For name’s sake

Nonika Singh

When ‘Baby’ came, many wanted more of Tapsee Pannu, who pulled quite a punch in her kickass role as an agent in the edge-of-the-seat thriller. Neeraj Pandey, the director of Baby and producer-writer of Naam Shabana heard those voices and seems to have duly obliged. Those curious to know more of her character get to meet her in a full-fledged avatar with a back story in tow.  Indeed, as the title suggests, it’s Shabana all the way. Without a doubt, Tapsee is in fine form and it’s not just her co-star Akshay Kumar, who gave her 10-on-10, we too are tempted to give her the same score.

Alas, the movie barely gets passing marks as it follows the predictably insipid path, especially when it dovetails her reasons to join the agency. Couldn’t writers have given her a better motive than retribution to bring her into the fold of the intelligence agency? Of course, to steer clear of trouble, the makers simply call it an agency with a qualifier---it is the anonymous face of national security. One short sermon by Manoj Bajpayee (competent as always), reminds us what undercover agents do to keep us and the country safe. Clearly it has able brave-hearts, which featured in Baby on board. But here we have more of the kind, who can botch up operations even when the prey is right in its grip. So how can Shabana help their cause?

And it’s not just Shabana who is flummoxed as to why the agency wants her, we too can’t quite fathom the ‘shiddat’ with which the agency trails her. If this is how the agency picks its men and women, God help us! Interestingly, while one of the dialogues tells us - women are born spies - there is no such use of her feminine intuitive powers. The manner in which Akshay Kumar (the makers dutifully remind us that the film is based on Baby’s characters) holds her by the arm and gets her out of trouble zones is a trifle too patronizing. More so in the climax, where she has succeeded in doing what all of agency’s men collectively can’t. 

This spin-off spins out a yarn, which is neither touching nor convincing. Yet amidst all this, Tapsee stands firm. Be it as the quiet brave girl or as the one who wants her pound of flesh, she doesn’t strike a single false note. Controlled, in her grief, pain and action, she, who has proved herself in a number of films, including Pink, is clearly the actor to watch out for.  But can she make Naam Shabana a gripping fare? Well, in the absence of a sterling storyline, matching, let alone outdoing Baby, which gave us a nail-biting experience, can’t be a mean task. No wonder, you end up asking for more of Akshay and Anupam Kher, who do have small parts.  Prithviraj Sukumaran, as the most wanted, too brings in requisite menace. Still, it’s not easy to get a perfect combination each time. And this one, which adds unwanted Bollywood songs, throws in expected turn of events and pretentious bits gets its account sheet (assets vs liabilities) wrong in more than one place. Still, you can watch it for Tapsee Pannu.