Baadshaho

Plot

In 1971, Maharani Gitanjali, a princess of a Rajasthan royal family, retains wealth that should have been turned over to the Reserve Bank of India under the government's nationalization plan. Four years later, during the 1975 state of emergency declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Sanjeev, an influential Congress figure, seeks revenge after being snubbed by Gitanjali in 1973. He orders Colonel Rudra Pratap Singh to confiscate her gold and imprison her.

Rudra tasks his lieutenants Major Seher Singh and Captain Somesh with transporting the gold to Delhi in a custom-made truck with a powerful safe. Gitanjali's aide Sanjana eavesdrops on their plan, and Gitanjali instructs her trusted lieutenant Bhavani Singh to retrieve the gold and secure her release, explaining she needs the money for her village. Bhavani, along with Daliya, Guruji, and Sanjana, devises a plan and follows the truck. They seize control of the vehicle after ejecting Seher Singh and Somesh, leaving the challenge of opening the strong safe to Guruji.

Production

Ajay Devgn was confirmed for the lead in January 2015, marking his fourth collaboration with director Milan Luthria. Several actresses were reported as potential leads, including Aishwarya Rai, Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Shruti Hassan, and Priyanka Chopra; Kapoor and Kaif expressed interest but declined due to scheduling conflicts. Diljit Dosanjh was initially cast but later replaced by Emraan Hashmi, who worked with Luthria for the third time. Principal photography began in August 2016 in Mumbai, followed by a second schedule in Jodhpur, Rajasthan in December 2016, and a third schedule starting 19 January 2017, wrapping in March 2017.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack, released on 19 August 2017 by T-Series, comprises eight songs composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Ankit Tiwari, Abhijit Vaghani, DJ Chetas, and Traditional Folk. Two tracks, "Mere Rashke Qamar" and "Socha Hai" (based on "Kehdoon Tumhe" from the 1975 film Deewaar), are recreations with lyrics by Manoj Muntashir and music by Tanishk Bagchi, originally by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and R. D. Burman respectively. "Piya More" (first version) remakes Ankit Tiwari's earlier tune "Nasha Sar Pe Chadke Bole". The lyrics of "Socha Hai" were later altered due to copyright issues.

Reception

Meena Iyer of The Times of India gave 3 out of 5 stars, noting the film's potential as a heist thriller akin to Ocean's Eleven but criticizing its lack of novelty in execution. Arnab Chatterjee of Deccan Chronicle stated that attempts at substance and emotional depth are undermined by the story's loose approach to reason and logic.

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV awarded 1.5 stars, describing the film as a heist thriller devoid of memorable highs. Udita Jhunjunwala of Firstpost observed that the writer and director deliver their trademark glib one-liners and pumped-up bravado. Sukanya Verma of Rediff gave 1 out of 5 stars, citing a sluggish screenplay and humourless rhythm lacking swagger and daredevilry.

Did You Know?

• The film was initially scheduled for release on 22 December 2016, but was postponed to 12 May 2017 at the request of producers Ritesh Sidhwani and Rakesh Roshan, and later moved to 1 September 2017.
• The soundtrack includes a remake of Ankit Tiwari's old tune "Nasha Sar Pe Chadke Bole" from the film Dee Saturday Night.