Movie Review: Tapsee packs a punch with her effortless act in 'Naam Shabana'

New Delhi: She made cinegoers sit up and take notice of her act of an 'Angry Young Woman ' in 'Pink' , taking the courage to say no to the sexual overtures of a man.Her latest film 'Naam Shabana ' sees Tapsee Pannu essay the role of an 'angry young action woman' whose desire to take revenge from the killers of her boyfriend leads her to join the secret service.
A prequel to the 2015 action thriller 'Baby', 'Naam Shabana ' deals with the back story of Shabaana, one of the recruits of the secret service group set up to fight the enemies of the nation.

Shabana (Taapsee) , a college student and a Kudo player, faces the tragedy of the death of her boyfriend Jay (Taher Shabbir) by some eve-teasers encountered by them while on a date.A hot-headed girl, Shabana is enraged with the death of her innocent boyfriend and is seething with a feeling of revenge.

Just then, an Indian agency of secret agents contacts her, offering help in nabbing Jay’s killers in exchange of her service to the country.The desire to avenge the death of her boyfriend and a lack of faith in the legal system leads Shabana to join the group of secret agents.

After succeeding in eliminating Jay’s killers, Shabana is soon sent out for another mission where she is working with the best officers of the group , including Ajay (Akshay Kumar) , Shukla (Anupam Kher) and Ranveer (Manoj Bajpayee).
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The rest of the film deals with her efforts to succeed in the mission where they face a strong adversary Tony (Prithviraaj).Like its predecessor 'Baby' , Naam Shabana ' also has action as its USP.Edge of the seat action thrills, especially in the second half, keep the audience hooked to the proceedings all through the film.

Though the film begins on a slow pace,with a lot of footage in the first half dealing with her love life and her recruitment in the secret service, it picks up pace in the latter part of the first half and in the second half .In fact, the second half of the film is a thrill ride.

As the name of the film suggests, it is focused on the character of Shabana.While 'Baby' focussed on the action moves by Ajay (Akshay ), it is Shabana(Taosee) who occupies much of the screen space in 'Naam Shabana '.Watching her deft action sequences, one can say that the film is a brilliant showcase of Tapsee's potential as an 'action star'.

In fact, Tapsee displays an effortless ease in performing action as well as in emotional scenes.It is a treat to watch her beating her adversaries to pulp whether it be on her mission to eliminate the killers of her boyfriend or in the fight against a strong adversary Tony.It would not be wrong to say that it is Tapsee who is the 'action hero ' of the film.

Manoj Bajpayee impresses as secret service officer Ranveer.As the adversary Tony, Prithviraaj looks menacing.Akshay and Anupam Kher draw applause with their cameo appearances.The music of the film is nothing much to talk about.

The film is a brilliant showcase of Tapsee 's effortless act as 'action hero'.Rating:3/5: one for edge-if-the-seat action, one for effortless act by Tapsee and one for brilliant cameo by Akshay and Anupam Kher and an impressive act by Manoj Bajpayee. (UNI)