Baby
Neeraj Pandey directed and wrote the action spy thriller Baby, which came out in 2015 in Hindi. The film, which stars Akshay Kumar in the lead role alongside Anupam Kher, Rana Daggubati, Danny Denzongpa, Taapsee Pannu, Kay Kay Menon, Mikaal Zulfiqar, Madhurima Tuli, and Rasheed Naz, is Pandey and Kumar’s second collaboration after Special 26. An officer leads a team to destroy one such potentially deadly operation in the film, which depicts an elite Indian intelligence system team constantly attempting to eliminate terrorists and their plots.
On September 4, 2014, filming began in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. It was shot in Nepal, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, and Gautam Buddha University. One of the year’s most anticipated movies was this one. On December 4, 2014, its theatrical trailer was made available.
Baby was released on 23 January 2015 where it generally received positive reviews from critics who praised its screenwriting, direction, action sequences and Kumar’s performance. It was a commercial success at the box office, grossing over ₹1.43 billion (US$17 million) worldwide. In September 2016, filming for a prequel titled Naam Shabana began, with Pannu playing Shabana Khan and Kumar playing Ajay Singh Rajput in a cameo. It was released on 31 March 2017.
Plot
A temporary task force headed by Feroz Ali Khan is formed in response to the 26/11 attacks in India, the job being to find and eliminate terrorists planning attacks in India. Ajay Singh Rajput captures Jamaal, a former coworker who has become a traitor, while attempting to save a fellow secret agent in Turkey.
If Ajay does not provide the information about a plan for a terror attack, he will kill his family. Ajay learns from Jamaal that there is a plan to set off a bomb in a shopping mall in Delhi. With the help of Jai, Ajay is able to stop the plan. After that, Jamaal kills himself and taunts Ajay, claiming that the terrorists had planned a series of massive attacks.
Maulana Mohammed Abdul Rehman, a terrorist mastermind based in Pakistan, is causing trouble near the border between India and Pakistan. He devises a strategy for Bilal Khan, a dangerous terrorist imprisoned in Mumbai, to flee. Bilal assigns Javed Ali Khan, another terrorist who arrives in Mumbai via Dubai, for this purpose. After that, Bilal gets away from the police and leaves the country.
Javed’s arrival is reported to the Indian authorities, and an ATS team led by Ajay is sent to question Taufiq, an ISI agent posing as a local Muslim leader. After torturing Taufiq, Ajay discovers information about Javed and conducts a search of Javed’s hideout. However, when Javed sets off a suicide bomb, things go awry and all of the officers, with the exception of Ajay, are killed.
The agency is able to recover the laptop’s contents and discover a name on the hard drive: Wasim Sheikh, a terrorist group’s logistics planner who lives in Nepal under the name Abdul Haq. Ajay Khan and Shabana Khan travel to Nepal as if they are married. When Wasim discovers that Shabana is a covert agent, their plan to capture him fails.
However, Shabana fights with him and knocks him unconscious and the duo bring Wasim back to India. Wasim provides the agency with all of the information it needs out of fear of being tortured. He informs them that Bilal is in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Dera and will travel to Karachi to carry out a deadly attack on numerous Indian locations.
Feroz sends Ajay, Jai, and frequent collaborator and expert hacker Om Prakash Shukla to Al-Dera to meet their deep asset, Ashfaq. Bilal is holding meetings in Al-Dera to discuss the funding and execution of the terrorist attacks. Ajay and Jai kill Bilal after breaking into his room with the assistance of Shukla. As they are about to return, they find that Maulana is also present at the suite.
Jai knocks him out. They decide to bring him back to India, under the pretext that he is Ashfaq’s uncle who needs to visit India for an urgent liver transplant. They manage to get a visa from the local authorities for Maulana (being shown as Ashfaq’s ill uncle), but the hotel security discovers Bilal’s corpse. Police Chief Hani Mohammad starts investigating Bilal’s death. He quickly realizes that Ajay and his group are Indian agents.
Ajay manages to subdue Maulana after he regains consciousness and attacks him suddenly. Ajay and his team then board the plane, but Hani contacts the ATC and asks them to stop the aircraft. However, when he sees a newspaper that reveals that Maulana and Bilal are wanted terrorists with an international bounty on their heads, he smiles and lets the plane take off without any further hindrance.
Feroz’s narration reveals that Maulana was brought to India, but that his capture was kept under wraps. After 6 weeks of rigorous interrogation, when Maulana had nothing substantial left to contribute, he was handed over to the Indian Army and taken to Srinagar, where he was given the same treatment by the army as given to militants (implying that he was eliminated). The trial run is successful, and the temporary task force is given permanent status where the agents celebrate their victory.
