Baaghi: A Rebel For Love

wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do (?)

quick review:

Background score builds tension, rather than the story, which is contrived in itself to showcase the action sequences, only a few of which are sort-of not-seen-before.

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Director: Sabbir Khan
Running time: 140 minutes
Genres: Action, Romance
More Movie Info

Baaghi: A Rebel For Love - Preview

Gruesome action, a wannabe sizzle in romance, off-putting dialogue delivery, a promise that there will be randomly placed, generic-looking songs – what's there to look forward to? Gruesome action, it is then.

The action too looks a little 'been there, seen that', especially if you have seen martial art films from around the world.

Usually Shraddha Kapoor's presence makes me want to give the film a worthwhile shot. Here though, it feels like that will drop a notch after watching this film. Needless to say, it is one of those films I am going to walk in saying, “Come on! Surprise me! Prove me wrong.”

Music Reviews:
Bollywood Hungama – "3.5/5"
glamsham - "/5"
IBN Live, IANS - "4/5"
koimoi - "3/5"
Milliblog - "This rebel meekly submits to familiar musical templates."

- meeta, a part of the audience

The quick review says it all - “Background score builds tension rather than the story, which is contrived in itself to showcase action sequences, only a few of which are sort-of not-seen-before.”

Let me break that up. The background music is relentless, especially in the second half. Even if it takes a breather for a few seconds, you can feel it in the silence because of its assault thus far. It is as if all the onus of building suspense was left to it, because – no story.

You can't fault the writers though. They have been asked to fit the story to squeeze in as many action sequences as is possible. There is no building character, only piling one action sequence after another. In fact, the only way they allow the lead lady to hold her own is by throwing in a kick or two. The story is summarised as follows: Boy meets girl. Another boy also meets girl, kidnaps her. What happens next?

What is going to happen next? I doubt there can be anything more predictable than the answer to that question. So, what can you do? More action. Of course.

The actions sequences are repetitive and offer nothing in terms of variety. There are a few times they have a couple of characters hold postures that look mind-blowing and make you admire the ab-control. And there a few other scenes where bones are broken in a manner to make you jolt.

The one main thing that that one-liner leaves out is the performances. But, that it was left out must mean a lot by itself, right? Tiger Shroff cannot act. Well, at least not so far. Each line comes out as if it is the dialogue of the decade. That is as filmy as it gets. Shraddha Kapoor maybe can but there is nothing worthy required here. Her kicks and chops aren't the best. Though, unlikely as it is, I hope that is intentional because her character is not really an expert.

Other than that there are these 'comic relief' characters that remind you of the worst from the 90s. The attempt at tugging at your heart is so superficial that they don't even bother to give you a backstory or resolution.

Oh well. The only good thing I can say about Baaghi is that I have seen worse.

- meeta, a part of the audience

27 reviewers(?) - 4 yays 12 so-so 11 nays

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

Thumbs up, Bollywood Hungama : ...On the whole, BAAGHI is a typical masala entertainer which scores high on action and performances from the lead cast. With focus on entertainment, the film is, without a doubt, the best action film to come out of Bollywood in recent times. It has all the merits to hit the jackpot. At the box office, it will be lapped up by the masses on the account of its masala quotient. Highly recommended. ... full review

Thumbs up, by Sreeju Sudhakaran, Bollywood Life : ...Even with its various flaws, Baaghi is still a treat for the action lovers. Watch the film for its amazing stunts and Tiger Shroff. Boy, he surely rocks! ... full review

Thumbs up, by Vishal Verma, Glamsham.com : ...All said and done BAAGHI is still set to be winner despite all its cliches thanks to its gritty, powerful, mind blowing and bone wrenching fight sequences choreographed on Tiger Shroff who excels in satisfying the thirst of an action buff in a way not done in Bollywood before. The remembrance of the ancient Indian martial art - Kalaripayattu makes BAAGHI - a true Indian martial arts movie and we give an extra for that. ... full review

