The film starts off in the year 1973 in the deserts of Rajasthan with the introduction of Ileana D’Cruz as Rani Gitanjali Devi. This is followed by Emergency being declared during 25th June 1975. Back then, Gitanjali gets arrested and jailed for possessing a massive ancestral wealth, which the government takes under its sway.
At the same time, Bhawani (Ajay Devgn) to gets jailed for a petty crime. This is followed by a flashback of events, which mirrors the past relationship that Bhawani and Gitanjali had shared with each other. This follows a ‘foolproof’ plan by Bhawani (at the behest of Gitanjali) in order to smuggle the priceless wealth to the Rajasthan border. The accomplices in the game plan include Dalia (Emraan Hashmi), Sanjana (Esha Gupta) and Tikla (Sanjay Mishra). The roadblock in their whole plan is in the form of the police inspector Seher (Vidyut Jammwal). What follows after that is a series of twists and turns which turns the course of the film in totality.
In a film like this, which is sprinkled with superstars it kind of becomes tough to single a particular actor for his/ her performance. But in a film like Baadshaho where the script is the weakest link, it really becomes difficult to place the blame on any actor’s shoulders for the non-satisfactory outcome of the film. With due respect to everyone else, it is Ajay Devgn who wins extra brownie points here. Besides his usual screen presence, it’s also his one-liners (only a few of them), which forms the highlight of the film. Ajay Devgn is one of the major reasons to watch the film. He is followed a close second by Emraan Hashmi, who looks his part to a ‘t’. He looks ‘con-vincing’ in his role of a thief who places friendship above wealth. As for Esha Gupta, she does not have anything much to do. Her role looks as same or similar to her previous films. For those expecting the oozing, the glam-quotient of the film from her will be a tad disappointed. Ditto for Vidyut Jamwal, who, after doing initial rounds of action (only a handful of them), seems to fall flat in front of his character. Then, there’s Ileana D’Cruz (who was last seen in films like Mubarakan and Rustom) does a decent job in the film. The ever-reliable seasoned actor Sanjay Mishra is good on his part. Rest of the actors help the film move forward.
Considering that the film has been marketed as an ‘Ajay Devgn- Emraan Hashmi’ starrer (the duo whose camaraderie meant fireworks on the silver screen), Baadshaho will have viewers watching it purely for the same, with expectations of being treated with the duo’s one-liners. The film, which is expected to do good business during the weekend because of the aforementioned factors, will really have to prove itself in the acid test during the week which follows.
Rating: 7/10