Cast
Credit – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_(2015_Hindi_film)#Cast
- Akshay Kumar as Ajay Singh Rajput / Rafiq Khan / Rahul Awasthi
- Danny Denzongpa as Feroz Ali Khan, Ajay’s boss
- Taapsee Pannu as Shabana Khan / Priya, undercover agent
- Madhurima Tuli as Anjali Rajput, Ajay’s wife
- Rana Daggubati as Jai Singh Rathod / Vijay Sharma
- Anupam Kher as Omprakash Shukla / Brijmohan Singh
- Kay Kay Menon as Bilal Khan / Firdaus Ali / Jameel Rashid
- Sushant Singh as Wasim Khan / Abdul Haq
- Jameel Khan as Taufiq Aalam
- Mikaal Zulfiqar as Ashfaque Qazi
- Amar Talwar as Minister Dhanraj Pradhan
- Murali Sharma as Jagdish Gupta, Pradhan’s secretary
- Rasheed Naz as Maulana Mohammed Abdul Rehman / Abbas Sheikh
- Sanjeev Tyagi as Sharan, a policeman
- Hasan Noman as Hani Mohammed, Officer of Al-Dera Police who investigates Bilal’s murder
- Karan Aanand as Jamal
- Rumi Khan as Javed Ali Khan
- Niharica Raizada as Priya Jhaveri, a reporter
- Sajjad Delafrooz as Saudi Arabian Doctor
- Esha Gupta in a special appearance in the Song “Beparwah”
Production
Baby was produced under T-Series along with Crouching Tiger, Friday Filmworks and Cape of Good Films. The filming began on 4 September 2014, in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Some filming was done in Gautam Buddha University, at Meditation Hall, Shanti Sarover and Library, at Greater Noida. The second part was filmed in Nepal, and in October, the team finished their final schedule in Abu Dhabi. In addition, some scenes were shot in Istanbul. Sajjad Delafrooz was hired to play the Saudi doctor.
Our General Review
Alright, buckle up, folks, because we’re diving headfirst into the wild, adrenaline-soaked, terrorist-punching world of *Baby*, the 2015 Bollywood action thriller starring the one, the only, Akshay Kumar—aka the Khiladi who never quits, even when the script occasionally does.
Directed by Neeraj Pandey, the man who gave us *A Wednesday* and *Special 26*, this film is a rollercoaster of espionage, bone-crunching action, and a sprinkle of dry humor that lands somewhere between “ha-ha” and “did he just say that?” It’s a movie that tries to be both a gritty spy thriller and a patriotic chest-thumper, and while it doesn’t always stick the landing, it sure as heck keeps you entertained while it somersaults through the air. Let’s break it down, shall we?
First off, the title. *Baby*. Yes, you heard that right. It’s not about diapers or lullabies—unless you count the soothing sound of Akshay Kumar snapping a bad guy’s neck as a lullaby. No, “Baby” is the codename for a super-secret, off-the-books counter-terrorism unit that’s been running on a five-year trial basis, because apparently, that’s how long it takes the Indian government to decide if they like their spies or not.
Led by the stoic Feroze Ali Khan (Danny Denzongpa, who looks like he’s been chewing on gravel and wisdom for decades), this elite squad is tasked with thwarting terror plots faster than you can say “ISI agent.” And at the heart of it all is Ajay Singh Rajput, played by Akshay Kumar, a man so tough he could probably stare down a tsunami and make it apologize.
Now, let’s talk about Akshay for a hot minute. This guy’s been Bollywood’s go-to action hero since the 90s, back when he was kicking goons through windows in films like *Khiladi* and *Mohra*. By 2015, he’d done everything from slapstick comedies to rom-coms where he juggles three heroines and a migraine. But in *Baby*, he’s dialed back the over-the-top theatrics and gone full-on Jason Bourne—well, Jason Bourne with a fake mustache that looks like it’s plotting its own escape. Ajay is a no-nonsense operative who lives for the mission, occasionally pausing to send a guilt-ridden text to his wife about missing his daughter’s birthday.
It’s a performance that’s equal parts restrained and relentless, and honestly, it’s refreshing to see Akshay ditch the pelvic thrusts for some good old-fashioned throat punches.