Thumbs up, by Shubha Shetty-Saha, MiD DAY : ...Forget the rest, watch this film for Tiger Shroff. There is no one who fights like Tiger Shroff and it looks like we have finally found a genuine martial arts star. Hope he gets more such roles to do justice to his dedication.... full review

So-So, by Suparna Sharma, Deccan Chronicle : ...Sudheer Babu and Shifuji Shaurya Bharadwaj lend some credibility to the film by acting and staying in character, but that’s not enough reason to watch this film. Tiger Shroff, with Turkish, Belgian, Bengali and Gujarati blood, is interesting looking. But how many times must we watch him throw a 360 helicopter kick? Many times, I fear, because the boy can’t act. At all. He can fight. ... full review

So-So, by Ameet Bhuvan, Desi Martini : ...Verdict - won't kill you. or may be it will ... full review

So-So, by Sidhant Shori, Desi Martini : ...Watch Baaghi if you’re hell bent on watching a new movie, otherwise you’re better off avoiding it.... full review

So-So, by Kritika Goel , Desi Martini : ...Tiger is great at the action he does and that is the highlight of the film. He isn't too expressive of his emotions. Tiger breaks bones but doesn't sway our hearts. His action is crisp, clean and technically very strong. On the other hand, Shraddha is extremely reflective of her emotions and she is best at doing what we have known her for. The expectation of seeing Shraddha doing a lot of action doesn't get fulfilled. And we see the part of her that we already knew. So, she doesn't offer anything new.... full review

So-So, by Devesh Sharma, Filmfare : ...The film’s cinematography by ace Binod Pradhan brings lush Kerala and Bangkok locales to life. The interior shots when Tiger enters the villain’s multistoried den are shot realistically too. Music by Meet Bros, Amaal Mallik, Ankit Tiwari and Manj Musik is hummable. Amaal Malik composed Sab tera, sung by Armaan Malik and Shraddha, is the pick of the lot. Shraddha isn’t just a coy maiden waiting to be rescued but a fierce spirit who doesn’t pull her punches. The leads do share a spark of chemistry and look pleasant together. But all said and done, it’s Tiger’s film and barring some emotional scenes, where he needs to up his game, he fights and dances like a dream. This film is going to be his litmus test. Here’s hoping that he passes it with flying colours, as we do need genuine action stars in our films… ... full review

So-So, by Rohit Vats, Hindustan Times : ...In short, The Karate Kid enters Bloodsport and appears in a hurry to become Ong-Bak without losing the essential Bollywood qualities. Baaghi shines only in patches. ... full review

So-So, by RAJEEV MASAND, IBN Live : ...Sanjay Mishra shows up as a blind Bangkok cabbie in a comedy track that doesn't belong here. The film is powered purely by the sheer energy and the tireless spirit of its leading man Tiger Shroff, who's still raw when it comes to emoting but seizes your attention when he's flaying his arms and legs about the screen.... full review

So-So, Indicine : ...Conclusion: Baaghi is an ultra actioner aimed at the testosterone fueled part of the youth audience which enjoys such heavy duty actioners. If you want any story or entertainment in your movies, then Baaghi will end up boring you. It is incohesive, and disjointed which solely relies on the action skills of its lead actor to further its story. However, it is a harmless movie which doesn’t aim to tell a super serious story about an important social subject and it needs to be judged that way. And as a light entertainer, Baaghi is passable and can be watched once. ... full review

So-So, by Jaidev Hemmady, Movie Talkies : ...Had Baaghi been an out and out action fare, we are sure the film would have been much better. However, notwithstanding the faults in the story, Baaghi will warm the cockles of any action junkie's heart. ... full review

So-So, by Sukanya Verma, Rediff : ...He’s got the goods of a solid action hero but it’s time to step out of the show reel space and shine under an actual script and a skilled hand who can bring out the Tiger buried under Jackie’s son and Hrithik’s fan. ... full review

