Urvashi Sharma), the criminal's girlfriend. Urvashi makes a solid statement with her limited role to create an impact of that of a seasoned performer. After NAQAAB, Urvashi proves once again that she is quite a natural when it comes to emoting a role. Rating - 1/5 Read Comments & Post Your Comments AddThis Rate this Movie Submit * Wallpaper * Posters * Stills * Broadband Baabarr 1024x768 | 1280x960 Send to Friend Baabarr 1024x768 | 1280x960 Send to Friend Baabarr 1024x768 | 1280x960 Send to Friend More Baabarr Wallpapers... Baabarr Views : 1345 More Baabarr Posters... Baabarr Views : 118 Baabarr Views : 109 Baabarr Views : 204 Baabarr Views : 149 More Baabarr Stills... Video Theatrical Teaser Video Theatrical Teaser more Baabarr videos... Tell us what you think of this movie ... full review

Thumbs down, by Subhash K Jha, Now Running.com : ... The world that Trika creates is too devoid of the soft moments and too violent and barbaric to be accepted as entertainment.... full review

Thumbs down, by The ThirdMan, Upper Stall : ... Baabarr has fine on-location camerawork and one must mention the production design and overall look of the film.... full review

Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.

8 readers - 1 yays 5 so-so 2 nays

Want to Watch, by pink salt : Querfurt

Yay! Thumbs Up, by Cornell : Berg

So-So, by facebook advertising agency : Waidach

So-So, by Hindilyrics4u.co.in

So-So, by Hindilyrics4u.co.un

So-So, by nail desks

So-So, by Telugulyrics.co.in

Nay! Thumbs Down, by Lyricswale.com

Nay! Thumbs Down, by semillas de marihuana regulares

This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Plot Summary

Gang 1 of the underworld is formed out of necessity. Gang 2, 3…n already exist. Then there are politicians and policemen. One offends. Others defend. One gets offended by the defense. So one offends again. So on and so forth.

What Worked

The cold voiceover of the little boy.
The fact that the protagonist is meant to be hated.

What did not

Note: This section simply lists the things that I did not like in this movie. This is not the overall impression about this movie. Please read the full review here

Why were they beeping out the name of the state that the story was based in?

Parental Guidance:

Violence: There are few rare moments without violence. And at times it is pretty graphic too
Language: On and off use of abusive language. The mannerism of speaking is violent though.
Nudity & Sexual content: None
Concept: Futility of revenge
General Look and Feel: Its dark and has a grainy structure with not much for children in it.