Movie: Baadshah
Cast: NTR, Kajal
Director: Sreenu Vaitla
24 Hours Cinema Rating: 3/5
Baadshah is a quintessential Sreenu Vaitla’s film with far too many characters than one can keep track of — a huge family, plenty of mafia dons, an ideal son, a pretty actress and comedians who become pawns in a plan conceived by the hero and above all sheer madness which miraculously works every time. Finding the actual story of the film is like searching for a needle in a haystack, so it all boils down to one simple exercise – prepare yourself to laugh your guts out scene after scene, although Sreenu Vaitla sporadically intersperses this template with action and emotional scenes which reinforce how great the hero is. His earlier film Dookudu was one such example and the latest film Baadshah is no exception, except that it has NTR and Kajal in lead roles and some genuinely funny sequences peppered throughout the film.
NTR stars as Rama Rao, who goes to Milan on a mission. There, he meets Janaki (Kajal), a kind-hearted soul who believes that she has to help those who are in need. Janaki takes pity on Rama Rao when the latter tells her that his girlfriend had dumped him and soon she’s so impressed with Rama Rao’s good nature that she falls in love with him, but, like always, there’s a catch. Janaki is already engaged to Aadi (Navdeep) and it all boils down to what Rama Rao does to stop this marriage from happening and why he wanted to go to Milan in first place.
The film opens with a bang as NTR strides into the frame with great panache and for the next hour or so we are taken through a roller coaster ride as NTR meets Kajal and impresses her in no time. It’s easily the most entertaining and well written part in the entire film. Not that the gags featuring Brahmanandam in the second half are less fun, but how often do you see the lead actress get a meaty role where every dialogue of hers is sugar-coated with philosophy which is both hilarious and amusing. M S Narayana, as Revenge Nageswara Rao, brings the house down in his short-lived role. Amidst all this chaos, NTR becomes a mere spectator and for once, it’s refreshing to see the hero taking a backseat at least for a little while.
The action soon shifts to India and here we are introduced to even more vivacious characters like Jai Krishna Simha (Nasser), Padmanabha Simha (Brahmanadam) and their entire family. Similar to Sreenu Vaitla’s previous films like Ready and Dookudu, here Brahmanandam plays a vital role as a suppressed son-in-law of Jai Krishna Simha. When he meets Rama Rao (NTR), Padmanabha Simha finally manages to find a way to vent out his anger, thanks to an ingenious Inception-esque plan conceived by Rama Rao. While NTR calls the shots in the second half, Brahmanandam manages to overcome the weight of his previous avatars in Sreenu Vaitla’s films and stands tall as a dynamic police-officer, with a new found confidence in Baadshah. Siddharth’s cameo is quite effective and it gives a emotional subtext to the NTR’s characterization. There are plenty of villains in the film including Kelly Dorjee (who once again alights from a helicopter in his introduction scene),Pradeep Rawat, Supreeth and Ajaz Khan. Do any of these actors make an impression? No, but they are just there because Baadshah is just around the corner, waiting for a chance to spoil the party.
Baadshah is perhaps NTR’s most audience friendly film in recent times and for that alone, NTR, Sreenu Vaitla, writers Gopi Mohan and Kona Venkat deserve a pat on the back. The concept of ‘heroism’ which is usually ubiquitous in most of NTR’s films takes a new shape here and for once NTR becomes a part of the story. We have seen him deliver punch dialogues in the past and in Baadshah, he keeps things going without overwhelming anyone elses presence. He looks dashing in his new avatar and dances like a dream in all the songs. Kudos to the stylists Ashwin Mawle and Roopa Vaitla who have designed the look of NTR and Kajal in the film; both of them look really good, especially in the first half. Thaman’s music and background score work quite well throughout the film and the cinematography, production values are top notch.
Comedy has traditionally been Sreenu Vaitla’s forte and along with writers Gopi Mohan and Kona Venkat, the trio have written several memorable characters and dialogues in the past. While they are in top form when it comes to comedy in Baadshah, the rest of the film is harder to evaluate. Could it possibly be because the comedy is so good that you yearn for it much more than the other part? Absolutely. It goes without saying that a large chunk of Baadshah is tailor made to enthrall NTR’s fans, but one would wish a lot more from a trio that’s known for good writing. After the first hour in the first half, the story unfolds at a lethargic pace.
Despite a series of twists and turns where double crossing is a common phenomenon, it doesn’t come as a surprise after all. But then, Brahmanandam always comes to the rescue before the final showdown. Baadshah does have a lot of spark and some genuinely funny moments throughout the film, but the sheer predictability of the story and the déjà vu effect mar the film to a great extent. It’s a typical summer action entertainer, a potpourri of everything we have enjoyed over the years, but the magic potion to make a truly great recipe is missing here.
Minus Points :
The film has certain similarities to a number of Sreenu Vaitla’s past projects.Talented actors like Jayaprakash Reddy, Brahmaji, Tanikella Bharani, Master Bharath, Chandra Mohan and Thagubothu Ramesh did not receive characters fit for their abilities.
The movie slows down a little as it approaches the interval. A fight sequence should have been chopped off to speed up things.
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