Cast & Crew
Critic's Rating: 3.0
GIRL GI JOE WITH GOOD GUSTO
Naam Shabana Story : Shabana Khan (Taapsee) is the special agent who is entrusted the task of assassinating a deadly arms dealer(Prithviraj) by the Indian Intelligence Agencies.
Naam Shabana Review : Blame this prequel on the media. Most critics who saw Neeraj Pandey’s action-drama, Baby (2015) praised agent, Shabana’s cameo in it. Her brisk action-sequence in a Kathmandu hotel room, when accompanying Ajay Singh (Akshay Kumar) on a mission, provided the required adrenaline-rush. Taking the praise to their heart, this time around, the makers dedicated 148 mins, (really?) to the spunky agent. Sorry, but the running time is the film’s first inherent flaw. Frankly, Shabana shone in Baby because she was in a cameo. Someone missed the point, guys.
That be as it may, empowering women has merit. So we will go along with the maker’s thought process in giving us this offering. Only wish Pandey (credited with story-screenplay-dialogues) hadn’t over-simplified proceedings. Here, the men (Manoj Bajpayee, Akshay (cameo) and other characters from Baby) are almost spoon-feeding Shabana.
Such contrivances apart, when viewed as a stand-alone film, Shabana has some definite merit.
Straight away it reminds you how women are no longer helpless when teased by a bunch of drunken louts; or when brushed against accidentally in crowded spaces. They have enough and more in their DNA to give back as good as they get.
Also a quick look at Shabana’s back-story. Growing up she was scarred by an alcoholic father, who abused her mother. And she has spent time in a juvenile correction facility for accidentally killing her father. Instead of allowing this to mar her future, Shabana moulds herself differently from your average Seeta, Salma or Suzy.
The first half indulges the protagonist and her love interest, Jai too much. It is only post-intermission, especially the last 35 minutes in which proceedings pick up. Sticking to a typical-action drama narrative that jumps from Mumbai to Goa, Vienna to Kuala Lumpur, with the arms dealer and the ISI agents playing a cat-and-mouse game, the film, is more an escapist fare than a realistic one.
Taapsee delivers some knockout punches and is sincere enough. Manoj is brilliant, though he has just dialogue-baazi and no action to support him. As for Akshay, he is happy to lend his superstar-presence and bask in the girl power. So go ahead and salute his spirit.
Also Read : ‘Naam Shabana’ box-office collection Day 4
Also Read : Naam Shabana Review in Hindi
Naam Shabana Story : Shabana Khan (Taapsee) is the special agent who is entrusted the task of assassinating a deadly arms dealer(Prithviraj) by the Indian Intelligence Agencies.
Naam Shabana Review : Blame this prequel on the media. Most critics who saw Neeraj Pandey’s action-drama, Baby (2015) praised agent, Shabana’s cameo in it. Her brisk action-sequence in a Kathmandu hotel room, when accompanying Ajay Singh (Akshay Kumar) on a mission, provided the required adrenaline-rush. Taking the praise to their heart, this time around, the makers dedicated 148 mins, (really?) to the spunky agent. Sorry, but the running time is the film’s first inherent flaw. Frankly, Shabana shone in Baby because she was in a cameo. Someone missed the point, guys.
movie
That be as it may, empowering women has merit. So we will go along with the maker’s thought process in giving us this offering. Only wish Pandey (credited with story-screenplay-dialogues) hadn’t over-simplified proceedings. Here, the men (Manoj Bajpayee, Akshay (cameo) and other characters from Baby) are almost spoon-feeding Shabana.
Such contrivances apart, when viewed as a stand-alone film, Shabana has some definite merit.
Straight away it reminds you how women are no longer helpless when teased by a bunch of drunken louts; or when brushed against accidentally in crowded spaces. They have enough and more in their DNA to give back as good as they get.