So-So, by Mohar Basu, Times of India : ...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. ... full review

So-So, by Raghav Jaitly, Zee News : ...Sabbir Khan's filmmaking is average. Only high points in the film are its action sequences which are crafted in such a way that they will take away your breath. With a dash of comedy and emotions, 'Baaghi' turns out to be a one-time-watch. It is not an unmissable film, but you won't regret watching it either. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Anna MM Vetticad, annavetticadgoes2themovies : ...Might as well have gone a step further with a crowd-pleasing, sarkar-pleasing “Bharat Mata ki jai!” yelled out by the hero. The chest-thumping suits the film’s emptiness. Gloss sans substance tends to make a lot of noise. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Deepa Gahlot, cinemaah : ...The Kerala portions look good, that’s one positive about the film, which is otherwise crashingly dull. It’s okay to have a thin plot, but how about some flair in the fight scenes, a little dash of humour? For emotion there’s a silly subplot with a mute kid who can only say “yaya”. For wit, there’s one line when Ronnie breaks the bones of a Chinese “killing machine” and quips, “Chinese maal zyada nahin chalta.” ... full review

Thumbs down, by Josh, fullhyd.com : ...Ideally, you'd leave this film alone and befriend Netflix this weekend. However, if you have a ritual where you visit a movie hall every weekend, and you can satisfy yourself with good-looking people and good-looking frames, and you are very clear that you'll watch no film where you might need subtitles, then you can perhaps catch Baaghi. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Suhani Singh, india today : ...If there's one reason to watch Baaghi, it is for Shroff's endless zeal and commitment to the gruelling physical demands of his part which includes balancing his body on two fingers. Now only if he can hone his thespian skills. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Surabhi Redkar, koimoi : ...Baaghi is an out and out action flick, which is ruined by romance and a tepid plot. I am going with a 2/5 for this film! ... full review

Thumbs down, by Uday Bhatia, Live Mint : ...It’s a quick jog to the end from there on, and the best stretch of the film. It’s nice to see an Indian film sling a few convincing action scenes together, yet it’s also depressing to think that we’d probably never have been able to work out such sequences if there hadn’t been a ready template. But then, that’s what we do best: imitate a superior product and package it as rebellion. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Kunal Guha, Mumbai Mirror : ...Director Sabbir Khan should be credited for framing the well-conceptualised action scenes. But for the rest, writer Sanjeev Dutta left him with very little to play with. The songs in the film are great — only for your mid-film washroom visits. Almost 140 minutes long, Baaghi can get insufferable to a point that you hope the lead pair actually succumbs to the blows and we can all go home. But they don't. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Saibal Chatterjee, NDTV : ...The love story is interspersed with flashy martial arts action scenes, but given a male lead who is hard pressed to convince us that he has a genuine grouse against the world, the crass concoction simply does not get off the ground. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies : ...Cinematographer Binod Pradhan swoops in to save the day, capturing Kerala in all its splendor. And then there is the martial-arts infused action. These are the only two things worthwhile in the movie. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Namrata Joshi, The Hindu : ...Wish the film didn’t last long either. It seemed to just go on and on. ... full review

Thumbs down, yahoo! India : ...the screenplay thrusts in a clumsy comedy track with a blind cab driver played by Sanjay Mishra. It’s distractions like this, and the boring songs, that derail Baaghi from being a sharp action film, which is what Shroff seems to relish more than the emoting. Instead it’s a dated story which is far too dependent on borrowed scenes and plot points rather than confident of its own hero’s abilities and appeal.... full review

Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.

4 readers - 0 yays 2 so-so 2 nays

Want to Watch, by Anuj : not a fan, but must admire Tiger's ability to capture the masses

Want to Watch, by TimELiebe : "Want to Watch" may be too strong, but - I ❤ Shraddha Kapoor.

