Baadshah (1999 film)

Baadshah is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Abbas–Mustan. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan and Twinkle Khanna in lead roles. It was released on 27 August 1999. Khan earned a Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role nomination for his performance in the film. The film's core plot is loosely based on the 1995 American film Nick of Time with some scenes also lifted from the films If Looks Could Kill, Rush Hour and Mr. Nice Guy.

Plot
Raj a.k.a. Baadshah runs a detective agency out of a Mumbai office full of cheesy detective gadgetry. He has a chief assistant Ramlal and other employees. Baadshah receives little business and is desperate for a big break.

Suraj Singh Thapar is a tycoon whose bio-chemical plant is being shut down by the Chief Minister of Goa, Gayatri Bachchan following a major industrial accident. Thapar resolves to have her assassinated. His assisstant Rani, hires Shiva, Mumbai's notorious contract-killer.

K.Jhunjhunwala comes to Baadshah with a strange case. He claims, he is dying of a brain tumor and wants to see his daughter Seema married to Nitin before he dies. Seema, refuses to marry Nitin, hence the need Baadshah's help. Baadshah woos Seema with lies and has her fall in love with him, only to dump her later. However, his feelings for her were genuine. Unbeknownst to Baadshah, Jhunjhunwala and Nitin are actually a father-son duo wanted by the CBI. The marriage of Nitin to Seema, who is actually the sister of CBI secret Agent Deepak Malhotra, is meant to stop an investigation into their bank fraud case. The plan fails when Agent Malhotra arrests the Jhunjhunwalas.

Shiva died in a car accident. Fearing a second attempt, CBI tasks Agent Malhotra to protect her. Malhotra is assigned the codename "Baadshah". Thapar somehow knows this and asks Rani and her boyfriend, Moti, to eliminate "Baadshah" and have Moti assume his identity to gain access to Bachchan and carry out the assassination. At the same time, Baadshah the detective gets a job from Mahendra Seth. Manichand and Saxena have kidnapped Seth's child for ransom. Baadshah and his friend are given tickets to Goa, where the child is being held.

Both "Baadshahs" are scheduled for the same flight. Agent Malhotra arrives at the ticket counter and Rani identifies him as Baadshah. Moti kills Malhotra. Baadshah comes up to the ticket counter and is mistakenly given the Agent's ticket of business class. Baadshah also finds Malhotra's fallen computer disk. Moti arrives at the ticket counter announcing himself as Baadshah and is given the real Baadshah's economy class ticket. During the flight, Rani realizes Moti killed the wrong man. Seema and her partner Tom Uncle are at the Goa airport expecting Agent Malhotra but see Baadshah instead.

Baadshah meets CBI Agent Aditya Chopra and thinks he works for Mahendra Seth while Agent Chopra believes Baadshah is the secret CBI Agent. They leave the airport and go meet CBI Dr. Rusi Surti who gives Baadshah an assortment of top-secret gadgets and a James Bond-style car for assistance on his mission. They commend him about the way he solved the Jhunjhunwalas' case, which Baadshah is shocked to learn is regarding a bank fraud.

Back at the airport, Baadshah's friends are picked up by a driver posing for Mahendra Seth but he's employed by the kidnappers. Seema, who had been following Baadshah, arranges to meet with him. They meet and he apologizes to her about what happened before. They reconcile temporarily, Moti interrupts their conversation and Seema flees while Baadshah and Moti fight. Baadshah remembers that he previously saw Moti back at the Mumbai airport pushing a man in the wheelchair, who Moti admits he had killed.

Baadshah escapes and later receives a call from the kidnappers who ask him to exchange the diamonds for the child at Saint Paul school. Seema searches Baadshah's hotel room and finds the computer disk and takes it, unaware that Baadshah is watching her. She checks the disk and finds out that Thapar was behind the assassination attempt. Seema and Tom Uncle now suspect that Baadshah is the assassin.

She heads to Thapar's club to meet Thapar, where Baadshah also shows up after following Seema. Thapar thinks Baadshah is the substitute that Rani arranged for, while Baadshah thinks Thapar works for Mahendra Seth. Baadshah tells Thapar that the work will be done the next day at Saint Paul school. Thapar thinks Baadshah is talking about the murder of Bachchan, who coincidentally has a program planned at Saint Paul school the next day as well.

Baadshah rescues the child and captures the criminal duo. He sends Ramlal and the others to an address given by Thapar. Baadshah thinks his friends will meet Thapar to return the diamonds and the child while Thapar thinks they have kidnapped Bachchan and are bringing her to him. Back at St. Paul's School, Seema informs security about the planned assassination.

Khanna, the corrupt chief security officer is informed and sends his men after Seema to kill her. Baadshah saves her. They both discuss everything they know and come to realize their misunderstandings. Rani and Moti witness everything as well and they too understand the confusion. Baadshah's friends and the child are now in the custody of Thapar. He asks Baadshah to assassinate Bachchan himself or else he will kill Baadshah's friends and the child. The child is strapped to a bomb vest and held hostage in a van monitored by Moti and Baadshah's friends are held in a high-rise by Rani.

Badshah meets the CM's husband at the invitation of Sheetal who is Bachchan secretary, Tyagraj Bachchan the husband who is also Sheetal's Boss finds that he is also involved in the assassination plot which was revealed after killing the poor Sheetal by her Boss. Baadshah rescues his friends and the child. He approaches Bachchan and hands a note to her. She learns of the assassination plot and that the mastermind behind it is her husband by exposing the death of her late secretary by the hands of her husbsnd. Baadshah pulls out his gun and opens fire upon the security personnel. He manages to wipe them all out, including Khanna. Tyagraj tries to flee but is apprehended by CBI officers. Thapar pulls out the bomb remote and threatens Baadshah's friends and CBI agents. They all dare Thapar to detonate the bomb. Thapar flees and is pursued by Baadshah while Dr. Surti works on the bomb. He manages to remove it and they throw it out of the building. Thapar escapes and finds Rani and Moti outside and tells them to detonate the bomb once he is inside his car. Thapar is killed when the bomb detonates under his car.

Baadshah now has a booming business at his detective agency. Ram Lal receives a call from President Bill Clinton, offering $1,000,000 for assistance with the "Monica Case". Baadshah refuses it.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack has 6 songs composed by Anu Malik. Most of the songs are sung by Abhijeet. The artists are Alka Yagnik & Anu Malik. The soundtrack was well received.

Reception
Writing for Rediff.com, Syed Firdaus Ashraf mentioned that Khan had "performed well, so have Twinkle and her navel, which was in full view right through the film".

Box office
Baadshah grossed inr 250799999.99999997 in India and $1.5 million (₹6.52 crore) in other countries, for a worldwide total of inr 316000000, against its inr 110000000 budget. It had a worldwide opening weekend of inr 78100000, and grossed inr 133300000 in its first week. It is the 8th-highest-grossing film of 1999 worldwide.

India
It opened on Friday, 27 August 1999, across 280 screens, and earned inr 11000000 nett on its opening day. It grossed inr 32100000 nett in its opening weekend, and had a first week of inr 58800000 nett. The film earned a total of inr 148700000 nett, and was declared "Average" by Box Office India. It is the 10th-highest-grossing film of 1999 in India.

Overseas
It had an opening weekend of $550,000 (₹2.39 crore) and went on to gross $780,000 (₹3.39 crore) in its first week. The film earned a total of $1.5 million (₹6.52 crore) at the end of its theatrical run. Overseas, It is the 6th-highest-grossing film of 1999.