Baby: Crisp Akshay, crisp thrills

Baby
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Rana Daggubati, Taapsee Pannu, Anupam Kher, Madhurima Tuli, Danny Denzongpa, Kay Kay Menon, Sushant Singh
Rated: 6.5/10
For the January 26 week, Baby is an apt release. It comes with a high testosterone patriotic fervour, is pegged on the populism of  terrorist bashing, is helmed by a crisp Akshay Kumar and is edited such that pace gets maximum mileage. Director Neeraj Pandey who has grown up on well-received films like A Wednesday, Special 26, Total Siyappa andThe Royal Bengal Tiger breezes through Baby with the expertise of a veteran. Pandey moves the spy thriller from India to Nepal to Saudi Arabia and keeps up the edge-of-seat jingoism without really getting overtly jingoistic.
Yes, it is ridiculous to see one man doing all this and with such precision. He can torture, he can murder, he can kidnap bad elements from another country, he can walk into a fully guarded hideout and take out a top terrorist and carry back a priceless booty in the form of a wanted Maulana who looks uncomfortably familiar to Indian audiences. He is our hero, the one we have been waiting for all our lives, more so in the interesting times we live in.
Akshay puts in a commendable performance and lends the weight of meaning to “faceless soldiers of the nation.” The belittling of their yeomen effort to keep India safe has been dealt with a tight slap that a Minister’s PA gives him behind closed doors. This and many more sequences get pride of place in this fast running espionage thriller with subtlety and humour both of which get direction through the poker faced Ajay who is much married to a worried but unbelievably understanding wife who demands only one promise from him: “Bas marna mat”, she tells him between sobs and smiles signifying much of the film’s intent.
Another matter though that except for a designer scratch on Akshay’s temple (resembles a tattoo) there is nothing to suggest that he is vulnerable, even human. That’s laudatory and also the point where this slick film will draw the flak.

Source: Sunday Pioneer, 25 January, 2015

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