I’ll be honest, I had been waiting for this film quite anxiously even though I’ve never seen an actual movie with Meera Jee in it but there is something about that woman that pulls you to her. She has a weird aura that makes you wonder about who she is, as she never fails to surprise us with a new her.
It won’t be an exaggeration to say that Meera left the audience VERY impressed. The first shot that we see of her clad in a gold and black jumpsuit, dancing to Gangster Guriya had me nudge my husband to tell him how hot she looked!
The film revolves around Shameera, a had been actress who is trying to make a comeback with a bang. Unfortunately because the industry considers her over, she succumbs to doing stage dances (that her very abusive boyfriend hates), which ultimately leads to her in acting out for a movie for a Hollywood Director (Osman Khalid Butt). Amna Ilyas, a girl doing her pedicure at a salon, ends up as her manager and confidant and Baaji.
I really don’t want to give any spoilers so I won’t get into the plot but the way Meera has played the character, the way it has been written, it gives us a little inside peek to Meera’s own life and i cannot commend her enough for allowing them to do so.
Shade has been thrown very subtly and VERY strongly in some cases for eg. calling Tapu Javery ‘photographer’ in the way she said in her viral interview, her making intimate videos in bed, the nikaah scandal, the leaked intimate video by the jealous ex. It makes one wonder if they’ve actually shown what happened behind the scenes while Meera went through all of that in real. Her confused, naive but nonetheless rocking self has been shown brilliantly.
Baaji has definitely shown the ugly side of the film industry, and what happens behind the scenes. Even though things have improved to a great extent, a curtain still has been raised for general public to take a sneak peak inside the much glamorous world, which isn’t so glamorous after all. Moreover, the chemistry between Meera and Amna Ilyas is unbelievable, more than that with any of the male counterparts.
The movie, even if it got a little too long, will never leave you bored enough to take your eyes off the screen. Meera VERY occasionally had weak dialogue delivery at but it is something that can be ignored because of how immaculate every one else was with their acting, and mostly Meera herself too.
However, there were moments when the movie didn’t make sense at times. For e.g. a girl with a minial job as a manicurist ends up being the manager of such a big celebrity and knows all the PR/Social Media strategies too. How no one knows much of the ‘Hollywood Director’ who turns out to be someone else altogether. What made Neha’s brother change at the end? There were a lot of missing pieces but it is still entertaining nonetheless.
A special appreciation for Nayyer Ejaz for making us love and hate his character,once again, at the same time. The dark dirty comedy coming out of him completed the film.
Amna Ilyas, Ali Kazmi, Mohsin Abbas Haider, Osman Khalid Butt and all the cast deserve a round (if not more) of applause for their impeccable acting. Kudos to the director, Saqib Malik for making it happen. The cinematography, the songs, the direction, the locations all left us hooked! It showed that Pakistan has definitely come out of the whole ‘Revival of Cinema’ phase and has truly revived.
If you’re wondering about Mehwish Hayat in the film, she blesses us with her appearance only minutes after the film begins and there really couldn’t have been a better Gangster Guriya.
Baaji is funny and dark at the same time. It won’t be wrong to say, Meera Jee is here to stay. She is the queen and always will be.
A must watch, paisa wasool film!
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