'Naam Shabana' review: It's all about girl power!

Film: Naam Shabana

Director: Shivam Nair

Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Manoj Bajpayee, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Akshay Kumar, Danny Dengzonpa  

What it’s about

It the prequel to Baby. This one takes you to Shabana Khan’s (Taapsee Pannu) initiation to the agency. How she got on to the road to being, and is trained to be, a secret agent who’s mission is to live and die for national security.

What’s good

Tapsee Pannu is fantastic in every scene, whether she is eating or in fight scenes.  It’s her story and she holds the film together. Manoj Bajpayee is fantastic. The dialogues are worth a mention.  But the problem with the film is that it has very few surprises, which spells trouble for a thriller. While Akshay Kumar’s entry in the climax of the film speeds things up, it is not enough to save the film from it’s own limitations.

What’s not

The film is not as gripping or fast-paced as you’d expect a thriller to be. Prithviraj Sumumaran keeps smiling as if he has an inside joke that only he seems to know. Weird part is the plastic surgery angle. Even if a guy changes his face, his height and body doesn’t change. a fact that seems to have missed by the makers. Also it is bizarre that Taapsee becomes an agent after one month of training, and this includes sharp shooting skills. And she is sent after one of the most wanted arms dealer in the world. serious lack of good agents?  Songs are jarring and should have been done away with.

What to do

It’s all about girl power and that’s enough to make this a one-time watch.

Rating: **