Naam Shabana review: Taapsee Pannu steals the show in a middling movie

The movie demands a suspension of disbelief that isn't befitting such a story

After a scintillating performance in Pink, Naam Shabana seems like natural progression as an actor for Taapsee Pannu. Her expressions, mannerisms and gestures in the Shivam Nair movie keep harking back to the sleeper hit of last year. However, Naam Shabana has Taapsee showing off her martial arts chops in spades and they are an absolute delight.

Naam Shabana is a prequel to Baby, which was directed by the former's producer Neeraj Pandey. It showcases how titular character Shabana becomes a secret agent throwing light on her background -- a fearless Muslim girl with a dark past, centers her life around her mother and kudo training. Taher Shabbir Mithaiwala as Jai is head over heels in love with her and while she intends to reciprocate she maintains her stoic self. Meanwhile, she continuously remains under the surveillance of a secret agency of the Indian government.

The very idea of seeing a woman perform stunts and beat baddies is alluring. Taapsee does complete justice to the part. At no point does she go overboard. Although she keeps her emotions under check, her eyes clearly emote her closeness to her mother and affection towards Jai. The moments when she breaks down are reflections of her fine acting abilities. The action sequences are finely done too. 

Mithaiwala's part feels truncated and his dialogue delivery looks forced on some occasions. Even Manoj Bajpayee as a senior officer of the agency has nothing much to do. He mouths funny statements like: Women have inherent traits of being spies. It is quite disheartening to see an actor like Manoj do this role completely not worthy of his talent. Then there is Akshay Kumar who marks the entry before interval and gets few more scenes in the pre-climax sequences. Akshay does his Akshay thing by just showing off his prowess in martial arts and machismo.

Many of the other characters from the earlier-released Baby are also intelligently ingrained in the script. For instance, Anupam Kher as Om Prakash Shukla manages to tickle the funny bones with his tiny part. Danny Denzongpa as Feroz Ali Khan also makes an appearance and makes one wonder why he doesn't appear on screen more often.

What is missing in Naam Shabana is a story, a solid plot. There is a villain who deals in arms and flesh trade. The Indian agency plots to track him. Many opportunities backfire. And they don't come as a surprise. The globetrotting kingpin forces the secret agents to chase him in Vienna and Kuala Lumpur. Despite an inspired casting of Prithviraj Sukumaran as Tony, the villain, it feels another actor could have perhaps done a lot more with a better etched role. He wears fine garments, moves around with a bevy of security and knows how to fool his opponents but there's something inherently blasé to his role.

While we are made to believe that the secret agency has sweeping powers, its officers are hoodwinked way too easily. Sudheer Palsane’s praiseworthy cinematography also fails to lift the storyline.

Making matters worse for the film are the songs which are tinnitus inducing. As the story drags, the songs make it lengthier. The editing is sharp but the songs, barring Roozana, completely stall the narrative.

It is quite difficult to not compare Naam Shabana with Baby. While the latter had some moments which served as the highlight, there is no such scene in the former that bowls one over. The climax is nothing but predictable. It becomes quite a pain to wait for the end to near as the usual brawls keep occurring.

Nonetheless, Taapsee makes up for many of the missing elements. Akshay, however, adds the zing in the dull plot.