Baby Review: The Anand Deverakonda, Vaishnavi Chaitanya, Viraj Ashwin starrer is a heart wrenching and bold take on modern relationships

3.5/5

Story

Baby revolves around Vaishnavi (Vaishnavi Chaitanya), a girl from a local Basti, and her love interest, Anand (Anand Deverakonda). While Anand ends up as an auto driver due to his economic status, Vaishnavi decides to pursue engineering. However, Vaishnavi's life takes an unexpected turn when she encounters Viraj (Viraj Ashwin), a charismatic young man who sparks her interest. As the story progresses, a love triangle ensues, and the audience is left wondering whom Vaishnavi will ultimately choose in the end.

Review

First things first. Baby is one of the most honest films made in recent times. The film showcases brutal truths as to how the younger generation deals with the aspect of love and deceit. Sai Rajesh has directed this film and he does not sugarcoat it one bit. He shows the film through the eyes of the heroine and reveals what conflict she goes through while dating two guys at the same time. Baby is not about falling in love and is about digging deep into the psyches of the flawed characters played by Vaishnavi Chaitanya, Viraj Ashwin, and Anand Deverakonda.

Sai Rajesh dwells more on the moralistic side of these characters and showcases how they are right from their own point of view. While he showcases Vaishnavi Chaitanya's character in a very bold manner, the characterization will surely draw various conclusions from women who watch the film. The true strength of Baby lies in its interval, climax, dialogues, and music. Sai Rajesh's explosive dialogues resonate with the audience, some of which pay tribute to Pawan Kalyan and Trivikram.

Coming to the performances, Anand Deverakonda impresses with his portrayal showcasing spontaneity and authenticity. His performance successfully captures the essence of young men in love during their school days. Anand has improved a lot as an actor and Baby gave him a lot of scope to showcase his talent. Viraj Ashwin shines in his role, showcasing his talent once again, particularly as a young man from a wealthy family, effectively conveying a range of emotions.

But the real star of the film is the female lead Vaishnavi Chaitanya. She makes a sparkling debut and gives a flawless performance in her role. Right from the first frame, she emotes superbly. Her character arc is such that Vaishnavi gets ample scope to perform and stands out in the film. There is a scene where she gets drunk and gives it back to her abusive boyfriend. Vaishnavi shows immense maturity and is an actress to watch out for in Telugu cinema.

Supporting actors Harsha and Satwik deliver notable performances in their limited roles, while Nagababu's portrayal adds a dignified touch to the father's character. As said earlier, musician Vijay Bulganin breathes life into the film with his heartwarming songs and amazing background score. The dialogues by Sai Rajesh are bold and hard-hitting. Especially those written for the female lead are solid. One of the biggest highlights of the film is the interval block. The audience is stunned by the drama showcased and this leaves them curious to know what the heroine is going to do next.

Baby has its fair share of issues. At least ten to twelve minutes of the film should have been chopped off in the second half. The slow pace is a cause of concern in the climax. Director Sai Rajesh takes his own time to wrap the film and because of this, the climax feels stretched. But the manner in which the director holds the attention with just three key characters is amazing to watch on screen.

Baby is a take on modern relationships and how men and women from different walks of life think about love and deceit. The film has arresting drama and will surely raise a lot of eyebrows as the director has showcased the female lead in a way the Telugu audience is not used to. But this itself makes Baby different from others and holds your attention until the very end.

Verdict

On the whole, Baby is a take on flawed characters and how they handle love at different stages of their life. The romantic drama has one of the best performances in recent times and is narrated in a very bold and realistic manner. The youth will connect to the film in a big way as Baby has all the ingredients of heartbreaking, deceitful, and mature romance told in a very hard-hitting manner.

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