Baaghi 2 (2018) completed 7 years on March 30. The Tiger Shroff-starrer had stunned the whole industry when it opened to Rs. 25.10 crores, which was beyond anyone’s expectations. It also made Tiger a force to reckon with. On Baaghi 2’s 7th anniversary, director Ahmed Khan spoke exclusively with Bollywood Hungama about the film, filming experiences and a lot more.
7 Years of Baaghi 2 EXCLUSIVE: Ahmed Khan talks about mass-appealing finale: “Sajid Nadiadwala allotted 18 days for climax; I finished shoot in just 9 days”; BREAKS silence on similarities between Baaghi 2 and Sikandar: “Both had same release date; didn’t realize both had heroines dying early”
What comes to your mind first when I mention Baaghi 2?
It takes me back to a very happy zone because it was a very close-knit unit. Also, the mention of the film takes me back to the opening day. The film collected Rs. 25 crores on its release day. It kept going higher in the subsequent days.
I remember it was a pleasant surprise to see the film hitting such a number those days…
Absolutely. I’ll never forget that my whole life. Rs. 25 crore was a big amount in those days, right?
Besides Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani, the film had an ensemble cast, comprising Manoj Bajpayee, Randeep Hooda and Prateik Babbar. Was it easy to convince them, knowing that it was a Tiger Shroff-fronted film at the end of the day?
Baaghi 2 basically was a love story and then it went into the zone of action. It was Sajid Nadiadwala’s idea to have talented actors as a part of the star cast. I spoke to Manoj. He had stopped doing commercial films. He has said in interviews how I insisted that he should work in this film. So, it was me who got him back into commercial cinema. Then Randeep Hooda, Prateik Babbar and Deepak Dobriyal were signed. The idea was simple – to have great, quality actors – so that it adds to every scene of the film. Thankfully, all of them agreed to do the film instantly.
Baaghi (2016) was known not just for its action but also songs. Did you feel the pressure to get the songs right for the second part?
We were not planning to have too many songs initially. But then we decided to have one or two romantic numbers and we decided to concentrate more towards the story and the action. Luckily, we had ‘O Saathi’, which was the biggest chartbuster at that time. ‘Mundiyan Tu Bach Ke’ also worked well.
The climax was very lengthy and I remember there was a frenzy in cinemas. How was the experience of shooting it?
Sajid Nadiadwala was clear that I needed to go to the jungles for the climax. In Baaghi’s first part, we had Tiger going vertically in a building. With Baaghi 2, we decided to go horizontal! This is how the jungle was locked. I went to Thailand where I found a forest which was apt for the film.
Sajid bhai wrote the story and gave me the free hand to conceive the action and incorporate it into the script. There was no written action initially. The playground was big for the climax and after a long time, there was a film which had a nice 18-minute finale. Usually, the climax goes with the story but here, there was nothing but pure action, as it used to happen in olden times.
Sajid bhai had allotted a certain number of days for the climax shoot. He told us to do whatever Tiger and I felt was right for the film. Tiger all was geared up. He loves action and, in those days, he was ready to go all out even more. Thankfully, I had planned so well that I decided to shoot in fewer days. Thankfully, it didn’t rain at that time. We got the chopper and even crashed it.
Sajid bhai had told me, ‘I want to score as a technician with this film’. I replied, ‘You are being generous for giving me so much time as a producer. Let me give a gift back to you’. Hence, I finished the film in exactly half the number of days he had given me.
While I was packing up, he called me. Normally, he never calls. He asked me, ‘Why are you leaving? Stay there for 3-4 days’! I revealed that our shoot was done. He said, ‘Take the camera and do anything…timepass’! He was worried whether I had finished the climax or I had not shot as much as required. I assured him that we were done with the shoot. Once he saw the rushes, he was very happy.
How many days did it take for you to shoot the finale?
Sajid Nadiadwala had allotted 18 days. I finished the shoot of the whole climax in 7 or 9 days!
Tiger Shroff was too good in the film, especially in the climax…
When you have a guy like Tiger, you just have to conceive the action scene. Then you simply instruct him what needs to be done. And that boy would go all out. You don’t have to think ‘Yeh kar paayega ki nahin’ or ‘should I arrange for a body double’. Hence, there was no limit for me as a technician. On one hand, my producer was generous and on the other hand, I had a hero like Tiger who could do any stunt.
Baaghi 2 was an unusual masala film as the heroine dies at the interval point. Were you or the makers apprehensive about taking this risk?
There have been films where the heroines died and it worked well. Also, Sajid Nadiadwala was confident and told me not to worry. If you remember, the woman was looking for her child and she trusted only one man to help her out. But when the man also felt that she was making up stories, she felt that it was over for her. She ended her life knowing that her suicide will only convince him that she was right. That was an important factor and we kept that in mind. People thankfully understood this aspect and didn’t mind.
Sikandar was released on the same day in 2025 as Baaghi 2 in 2018. Both films have a lot of other common factors – in both the films, the heroine dies in the first half, Prateik Babbar is seen in a negative role, you are involved in both the films (in Sikandar as a choreographer) and moreover, both are produced by Sajid Nadiadwala! Did you realize these common aspects?
(Laughs) No. I knew Sikandar has the same release date as Baaghi 2. But it didn’t strike me that the heroine dies in both films early. It’s a good coincidence!
Also Read: Director – choreographer Ahmed Khan opens up about the difficulties in choreographing dance moves of Salman Khan
More Pages: Baaghi 2 Box Office Collection
, Baaghi 2 Movie Review
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