Naam Shabana

Ever since I heard the news about a prequel to Baby, I was curious. Moreover, what made it sound even more interesting is that Neeraj Pandey chose the 10 minute fight sequence involving Taapsee Pannu to tell the story of the girl who later became the feisty fighter Shabana Khan. My expectations were high, as were the ones from several movie-goers.

The film started with the leading lady Shabana (Pannu) showing her marshal art moves. We get to see a no-nonsense butt-kicking protagonist and her 'driver' friend who had more than a soft corner for her. The story took a sudden turn after a night of tragic events, which made Shabana to take the path of becoming a secret agent. 

After a fantastic backdrop, I was expecting some tough training sequences similar to that from recent Dangal movie followed by some high-octane thrills and actions on the lines of Baby. Not that I was disappointed completely, yet I felt that things were getting done in a hurry. I know, it's not fair, but is inevitable, to compare the movie to Baby. Naam Shabana lacked the intensity and sincerity of the latter. Maybe, the bar was too high, as usually happens with the sequels. Did I mention, Kahaani 2? Well I did not, but you may not be wrong to think about that one.

As per the star cast goes, the movie is completely owned by the leading lady: Taapsee Pannu. This is again after Pink, when she proves herself. She can really act, much evident from the dinner date scene, where she conveys a lot just from her eyes. Then, there is THE superstar Akshay Kumar, who even with just a cameo, infuses the screen with sheer energy whenever he appears. But did he need to every time pull the girl, literally, out of a dangerous situation? I am not sure! A conflicting point of view in a movie establishing girl-power. Rest of the cast does the job well. 

A more of Manoj Vajpayee would have been better. Southern star, Prithviraj is wasted in the role of the antagonist. He nevertheless does look menacing while killing people by choking them to death. 

A two and half for the movie and another half just for Tapsee Pannu and her action scenes; a total of 3 stars. It could have been better, but still one of the good movies releasing these days! Go for it without high expectations and you will enjoy.