So-So, by Anup

So-So, by mansi

Nay! Thumbs Down, by Blind : Nothing good in it, accept the actions, which alone wont help either

Nay! Thumbs Down, by Fan

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

Parental Guidance:

  • Violence: Loads and some gruesome to.
  • Language: Clean
  • Nudity & Sexual content: A couple of lip-to-lips
  • Concept: Boy meets girl. Another boy also meets girl, kidnaps her. What happens next?
  • General Look and Feel: Nothing out of the ordinary.

Detailed Ratings (out of 5):

Direction:
Story:
Lead Actors:
Character Artists:
Dialogues:
Screenplay:
Music Director:
Lyrics:

Baaghi: A Rebel For Love - Cast, crew, links

Director:
Supporting Cast:
Cinematography:
Background Score:
Action Choreography:
Costume Designer:
Running time:
140 minutes
Reviewer:
Language:
Country:
Genres:

Comments (22)

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Fan

@Meeta: same question comes back again and again. Why do you spend time + money for such films?

??

Anup

The Trailer of the movie is 3 min long , out of which 2mn and 30sc have
been shown as action sequences . And rest just 30sc as romance. Movie was supposed to be a mixture of VARSHAM (that old not so interesting south indian movie from which it has been copied) and RAID REDEMPTION (one of the best action film ever made from which the climax action sequence has been copied like the trailers showed us). I was just expecting that BAAGHI must be more of RAID REDEMPTION and less of VARSHAM . But i was wrong.. Its just the last 20 min of RAID REDEMPTION and the rest was VARSHAM (which is by the way has been dubbed as BAARISH - THE SEASON OF LOVE in case you have seen it on CABLE). Tiger Shroff really cant act. Every time the
camera changes its angle Tiger changes his emotions..Its like he use to
forget what his emotions were when he was shooting the same scene before
the director says CUT to change the angle..And he just keep repeating
the line ITNI JALDI KYA HEI , ABHI TO MEINE SHURU KIYA HEI same as he
use to repeat SBKO AATI NHI , MERI JAATI NHI in HEROPANTI.

Anuj

And Toger Shroff scores the second time over, this time in a huge huge manner in the mass belts of the Hindi heartland viz Rajasthan, Bihar, UP, MP and Orissa. Imagine Baaghi opening even bigger than Airlift & Fan in these circuits. Wow! This guy may be an ordinary actor but he more than makes up for it through his acrobats and dancing skills. A genuine mass superstar in the making!

Fan

A genuine mass superstar ????

Admins : help!!! Somebody has seemed to hack Anuj's account.

Anuj

@Fan : Dude, numbers speak for themselves. Not you, me or any of the critics :)

Anup

Anuj - movie was pretty well promoted..it was clear that opening will be good..And with tight budget (and also the fact that nobody is watching FAN anymore)it will easily be a profitable movie..I will still want to know how the word of mouth goes..and how far this genuine superstar can go with just stunt and dancing skills , unless otherwise he improves his acting capabilities..

Anuj

@Anup : I still fail to fathom why the urban audiences are indifferent or critical of Tiger Shroff for no valid reason. I mean c'mon, you cannot dislike a guy only bcoz he looks alien or as some put it, girly. Give him his due. Decent promotion does not ensure an opening as huge as Baaghi esp in the mass circuits. Its bcoz the mass audiences adored him in Heropanti and hence flocked the theaters in day 1 for Baaghi which is a movie in the same mold. As for the word of mouth, Sunday is a massive 15 cr+ and the opening weekend is the same as the mass superstar Akshay Kumar's mass appealing Gabbar is Back last year. A 2 film old newcomer competing with Akshay Kumar in B and C circuits does speak volumes of his rapidly increasing popularity among the mass audiences. But I understand, intolerant urban middle class multiplex audiences who cannot seem to get over their Ranbir Kapoor fantasy despite him delivering besharam velvety tamasha's of late would never give Tiger his due, however loud he roars! Just like Akshay took over 2 decades to find some appreciation among this section of the audience that too thanks to films like Special 26, Baby and Airlift.