Also a quick look at Shabana’s back-story. Growing up she was scarred by an alcoholic father, who abused her mother. And she has spent time in a juvenile correction facility for accidentally killing her father. Instead of allowing this to mar her future, Shabana moulds herself differently from your average Seeta, Salma or Suzy.
The first half indulges the protagonist and her love interest, Jai too much. It is only post-intermission, especially the last 35 minutes in which proceedings pick up. Sticking to a typical-action drama narrative that jumps from Mumbai to Goa, Vienna to Kuala Lumpur, with the arms dealer and the ISI agents playing a cat-and-mouse game, the film, is more an escapist fare than a realistic one.
Taapsee delivers some knockout punches and is sincere enough. Manoj is brilliant, though he has just dialogue-baazi and no action to support him. As for Akshay, he is happy to lend his superstar-presence and bask in the girl power. So go ahead and salute his spirit.
Also Read : ‘Naam Shabana’ box-office collection Day 4
Also Read : Naam Shabana Review in Hindi
In-depth Analysis
Our overall critic’s rating is not an average of the sub scores below.
Summary / Analysis
Spoiler alert! Please do not read the following plot summary if you have not seen the film.
Plot Summary
Shabana Khan (Taapsee Pannu) and her mother live in a middle class area in Mumbai. They are extremely close. Shabana shares all her secrets with her mother. She also goes to college and attends wrestling and kick-boxing training.
She is a bright student. Her friend in college, Jai (Taheer Shabbir Mithaiwala), is attracted to her. On his birthday, he asks Shabana to go to dinner with him. She agrees. After Jai and Shabana finish dinner, they are riding back on his motorbike, when an open jeep with some drunken boys stops ahead of them forcing the couple to get off their bike. Shabana, who is a brave girl, goes ahead and tries to defend herself against the boys who are misbehaving. Jai stays behind. During the fracas, one of the boys attacks Jai with a baseball racket and kills him.
Then the cops and the ambulance comes on the scene. The miscreants run away. Shabana accompanies Jai to the hospital, where he dies. She is heartbroken. Jai’s mother blames her for the death. The elderly lady slaps Shabana.
Shabana tries her level best to get to the bottom of the case. She wants to track the culprits and bring them to task. However, they seem to have disappeared from the face of the earth. One day she gets a call from a mystery man (Manoj Bajpayee) who tells her that he can help her get even with the boys who killed Jai. The mystery caller also tells her that after her personal mission is accomplished, she has to do some work for him. Shabana agrees. She goes to Goa, traces the whereabouts of Jai’s killers and kills the main guy. She may have been caught in a situation but is rescued by Ajay (Akshay Kumar) and taken safely back to Mumbai.
In Mumbai Shabana is now told by the mystery caller that she has been chosen by the Intelligence Agencies to eliminate a dreaded arms killer, Tony (Prithviraj Sukumaran). Shabana undergoes several forms of training and then gets ready to travel to Malaysia to kill Tony.
Some other Intelligence agency guys also try to kill Tony but they fail.
Shabana is the final hope. She reaches Kuala Lumpur and here she meets special agent Ajay. Both of them lay a plan to go to the hospital where Tony is supposed to undergo a plastic surgery to change his looks.
Spoiler alert ahead: only read if you have seen the film
Shabana gets into the Operation Theatre on another bed pretending to be a patient. She even allows the nurse to give her anesthesia. But she also takes an injection by herself to get rid of the effects of the anesthesia. When Tony is wheeled into the next Operation Theatre, Shabana barges in with a gun. She shoots some of the security staff outside and is about to eliminate Tony who she assumes is under local anesthesia. However, Tony opens his eyes and a fight ensues between the two. Tony proves too strong for Shabana initially but ultimately she outsmarts him and shoots him. Ajay barges into the OT and takes Shabana away to safety.
Shabana Khan (Taapsee Pannu) and her mother live in a middle class area in Mumbai. They are extremely close. Shabana shares all her secrets with her mother. She also goes to college and attends wrestling and kick-boxing training.
