Baby: A Regular Espionage Thriller Treated the Bollywood Way

Baby; Neeraj Pandey, Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa, Kay Kay Menon, Rana Daggubati, Taapsee Pannu, Madhurima Tuli, Sushant Singh, Murli Sharma, Rasheed Naz

Spoilers ahead

When I usually come across Hollywood references in Indian films, I tend to be quite blatant about it in my reviews. And even though Neeraj Pandey's Baby is mostly original, yet it draws inspiration from films such as Argo and Zero Dark Thirty, but it didn't quite bother me as much as it usually does because I was hooked by it. In the very beginning, we're explained about the title Baby, and why it's called that and not something else. In a few interviews, Pandey explained Baby was just the name of the covert operation, but I seriously feel there's more to it. For the members of the ops, it could be their baby, something very dear to heart, for which they'd risk their lives and even take if needed. In one of the best scenes, Akshay promises his kids a day out and as they plan together, the phone rings, and when he doesn't pick up, the second phone rings, followed by the third. When he finally answers, he looks at his children and says, 'on my way'. The operation, Baby, is Akshay's baby, for which he'd even leave his children and wife, who sends him off on duty with the words, "bas marna mat".

In Baby, there are absolutely no distractions, say an item number or unwanted love track to keep the masses entertained. But it's still as commercial as any typical Bollywood masala entertainer as Pandey succeeds in giving Akshay some of the best 'heroic' moments - a chase sequence right in the beginning, a scene with a slap and a funny interrogation scene that ends with a bang. But Baby is not just about Akshay Kumar; it's about a team and there's at least one great scene for all the members in it. Rana, for instance, enjoys a brief scene where he stops a group of terrorists from blowing up a mall. Taapsee gets a totally unpredictable action sequence in a hotel room and it felt nice to see for once a female character doesn't rely on the hero for protection. Anupam Kher gets the part to make audiences laugh and he does that convincingly. Danny as the team's chief plays a very important role with ease and appears consistently throughout.

Most stories on counter-terrorism are about taking sides, proving that all Muslims are terrorists and vice versa. Pandey strikes a perfect balance by creating good as well bad characters in both sides. The leader of the covert ops, played by Danny, is a Muslim, and all the members of the team are Hindus. There's an Indian Muslim who turns rogue and a good Muslim officer in Saudi. An Indian Muslim, who almost became a terrorist, has now opted to become an informer. There's also a scene where Danny explains to a minister that terrorists no longer belong to Pakistan, and that they're hired even from places like India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, emphasizing on how many Indian Muslims are brainwashed and forced to become jihadis. And the best part is nowhere does the film mention that any part of the story is set in Pakistan.

Besides all the action and thrills in Baby, what really worked for me was the relationship between Akshay and his wife, played by Madhurima. In one of the best scenes, Akshay sends his wife a message informing he can't make it home for their son's birthday and in her reply, the wife says she was sorry for screaming at him before (in an earlier scene). Although Pandey doesn't spend too much time on the family, the few minutes Akshay spends with his wife are touching.

Despite its length, Baby turns out to be a solid entertainer. Even the action is limited and just because this is an action-thriller, Pandey doesn't excite us with periodic thrills. He throws in a lot of drama, about a husband and wife relationship, about religion, about country, about sacrifice and unsung heroes. There are plenty of laughs too. Don't expect too much from the film because it's your regular espionage thriller treated the Bollywood way and it works like no other film has in this genre.

Three and a half stars

Baby: A Regular Espionage Thriller Treated the Bollywood Way

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