Anup

Anuj - ohh , i dont have any problem with his looks..i have problem with his acting skills..I dont know if you have seen Heropanti or not..But Tiger was atleast decent in that. He emoted badly in Baaghi.. But its good to see that he has a fan base who are expecting something else and getting it..I think if he can maintain this Fan Base , he could get enough time to improve his acting skills..
also when i try to think in different way , and consider newcomers like Aditya Pancholi and etc , i find Tiger Shroff more then decent in comparison to them..

Fan

One swallow does not make a summer.

Ranbir Kapoor is around since few years now. And has indisputably given some box-office super hits (and also an equal number of duds). Yet people rightly refuse to accept him as a star.

And the same are racing against others to call a one film old Tiger as a superstar.

I would prefer to wait and watch for a few years before jumping to any conclusions. Although given his wooden looks, I have my doubts that he is going to go far as an actor.

AnuP

Fan - thts the thing m saying..
There will come a time when he has to do some different kind of movie where he will not get the chance to show his action skills..Unless he improves his acting skills it will be really difficult for him..

Fan

R Rajkumar, a mediocre product, also did incredibly well in non-A level circuits. Didn't mean that Shahid was on the way to super stardom.

And mind you, Baaghi is yet to do a business comparable to RRajkumar.

Anuj

I never branded Tiger a superstar. Read my statement carefully. It implies that he a "potential superstar" among the mass centers. Which after 2 solid single screen hits, he definitely is imo. As for comparisons with Ranbir, its evident that Ranbir will always bring in the maximum box office numbers among the younger lot thanks to the elite and urban multiplex frequenting crowd patronizing him, cinemas where ticket price disparity is over the roof. As for Shahid, he was always a popular actor (if not a star) among the masses thanks to the mega single screen blockbuster called Vivah which ran for more weeks in single screens than Krrish & Dhoom 2 in 2006. R...Rajkumar is only a reaffirmation of Shahid's immense popularity among the masses which unfortunately he's never built upon as he's foolishly tried to emulate his idol SRK's script selection thereby desperately trying to capture the urban multiplex market, and failed miserably at that. I bet u, today this very day, both Tiger and Shahid can bring in larger footfalls to the low end multiplexes and single screen theaters of the tier 2 and tier 3 cities compared to Ranbir, if performing a mass appeasing role. As for variety, there are plenty of actors in both Indian as well as global cinemas who'v made a superstar career out of action, stunts and dancing alone. Tiger's no exception. All he needs to do is select the right mass appeasing films and stick to his fanbase. He has a limitation among the urban audiences, the earlier he accepts this the better!

Anuj

Back to the topic of actors and their fanbase, although Salman is undoubtedly the most "watched" actor over the last 25 years thanks to his never ending craze among the masses (70% of the audience), it must be noted that Aamir Khan is the only actor to have acquired a considerable fanbase among both, the urban as well as mass sector. His movies of the 90's like QSQT, Dil, Rangeela and Raja Hindustani in particular (a movie that recorded higher footfalls than DDLJ among the tier 2/3 cities) made him a darling of the masses while the post Lagaan/RDB period made him a rage among tier 1 multiplex audiences as well. There is no other actor since Amitabh Bachchan whose managed such universal uniform appreciation among all sections of the audience. Salman despite being the most popular and watched actor of the 90's generation has never had the craze and appeal among urban tier 1 city audiences while SRK has always struggled in the mass belts. Hrithik Roshan did start off on a positive note in this regard with mass appealing blockbusters like KNPH/KMG/Krrish and Dhoom 2 but quickly lost that hold thanks to poor script selection and an extreme intention of focusing only on the urban crowd post 2010.

