Baaghi 4 review: Tiger Shroff elevates this massy actioner that has little to no substance!

Directed by A. Harsha, Baaghi 4 is at best a one-time big-screen experience that relies heavily on Tiger Shroff's flawless action but lags in its story and screenplay.

It’s an era of over-the-top, gory and loud action films and this week it was Sajid Nadiadwala’s turn to offer the audience another actioner because, well, nothing sells better than violence, drama and some toxic masculinity on-screen these days. Directed by A. Harsha,  Baaghi 4 follows Ronny (Tiger Shroff) as he is haunted by a past, which he is not sure existed, courtesy of his struggles with hallucinations after a fatal accident. How he powers through it and tries to bring his life together forms the crux of the story. 

The film opens with Ronny surviving a near-death experience and his brother Jeetu (Shreyas Talpade) dismissing his restlessness, and mourning for a woman as hallucinations. The story doesn’t move an inch for nearly the first 30 minutes of the film and invests all its time in convincing Ronny and the audience that the former is indeed hallucinating and it does so through multiple high-octane action sequences, songs and dances and, dramatic-outburst, making the first half slow-paced, incoherent, and all over the place. 

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Romance, revenge and action are the three pillars on which the makers mount every installment of Baaghi and the films have largely managed to deliver on the aforementioned fronts. However, barring action, the movie fails to impress on the other two elements this time. Harnaaz Sandhu, the former beauty pageant winner, plays Ronny’s love interest Alisha, a Gen Z doctor, whose loss our protagonist is weighed down by. Discussing more about their love story would be giving away spoilers, but what I can say is it's a typical 70s style saga that involves a quintessential hero, an idealistic heroine and an all-powerful wicked villain who causes their tragic separation with the only difference being modern costumes and high production values.

The film lacks refreshing plotlines, the makers inject multiple twists and turns, most of which feel forced and unnecessary. While the first half at least manages to hold your attention, the second half goes all out with its unconvincing reveals and frustrating story developments. Sanjay Dutt plays the antagonist Chako, who we are introduced to just before the interval. The entry sequence is menacing, leaving fans yearning for some more style and substance from his role, only to be left disappointed. 

Baaghi 4, is grand in its scale and ambition, however, falls flat due to its poor writing and weak screenplay, with action being its only saving grace. It’s well choreographed, neatly executed, but does get loud and gory at times. The film wastes Sonam Bajwa and Shreyas Talpade in some impactless roles, Upendra Limaye, however, shines as the police cop investigating Ronny’s misadventures. 

At the heart of it, Baaghi 4 is an out-and-out Tiger Shroff show. He anchors the film brilliantly with his near-perfect execution of stunts, the intensity and resolve in his eyes that embody the restlessness of Ronny’s heart and the body language and mannerisms of a charming defence force officer who turns into a violent, bitter and disturbed man post his accident. The film, if nothing at all, testifies to the fact that Shroff has improved a lot as an actor, and has the aura and screen presence required to be a bankable star. Overall, Baaghi 4 is strictly for the actor's fans and enthusiasts of the genre. 

 Baaghi 4 is playing in cinema halls near you!