Remember the Wolf Of Wall Street? This Saif Ali Khan, Rohan Mehra, Chitrangada Singh, and Radhika Apte starrer Baazar is our very own Bollywood version of it.
Shakun Kothari(Saif) is a ruthless Gujarati businessman who cares for nothing except money! Then there is Rizwan Ahmed(Rohan) a small town boy who has big dreams and moves to Mumbai to fulfill his dreams. He’s a huge fan of Shakun Kothari and his aim is to work with Shakun. He does achieve his dreams but he also pays a price for it.
Directed by Gauravv K Chawla, the movie is based on the world of stock market. The director takes us through the world of the stock market and all that goes on in it. From the greed for money to power abuse, trust, betrayal, lies, insider trading, financial manipulation, political and media links etc. We are given a glimpse of this murky world. It is an eye opener for people who don’t know much about the stock market.
The film starts with a slow pace and you may tend to get bored and start judging it especially after the in film product placement of Paytm immediately after the film starts but I’d say just be patient and give the film some time! It slowly picks up pace once Rizwan makes a foothold in the stock market scene. The second half has some interesting twists, but it could have been cut shorter. The film as a whole is engaging, edgy and entertaining except for some cheesy dialogues! It’s the kind of film the masses would surely enjoy.
Saif’s performance in the film is very impressive, he plays this devilish, greedy Gujarati stockbroker. What is delightful is the way he effortlessly speaks with the slight Gujarati accent which sounds very natural and subtle without being irritating, loud and obvious. He has perfectly fit into the character of a ruthless businessman. Saif looks yummy too in those grey strands on his head.
Newcomer Rohan Mehra has played his part well too. He is convincing as a small town man in the big bad city who is hungry for more. Rohan is promising and one can definitely say that he is headed for bigger things and will get better with more films.
Radhika looks like she belongs to Dalal street! She’s gutsy and bold and looks like the role was written keeping her in mind. Radhika plays Rizwan’s girlfriend who takes him under her wings when he arrives in Mumbai. She looks glamorous as a stock hustler and is a treat to watch. While Chitrangada as Shakun’s wife Mandira looks every bit the high society, classy lady. She’s played her role as the dutiful yet strong wife perfectly. Both the women in the film have worthy roles even though the film is about the two men and their greed.
What was impressive about the film was the little touches and details that have been given importance in the film, especially where the sets are concerned, making it look real and relatable.
The film does have loopholes and you may have some questions about logic but it is a fresh welcome from all the love sagas etc. The film does manage to entertain and engage!