@Fan There are only so many movies I want to skip. Rest, I don't mind. Seriously.

@Anuj I find it rather amusing -
For Ranbir Kapoor's fan you have to say - thanks to the elite and urban multiplex frequenting crowd patronizing him

For Tiger Shroff - mass audiences adored him

How come, in what you say Ranbir Kapoor's fan following doesn't adore him and Tiger Shroff's fan following isn't patronizing him?

Is the urban audience a problem? Or anyone who tries to cater to them? Or I guess both.

Anuj

@Meeta : The words are interchangeable and can be used in whatever context you wish to. The point is that Ranbir has found acceptance among urban multiplex audiences of tier 1 cities viz Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata, & Ahmedabad. The 2 films starring Tiger have not been up to the mark in these cities. However, they have found huge appreciation among the smaller tier 2 and tier 3 cities like Bhopal, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Vizag, Patna, Kanpur and so on. Now please don't ask me why Ranbir finds "acceptance" and not "appreciation" whereas Tiger finds the opposite among their respective fanbase. I have no answers to that :P

Anuj

And not to mention the fact that tier 1 cities generate just 25-30% of the total footfalls, but almost 60% of the revenue thanks to the inflated ticket costs as opposed to tier2/3 city plexes and single screen which generate 70-75% of the footfalls but just 40% of the revenue. Case in point, Bajrangi Bhaijaan had a 3.6 cr footfall and yet generated 315 cr nett while PK had a 3.5 cr footfall and managed a 340 cr nett value. That's a huge difference!

Anuj

@Meeta : I suggest you reopen the Jungle Book thread. The movie is running riot all across the nation, every section, every theater its running in. Week 4 numbers for this film are gonna beat PK and Bajrangi Bhaijaan and the final lifetime number would cross Krrish 3, YJHD, HNY and ETT. Almost 45% of the numbers are being generated via the Hindi version. Voiceover given by Nana Patekar, Om Puri, Irrfan Khan and Priyanka are phenomenal and I daresay (at the expense of being called un-intellectual and un-classy) that I enjoyed the Hindi version a lot more than the English one. Superb entertainer deservedly going on to become the biggest Hollywood blockbuster in India since Titanic and leaving the likes of Avengers and Avatar miles behind.

@Anuj "Jungle Book" thread is open. Is the "new comment" box not visible?

awsome movie.. luvd it....

You know I've said I really like Shraddha Kapoor, so I'm glad to see her doing a straight actioner. Sadly, she either needs a new agent, or she needs an Career Manager worthy of the name, because Haider aside she's usually the best part of not very good movies. Sounds like she's on-trend here, sadly.

Tiger Shroff.... Can you say "Early Abhishek Bachchan", Boys and Girls? It sounds a lot like he's trying to build a career on the one thing he can do well, action scenes, and hopes nobody cares that as an actor he's even more The Indian Chuck Norris than Sunny Deol is.

I'm probably going to give this a go when it shows up on streaming or DVD in the US, because - Shraddha Kapoor! Action! But smells like a timepass, even to this American....

Blind

Nice review

Fan

This is probably one of the most horrible films I have watched this year. And I have just started.

The director gives two hoots about the continuity and logic in the film. Who cares if one moment a tiger is enclosed in a cage in the Mumbai zoo, and the next second he is roaming in the Amazon jungles. How does he come out of the cage, how does he reach from Mumbai to Amazon in 1 second, etc. are details with which the director does not want to be bothered.

Yes the action scenes are probably better than your average fare. But at the same time they are Very Violent (both V in capital).

On the positive side, Tiger Shroff seems to be quite confident in his second outing. Given the fact that what we see of him in media (TV, Youtube) is a very shy soft spoken guy, in the film he is certainly very confident. A rapid transformation in just one film. Also: for the first time I felt that he resembled his father, Jackie Shroff.

It surprises me to learn that this is a commercial success.

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