Baaghi2 : The Standard Masala Potboiler that became a hit

Baaghi 2 is already a top grosser of 2018.


Lets not forget its a remake of the Telugu thriller Kshanam but has been modified to suit Tiger Shroff's machismo. So the protagonist changes from investment banker to army commando. This is a bad tradeoff - since the hero suddenly becomes a super power rather than a struggling ordinary man.



However Baaghi 2 gives its core audience what it wants - dishoom dishoom packaged well enough to last.

1. The plot creates an emotional connect immediately - the first scene where Neha( Disha Patani) is attacked and she calls her ex boyfriend Ronnie ( Tiger Shroff). Disha Patani in this scene is the lovable girl of MS Dhoni. After that she somehow becomes the super slim gym partner of Tiger , as if the body sculpting deleted some of her acting talents.

2. Although we suspect from the college flashback  that the kid could be Ronnies kid, there are enough layers in the story to keep us interested. There is genuine suspense when everyone denies the existence of the kid in Nehas life although she says it was kidnapped. Now why did she keep some facts hidden from Ronnie is a script flaw but that could have ended the movie in 1 hr. There is this 30 minutes of the movie where Ronnie is sleuthing around in Goa is intriguing. You want to know the truth with him.

3. The film uses top drawer talent as interesting characters - Deepak Dobriyal plays the auto mechanic who knows more than what he reveals, the Police Commissioner Manoj Bajpayee who lends a helping hand, the odd ball inspector Randeep Hooda who is disguising as a hippie (jaisa desh, vaisa bhesh) to fight drug trade in Goa, Prateik Babbar as Nehas brother in law . Only Darshan Kumar as Nehas husband puts in a sub par performance. However these characters keep us hooked to the story since they lend their respectability to the plot.

4. The action although an overkill by the director Ahmed Khan is still crowd pleasing and Tiger Shroff looks the part. However the emotional department of Tigers acting still has weak moments especially when Neha commits suicide.

5. What made it a big hit - was it lack of any competition when it released ? Was it the sheer pull of a simple revenge story told reasonably well? Was it the trailer?

Overall I feel that most people forget that there is always an audience for a 'standard' commercial potboiler . People want this kind of story from time to time like a staple diet. Whoever takes that risk is well rewarded. Statistics show that Baaghi2 ran to full houses in single screen theatres just showing how it was like welcome rain to the parched throats of that audience who wanted something paisa-vasool on big screen.  Even when Baaghi was released nobody thought it will be a big hit. There the emotional core was simple - a man trying to grow up as per his father desire. Even Hollywood has this standard movie coming out from time to time. Why should we be so surprised that Baaghi2 is a hit?

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