Baida

Cast: Sudhanshu Rai, Sourabh Raaj Jain, Tarun Khanna

Director: Puneet Sharma

Rating: ★

Ah, the nostalgic days of childhood. We all engaged in imaginative play and created fantastical characters at some point. While this is endearing in youth, it becomes problematic in adulthood. "Baida" is being promoted as a ‘sci-fi-supernatural-thriller’. My brief assessment? It fails to embody any of those genres.

Directed by Puneet Sharma, the film is co-produced and written by Sudhanshu Rai, who also stars in the lead role. It comes across as a vanity project, as he dominates every scene. This would not be an issue if he possessed the charisma or acting skills to captivate the audience. Unfortunately, he evokes no emotional response regarding the events unfolding on screen, maintaining a singular, unchanging expression throughout.

What is Baida about

The narrative centers on a man ensnared in a time loop following an encounter with a pishaach, portrayed by Sourabh Raaj Jain, in a forest. The anticipated focus of the plot is his escape from this predicament.

Simply using terms such as 'pishaach,' 'time,' 'space,' and 'dimension' does not suffice to create a compelling thriller. The story begins haphazardly, spirals into chaos, and concludes abruptly. There is a lack of effort in providing a convincing backstory to engage the audience.

How the film flounders

The direction appears quite unprofessional, resembling a project from a film school. A movie of this nature should have kept the audience on the edge of their seats, eagerly awaiting the next twist. However, the plot progression here is laughable.

The inadequate visual effects do not contribute positively either. Typically, even poorly made horror films can benefit from decent effects, but the editing in this case resembles basic Photoshop work and falls short of expectations.

Eventually, the frustration stemming from the monotony transforms into amusement. I doubt this was the intended response from the filmmakers. Unfortunately, the film suffers irreparable damage by the midpoint, leaving viewers with no choice but to laugh at its absurdity.

In terms of performances, Sudhanshu would greatly benefit from acting lessons. Sourabh Raaj Jain plays the antagonist but comes across as less threatening than a duck.

Tarun Khanna portrays a scientist-like character, serving as comic relief in the film. (I hope I interpreted that correctly; my understanding faltered as I found myself laughing). Overall, Baida is poorly constructed and fails to gain any momentum.

Read Also: Tuk Tuk Movie Review: A Few Impressive Thrills, But Not Enough

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