She is a bright student. Her friend in college, Jai (Taheer Shabbir Mithaiwala), is attracted to her. On his birthday, he asks Shabana to go to dinner with him. She agrees. After Jai and Shabana finish dinner, they are riding back on his motorbike, when an open jeep with some drunken boys stops ahead of them forcing the couple to get off their bike. Shabana, who is a brave girl, goes ahead and tries to defend herself against the boys who are misbehaving. Jai stays behind. During the fracas, one of the boys attacks Jai with a baseball racket and kills him.
Then the cops and the ambulance comes on the scene. The miscreants run away. Shabana accompanies Jai to the hospital, where he dies. She is heartbroken. Jai’s mother blames her for the death. The elderly lady slaps Shabana.
Shabana tries her level best to get to the bottom of the case. She wants to track the culprits and bring them to task. However, they seem to have disappeared from the face of the earth. One day she gets a call from a mystery man (Manoj Bajpayee) who tells her that he can help her get even with the boys who killed Jai. The mystery caller also tells her that after her personal mission is accomplished, she has to do some work for him. Shabana agrees. She goes to Goa, traces the whereabouts of Jai’s killers and kills the main guy. She may have been caught in a situation but is rescued by Ajay (Akshay Kumar) and taken safely back to Mumbai.
In Mumbai Shabana is now told by the mystery caller that she has been chosen by the Intelligence Agencies to eliminate a dreaded arms killer, Tony (Prithviraj Sukumaran). Shabana undergoes several forms of training and then gets ready to travel to Malaysia to kill Tony.
Some other Intelligence agency guys also try to kill Tony but they fail.
Shabana is the final hope. She reaches Kuala Lumpur and here she meets special agent Ajay. Both of them lay a plan to go to the hospital where Tony is supposed to undergo a plastic surgery to change his looks.
Spoiler alert ahead: only read if you have seen the film
Shabana gets into the Operation Theatre on another bed pretending to be a patient. She even allows the nurse to give her anesthesia. But she also takes an injection by herself to get rid of the effects of the anesthesia. When Tony is wheeled into the next Operation Theatre, Shabana barges in with a gun. She shoots some of the security staff outside and is about to eliminate Tony who she assumes is under local anesthesia. However, Tony opens his eyes and a fight ensues between the two. Tony proves too strong for Shabana initially but ultimately she outsmarts him and shoots him. Ajay barges into the OT and takes Shabana away to safety.
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ADD REVIEWTwitter Reaction
Taapsee Pannu-starrer ‘Naam Shabana’ hit theatres today. The film, which is a spin-off of the 2015 hit ‘Baby’, opened to praises from many B-town celebrities. Taapsee, who plays the main lead of Shabana in the action thriller, has won tremendous appreciation from the industry for her powerful act of a spy. From actor Rana Daggubati to director Srijit Mukherji, many have taken to Twitter to congratulate the film’s team for their endeavour.
The film’s supporting cast comprises Manoj Bajpayee, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa and Prithviraj Sukumaran. ‘Naam Shabana’ also sees Akshay Kumar reprise his role from ‘Baby’ in an extended cameo.
Here are the reactions of some Bollywood celebs on social media.
The film’s supporting cast comprises Manoj Bajpayee, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa and Prithviraj Sukumaran. ‘Naam Shabana’ also sees Akshay Kumar reprise his role from ‘Baby’ in an extended cameo.
Here are the reactions of some Bollywood celebs on social media.
@taapsee carries #NaamShabana like Atlas without shrugging for a second! Stellar turn!🖒🖒🖒
— Srijit Mukherji (@srijitspeaketh) March 29, 2017
#NaamShabana slick,intense and hard hitting!! So proud of you @taapsee for the kind of work you're doing!! Good luck to the entire team.
