Filmmaker Milan Luthria has an impressive body of work to his credit such as ' Once Upon a Time in Mumbai' and his track record with Ajay Devgn has struck gold on previous occasions. So, Luthria's 'Baadshaho' starring the intense Devgn as Bhawani Singh, who mouths powerful dialogues and can do anything to keep his word has loyalty engraved in his character.
Then, there is Ileana D'Cruz as Maharani Gitanjali who is the surprise package of this heist thriller. The actress has been given ample screen space to explore her acting horizon and thankfully she does leave an impression. Written by Rajat Arora, the screenplay moves smoothly taking us back-and-forth in time.
There is a straight reference to the Emergency as the film is set in the 70s and Priyanshu Chatterjee as a scheming politician will remind you of a powerful personality from that era.
'Baadshaho' brings together four characters of Ajay as Bhawani, Emraan Hashmi as Dalia, the super entertaining Sanjay Mishra as Tikla and sizzling Esha Gupta, who plays Sanjana (Maharani's friend).
They join forces to plan and execute the biggest and the most challenging heist ever. The backdrop is Rajasthan, so the dialect has been kept so—thankfully, the characters don't lose it.
Maharani Gitanjali faces a tough time and is jailed, however, that doesn't stop her from ruling the hearts of her people. Quite literally, in this case. Enter Vidyut Jammwal and oh boy his introductory scene is too much. He is an Army man in the flick, who has been accorded the duty to safeguard the treasure of the Maharani.
What happens next will not just surprise you but give you some adrenaline rush too. There are chase sequences, kickass fights, Rajasthani folk music and what not! The journey of these four main characters till the time of the climax keeps you going and not a dull moment is felt.
Especially, the romantic number 'Mere Rashke Qamar' softens your mood while watching this thriller. Music by Tanishk Bagchi and Ankit Tiwari is hummable while background score by John Stewart Eduri adds a great deal in making the flick look edgy.
However, it's only the ending which disappoints. Luthria could have given a much better climax by not leaving everything to the audience's imagination.
In one word, 'Baadshaho' is Thrilling. The masala potboiler awaits you! Watch it.
(Ratings: 3 Stars)
