Film: Baby
Rating: 2.25/5
Cast: Anand Devarakonda, Viraj Ashwin, Vaishnavi Chaitanya, Naga Babu, Lirisha etc
Cinematography: MN Balreddy
Editor: Viplav Nyshadam
Music: Vijay Bulganin
Producer: SKN
Written and Directed By: Sai Rajesh
Release Date: 14 July 2023
Anand Devarakonda, after a series of flops, came up with this film featuring Vaishnavi in her debut as a full-length heroine. Viraj Ashwin played the second lead, and the film was directed by Sai Rajesh. The trailer appealed to a specific audience, giving the impression of a poetic love story.
Let's delve into the plot and find out what it offers.
Story:
Vaishnavi (Vaishnavi Chaitanya) has been in love with Anand (Anand Devarakonda) since their high school days. While Vaishnavi joins an Engineering College, Anand, who fails his 10th standard, becomes an auto driver over time.
Viraj (Viraj Ashwin), a wealthy young man in the college, falls in love with Vaishnavi and proposes to her. Although Vaishnavi develops feelings for Viraj, she remains loyal to Anand.
However, a series of events eventually push Vaishnavi to accept Viraj's kiss-proposal, leading her into trouble. What happens next? Who is the actual culprit, and who are the victims? How does her kiss affect the lives of each one?
The rest of the story answers these questions.
Artiste's Performance:
Anand Devarakonda delivered a commendable performance, excelling in several scenes. He portrayed a character with strong values and morals, while also portraying a victim of love.
Vaishnavi showcased her talent by playing a girl-next-door from a below middle-class family, as well as an urban girl with a makeover. She portrayed a graceful lover and a confused teenager, displaying versatility in her acting.
Viraj performed well in his role, although there weren't many opportunities for him to showcase his diverse acting skills. His character lacked surprises or additional shades.
Naga Babu's portrayal was adequate but didn't offer anything noteworthy. Viva Harsha's role was like an extra actor with a few scenes and a couple of dialogues.
Technical Expertise:
The cinematography was good, and the background score adequately supported the film. The songs were situation-based and pleasing to ears.
The editing was not sharp, causing scenes to drag on. On a whole the making standards are good.
Highlights:
Anand Devarakonda
Vaishnavi
Music
Drawbacks:
Run-time
Vulgarity
Analysis:
Sai Rajesh, known for directing films with a blend of comedy and spoof value like "Hrudaya Kaleyam" and "Kobbari Matta," attempted to break away from that image with this film. He aimed to create an intense cult love story, but unfortunately, the result was a lethargically made, overly lengthy film with confusing characters.
While the director intended to present characters with real-life emotions, it became burdensome for the audience to bear the confusion and indecisiveness shown on screen.
The characterization of the female lead began subtly as a girl next door but later transformed into an urban girl who behaved contrary to her initial character. Despite the director's attempt to attribute her actions to alcohol, the overall narrative shifted toward hating the main lead rather than empathizing with her. Additionally, the heroine, who crossed several boundaries with her new friends, is surprisingly unaware of what 'dating' means, creating further confusion in her characterization.
Furthermore, the main lead's character felt contrived, with an excessive focus on idealistic traits. Instead of sympathizing with him, the audience sometimes trolled the character with loud laughs and shouts, revealing a mismatch between the director's imagination and the contemporary audience's mindset.
While the director may have aimed for a film akin to Balu Mahendra's "Vasantha Kokila" with a shattered hero at the end, the result felt forced and excessively long.
It is essential to maintain the right balance and not drag the narrative beyond what is necessary to achieve the desired effect. In this film, the story was dragged out too long, making it unbearable for the audience. The first half was slow but steady, while the interval part was intriguing. The second half followed predictable patterns, and the climax was never ending and pale.
The film runs like a moral story. It is a lesson for young girls of college age not to get trapped into the urban evils like pubs, alcohol and smoke and spoil personal lives. But the way it was dealt was vulgar.
In spite of that moral theme, the film included objectionable cuss words like L@#j# (multiple times), G#dd#, De#g# Thaagi, Lan$ak#d#ka, Kud$si##tav. The filmmakers may have intentionally included these words, knowing that they would be muted by the Censor Board, but still understood by the audience in context. However, this choice speaks more about the director's vulgar taste than anything else. The words are not getting muted in American prints causing a lot of embarrassment and inconvenience to the NRI audience.
There is also a dialogue- "Nuvvu theravaalsindi kallu kaadu- kaallu" which is vulgar.
There is a dialogue suggesting that men must spend the rest of their lives consuming alcohol sitting in a corner if their love fails. This outdated filmy thought process reflects the director's perspective.
The film appears loosely inspired by "RX100," where the heroine herself is the villain. In this case, the heroine is a villain but primarily driven by circumstances rather than her character.
The film emphasized more lust than love. All the main characters are victims at the end as per the story and of course the audience too are the victims of the length!
Bottom Line: Shabby