~~~~Baaghi Reviews and BO~~~~~

Box Office Prediction: Baaghi All Set To Take A Bigger Opening Than Tiger's Heropanti

First battle that Baaghi has managed to cross is procure a solo release. In the times when only superstars manage such feat, it is remarkable that with just one film behind him, Tiger Shroff has managed such an arrival. Courtesy to the kind of clout that producer Sajid Nadiadwala enjoys, the film is seeing a huge release for itself this Friday.

To add to that, there has been good buzz around the film, courtesy its entertaining promo that has targeted youth. Shraddha Kapoor is anyways an established leading lady with two 100 crore films behind her [Ek Villain, ABCD 2], which gives the film further credibility.

Moreover, as a team, Sajid, Tiger and director Sabbir Khan have delivered a clean hit in the form of Heropanti a couple of years back. That film had taken an opening day of 6.63 crore in 2014 and as things stand today, Baaghi should open even better. The film's action has managed to grab the eyeballs which should further help the film penetrate B and C centers, as well as single screens.

The film should take an opening of around 50% which would then help it sustain well during the weekend if the content clicks. The timing couldn't have been better as there is absolutely no competition for the film. Fan is seeing a premature end for itself and euphoria around The Jungle Book is also expected to settle down since the film is completing its three weeks. Since there is no other Hindi or English film in the running, Baaghi is set to be the first choice of the audience in the coming week.

Joginder Tuteja tweets @tutejajoginder

It may hurt, but there's no easy way to say this: Tiger Shroff can break bones with his bare hands, but he doesn't have the power to emotionally sway viewers.

In the violent romance Baaghi, his acting is as rigid and stiff as his washboard abs. While it is inspiring to watch him demolish his enemies using Kalaripayattu (traditional martial art form from Kerala), the motive behind him going on a rampage is poorly established.

This film is ridden with cliches ranging from two men pining after the same girl to the usual damsel-in-distress diatribe by the Bollywood heroine (Shraddha Kapoor). The curse of the actress on call to act chirpy and cloyingly cute continues. Sia loves to play in the rain and has the habit of talking to herself. The two men in this film find these traits irresistible and swear to make her their own.

We are told that Ronny (Shroff) is an incorrigible, reckless rebel (which means baaghi). He loves living on the edge.

His ailing father is concerned about his wayward son and shunts him off to a martial arts school in Kerala, run by his best friend. The Kalariypayattu teacher may have some mean moves under his belt, but he is dressed up in a sharp, black and red tunic with pants. In a tropical state such as Kerala, his sartorial choices are questionable and jarring. It's not just that the natural choice of clothing in Kerala such as the dhoti was rejected, the pronunciations of basic Malayalam words was shockingly abysmal.

But this is just one of Baaghi's many flaws.

Kapoor, who plays an aspiring actress Sia, is underutilised.

While she looked fetching in a bikini, she didn't have much else to grab on. Her role would have been purely ornamental had it not been for a few kicks that she executes in the climax. Of course, she doesn't break a sweat or damage her salon-perfect hair. The villain, played by Telugu actor Sudheer Babu, is frustratingly one-dimensional. His motives for multiple murders is borderline stupid.

Everybody in this drama is just acquainted with the language of punching their deterrents dead. The film relies entirely on potent (often senseless) action sequences.

Shroff does a stand-up job of executing hand-to-hand combat moves, but there's little else to look forward to. If you are looking for an all brawn and no brains feature, then watch Baaghi. Otherwise, it is wise to duck this missile of a movie.