POWERFULAND EFFECTIVE

Baby

STARRING: Akshay Kumar, K KMenon, TapseePannu,Anupam Kher, Rana Daggubati, MikaalZulfikar, Rashid Naaz

WRITER/DIRECTOR: NeerajPandey **�).(

Don't move!The concept ofthe edge-of-the-seat thriller seems tohave been invented for Neeraj Pandey's enormouslyengaging take on internationalterrorism. Ittakes gutsto make a film which calls aspade a spade or Pakistanthe hub ofterrorismin the Asiansubcontinent.

WithBaby, Pandey immediately and irreversiblyjoinsthe ranks ofthe finest contemporaryfilmmakers ofourtimes.

Outwardly Baby, with its theme ofa bunch ofbravehearts apprehending international terrorists atthe risk oftheir own lives andtheirfamily's well-being, has nothing to offerthat we haven't seen in severalfilms in the counter-terror genre before.What places Babyfar above the routine thrillers is its refreshing lack ofcircumvention inthe storytelling.

Straight away Pandey'sfilm takes us inside the life ofcounter-terrorism expert Ajay(AkshayKumar) as he grapples to locate a colleague who has been betrayed by one oftheir own and taken hostage byterrorists.

In Babythere is a palpable predilection forbuilding unbearably suspenseful action sequences without losingthe essential authenticityofthe situation. All through the riveting drama, Ajay and his team (Tapsee Pannu,Rana Daggubati and other splendidly incharacteractors who show up with him in differentsections ofthe narrative) push the envelope ofcounter-terrorism without toppling intothe abyssofselfcongratulation.

We sense we are inthe midst ofa very important docu-drama onthe violence ofourtimes.A part ofthefilm's edifying mood ofbridled energy comes from AkshayKumar's screen presence. He is in control, powerful and effective without throwing his muscles around the screen toprovehis heroic stature.

One ofthe film's most interesting sub-texts is itsattitudeto heroism and machismo. Ajayand histeam are doing a job.They wantto do it like professionals. The difference lies in the mortality level: this hero and histeam could get killed atanytime. And you know what?They don't care!

Pandey keepsthe proceedingstightly wound, andyetwe neverfeelthe weightofthe epicplotas it coils and recoils through alabyrinthofsubverted idealism and crushed diabolism.The narrative is structured as a spiral of dread, doom and a kind ofromantic hope ofheroic redemptionfromthe cesspool ofterror-violence that grips the world.

Thoughnothing inthefilm'sdesign suggests anyconsciousattemptto create a mood-specificthriller, the film keepsus spellbound from firstframe to last. Yes, the airport climax where our heroes (standing ovationforthem is in order) make their getawayfroma middle-eastern countryseems inspired by Ben Affleck'sArgo. No harm inthat... creativity is never self-generated.

Helming, navigating and controlling this bridled exposition on anarchyis Akshay Kumarwith his career's best performance. His interpretation ofan unsung hero's stubborn determination to rescuethe worldfromchaos, is mature and restrained, even when pitched against veteran actors with a formidable history ofone-upmanship.

Watch him in the dexterouslydesigned

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Watchout forthe solid supporting performances. Each actor, even in the smallest role, knows he is part of a workthat attempts to projectthe grimrealityof ourviolenceridden world without losing the inherent cinematic quality inthe narration. In various sections of the film Danny Denzongpa, Sushant Singh,Tapsee Pannu (asa desiLara Croft, she is a delight),K KMenon and Anupam Kherappeartoexcel withouttryingto.

Rashid Razasthe rabble-rousing Pakistaniradical leader with his eyeball-rolling act may seem overthe top.But then whoever said religious fundamentalists werecontrolled intheir emotions?

Whatcouldhave been avoided isthe over-punctuated background score bySunjoyChoudhary whichtriesto pound every sceneto a pulp. Ifthe narrative escapesfromtheassault onthe soundtrackit's becausethetimely plot gives us no roomto crib overtrespasses.

Pandey gets immense support fromhistechnicians.Sudeep Chatterjee shootseverynookofthe locations asthough it werethe end ofthe world.There is athrobbing urgencyto every sequence.The editing (Sree Narayan Singh) does away with punctuation marks to create a seamless world where danger lurks in everycorner and onlythe braveare allowedto survive.

Babyis one helluva roller-coaster ride. Miss it atyour own risk.

SUBHASHK.JHA