The plot kicks off with a bang—literally, as explosions and chase scenes set the tone early. Post-26/11 Mumbai attacks, “Baby” is formed to hunt down terrorists before they can strike again. The mission takes Ajay and his team—featuring a buff Rana Daggubati (who’s basically a walking tank), a sulky Anupam Kher (who brings the comic relief like a grumpy uncle at a wedding), and a fierce Taapsee Pannu (more on her later)—from the dusty streets of Nepal to the deserts of Saudi Arabia, with pit stops in Turkey and India.
They’re chasing a rogue’s gallery of baddies, including a menacing Maulana Mohammad Rehman (Rasheed Naz, channeling every fire-and-brimstone stereotype in the book) and a slippery ex-agent Bilal (Kay Kay Menon, underused but still oozing menace). The stakes? Oh, just your average “save India from a massive terror attack” gig, complete with a ticking clock and a DLF mall in Delhi as the target. Because nothing says “high stakes” like threatening a shopping spree.
Here’s where the film gets serious—and a little self-serious. Neeraj Pandey clearly wants *Baby* to be more than just a popcorn flick. He peppers the script with dialogue about national pride, religious identity, and the alienation of certain communities, like when Ajay tells an ISI agent, “In the religion column, I write ‘Indian’ in bold letters.” It’s a noble attempt to sidestep the usual Bollywood jingoism, but it sometimes feels like the movie’s trying too hard to prove it’s woke.
The villains are painted with broad strokes—bearded, ranting, and predictably evil—while the good guys are flawless patriots who never break a sweat, even when they’re dangling from a helicopter or dodging bullets in a crowded bazaar. It’s a bit of a missed opportunity to dig deeper into the gray areas of espionage, but then again, this is Bollywood, not *Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy*.
Now, let’s lighten things up with the humor, because *Baby* has some sneaky funny moments that catch you off guard. Anupam Kher’s Shukla is the MVP here, grumbling about his aching joints while hacking into systems or bickering with Ajay like they’re in a buddy cop flick. There’s a scene where Ajay slaps a minister’s aide for a dumb remark, and the theater I was in (hypothetically, since I’m an AI) erupted in cheers.
It’s the kind of dry, situational comedy that doesn’t need a laugh track—just perfect timing and a deadpan delivery. Akshay gets in on the fun too, like when he casually asks a suspect, “Kharonch kyun aayegi?” (“Why would it scratch?”) before an interrogation that’s anything but gentle. It’s subtle, it’s sharp, and it keeps the film from drowning in its own gravitas.
But the real show-stealer? Taapsee Pannu. She swoops in mid-movie as Priya, an undercover agent who doesn’t just hold her own—she obliterates the competition. Her fight scene in a hotel room is a jaw-dropper: raw, brutal, and gloriously unfilmic. No slow-mo hair flips or Rajinikanth-style swagger here—just a woman kicking ass with a ferocity that makes you wonder why she didn’t get her own spin-off sooner (spoiler: she did, with *Naam Shabana*). It’s one of those moments where you’re like, “Oh, so THIS is what Bollywood action could be if it stopped obsessing over the hero’s biceps!”
The action sequences, by the way, are a mixed bag. When they’re good, they’re *really* good—tense, well-choreographed, and grounded enough to feel plausible. The Istanbul chase is a standout, with Ajay dodging cars and fists like he’s auditioning for *The Transporter*. But then there are the clunkers: some CGI explosions look like they were borrowed from a 90s video game, and Akshay’s parkour obsession gets a little silly when he’s leaping over rooftops like a caffeinated kangaroo. Still, the pace is relentless, especially in the second half, where the film shifts into high gear and doesn’t let up until the climax—a nail-biting plane escape that had me (again, hypothetically) gripping my imaginary armrests.
So, what’s the verdict? *Baby* is a blast if you’re in the mood for a slick, no-frills thriller with a side of patriotism and a dash of wit. It’s not perfect—the runtime drags at 160 minutes, some characters (looking at you, Rana) are glorified props, and the political messaging can feel heavy-handed. But it’s also a damn good time, thanks to Akshay’s steely charisma, Pandey’s knack for suspense, and a supporting cast that keeps the energy humming. Is it Bollywood’s answer to *Zero Dark Thirty*? Nah, it’s too busy being fun for that. Think of it more like *Mission: Impossible* with a desi twist—and a hero who’d rather break your jaw than shake your hand.
In the end, *Baby* is the kind of movie that makes you cheer, cringe, and chuckle in equal measure. It’s Akshay Kumar at his action-hero best, proving he doesn’t need to dance around trees to hold your attention—just a few well-placed punches and a steely glare. So, grab some popcorn, suspend your disbelief, and enjoy the ride. Just don’t ask too many questions about that mustache.
People Review (Taken From Google)