— Rana Daggubati (@RanaDaggubati) March 31, 2017
From #Pink to #NaamShabana @taapsee meri pyaari Pannu is scaling heights. More power to you. super running technique.🏃#dontmesswithpannu pic.twitter.com/hcMLFwwS1f
— ANGAD BEDI! (@Imangadbedi) March 30, 2017
Watch #NaamShabana tomorrow! @taapsee is so so good❤ Girl power👊🏼. Loved being a part of this film! pic.twitter.com/Z7bXkBtdo9
— Elli AvrRam (@ElliAvrRam) March 30, 2017
Stellar performances by all in this well made film!! @taapsee you have punched n kicked it out of the park!!💪🏼🙅🏻#NaamTaapsee #NaamShabana
— Saqib Saleem (@Saqibsaleem) March 29, 2017
Naam @taapsee n dis girl is outstanding in #NaamShabana .just sit back n enjoy while d world talks about how brilliant u n d film is! 😘😀
— Rakul Preet (@Rakulpreet) March 31, 2017
Saw #NaamShabana..riveting & gripping!! Take a bow @taapsee, @BajpayeeManoj,@akshaykumar,@neerajpofficial #shivam Nair
— Arjan Bajwa (@ArjanTalkin) March 30, 2017
Saw #NaamShabana and @taapsee was terrific ! So proud of you ! @akshaykumar as always comes and just owns the space bRILLIANT !! #mustwatch
— Jackky Bhagnani (@jackkybhagnani) March 30, 2017
Its so tough for an actress to deliver a superlative performance in a Bollywood Action Thriller. @taapsee does it and HOW!!! #NaamShabana
— Anubhav Sinha (@anubhavsinha) March 29, 2017
#Naamshabana is a film that CANT be missed @taapsee makes u feel fierce savage & sexy as she slayyss in her movie! Its a MUST WATCH! pic.twitter.com/E4NejqaLuX
— Nora Fatehi (@Norafatehi) March 30, 2017
Box Office
Taapsee Pannu’s spy thriller ‘Naam Shabana’ collected approximately Rs 2.50 crore on its first Tuesday (Day 5) taking its total to Rs 22.50 crore (nett), as reported by Boxofficeindia.com. The prequel to Neeraj Pandey's ‘Baby’ had opened at Rs 4.75 crore and earned Rs 17.75 crore over the first weekend.
Starring Taapsee Pannu in the lead role, the film has an extended cameo by Akshay Kumar with many key players from the cast of ‘Baby’ coming together for the film. While Akshay, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa and Madhurima Tuli reprise their roles from the 2015 film, ‘Naam Shabana’ also stars Prithviraj Sukumaran and Manoj Bajpayee. The film delves into the back-story of Taapsee’s character Shabana Khan and shows the audience how she is trained to become a spy.
Directed by Shivam Nair, ‘Naam Shabana’ also released in Tamil and Telugu versions.
Starring Taapsee Pannu in the lead role, the film has an extended cameo by Akshay Kumar with many key players from the cast of ‘Baby’ coming together for the film. While Akshay, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa and Madhurima Tuli reprise their roles from the 2015 film, ‘Naam Shabana’ also stars Prithviraj Sukumaran and Manoj Bajpayee. The film delves into the back-story of Taapsee’s character Shabana Khan and shows the audience how she is trained to become a spy.
Directed by Shivam Nair, ‘Naam Shabana’ also released in Tamil and Telugu versions.
FAQs
- What is the release date of 'Naam Shabana'?
Release date of Taapsee Pannu and Akshay Kumar starrer 'Naam Shabana' is 2017-03-31. - Who are the actors in 'Naam Shabana'?
'Naam Shabana' star cast includes Taapsee Pannu, Akshay Kumar, Manoj Bajpayee and Anupam Kher. - Who is the director of 'Naam Shabana'?
'Naam Shabana' is directed by Shivam Nair. - What is Genre of 'Naam Shabana'?
'Naam Shabana' belongs to 'Action, Thriller' genre. - In Which Languages is 'Naam Shabana' releasing?
'Naam Shabana' is releasing in Hindi.