Baadshah: Did It Age Well? A Critical Review

Before we discuss if Baadshah aged well, can we admit that it’s bad cinema? All style, no substance; the film just wants us to root for the hero because he is Shah Rukh Khan. I did not enjoy the rewatch at all. The gags were tired even for the 90s, the story was a rather lazy mish-mash of Hollywood flicks—Nick of Time, If Looks Could Kill, Rush Hour, Mr. Nice Guy—and Shah Rukh’s titular character, a choppy medley of Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and Ethan Hunt (Mission Impossible).

Problematic Themes

The problematic stuff begins right off the bat with Baadshah faking a disability to watch a girl get naked. Yeah, it’s exactly as bad as it sounds. The so-called private detective takes up a “case” where he has to convince a girl (Twinkle Khanna) to agree for an arranged marriage and give up hopes for a love match. Enter our hero, who tells her he is “blind” to garner sympathy, tricks her into falling for him. And then breaks her heart by revealing he was never disabled to begin with.

If that was not problematic enough, he encourages her to change clothes in his presence twice, citing his visual impairment but makes it apparent to the audience that he in fact can see her naked. This is played for laughs. Sensitivity who? Oh, and he does this a third time, this time using “X-ray goggles” to disrobe her. Watching someone naked without their consent is called sexual assault and harassment. But the way all of this was so easily peddled as comedy in the 90s makes me very concerned for all of us who grew up watching (and loving) SRK movies.

Lack of Character Development

The film is not done with making questionable choices just yet. All hail Baadshah, the pioneer of “She’s not like other girls,” otherwise known as “Woh ladki jo sabse alag hai.” Also, hail the fact that SRK spends his first five minutes on screen literally romancing a cigarette but an hour later quips, “Ladkiyan cigarette peeti achhi nahi lagti, koi bhi cigarette peeta achha nahi lagta (Girls don’t look good while smoking, no one looks good while smoking).” Pick a lane, my guy!

Not only do we have no idea what Baadshah stands for, we never discover his backstory or motivations. He is just there. Character development is even weaker when we come to Twinkle Khanna’s character, Seema. She is a naive dreamer in the first half and a CBI officer in the second. Also, she gets over the news of her brother’s murder alarmingly quickly. This lack of character depth is a significant flaw in 90s Bollywood cinema.

Weak Storytelling

It’s almost impossible to root for any of the characters, even Rakhee, who plays a beloved Chief Minister in danger of being assassinated. All her political speeches are muted out, and we have to just take the villain’s word for why she is so radical that she is being targeted.

The poor storytelling could perhaps have been balanced out by the “cool gadgets” Baadshah obtains. These included some physics-defying sticky boots, a fully booby-trapped car, “toffee” bombs, etc. but the interesting bits like these—another example being a child’s kidnapping tangent (heavily inspired by Home Alone and Baby’s Day Out)—hardly get enough time to make an impact. This lack of engaging plot elements is a missed opportunity.

Final Gripes: Baadshah Did It Age Well?

My final gripe with the movie is unnecessary “penis size” jokes and an unkind jibe at Monica Lewinsky. It’s safe to say that the world owes Ms. Lewinsky a massive apology. Baadshah’s makers must join that long queue. And while they’re at it, maybe they can apologize to the audiences too for making a film that counts on the music and SRK-Twinkle’s charm to pass as average 90s fare. But it’s actually just a boring, half-hearted caricature.

Conclusion

Baadshah has not aged well and serves as a reminder of the problematic themes and storytelling prevalent in 90s cinema. The film’s reliance on outdated humor and lack of character depth detracts from any potential enjoyment. While it may have been a product of its time, it ultimately fails to resonate positively with contemporary audiences. This critique of Baadshah highlights the need for more thoughtful storytelling in Shah Rukh Khan films.

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