O.Baby Review: Emotionally gripping and visually stunning

The Malayalam movie O.Baby is now showing across cinemas in the UAE. It is directed by Ranjan Pramod and stars Dileesh Pothan, Devadath VS, Haniya Nafisa, Raghunath Paleri, Gopalakrishnan, Saji Soman.

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Where can you watch O.Baby in the UAE?

O.baby is currently showing in cinemas across the UAE, such as VOX Cinema and Novo Cinemas. It will probably be a while before the film hits streaming services in the UAE.

Malayalam movie O.Baby review

The title of the film, O.Baby, is an intriguing one. After watching the just over 2-hour film, you understand that it is a name that has not been tossed out to trigger curiosity. It is about the eponymous O.Baby, whose identity and history are hidden in that ‘O’ (which could also mean to be ‘0’ as he lives oblivious to his past).

Like the letter O, his past too evokes a feeling of puzzlement. But the period after the letter O also implies a certain distance between Baby and his ancestors. The name Baby itself could be a metaphor for his own life as he is forever under the control of his master’s family. Ironically, Baby’s introspection begins only after his own son starts questioning the status quo of class and caste.

Director Ranjan Pramod plays around with the place and the people with great aplomb. In his previous film Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu, the lead character focused more on the youngsters in a small town than on his own family members.

Here too, it is no different in the sense O.Baby (Dileesh Pothan) is devoted as the handyman of the Thiruvachola family headed by Valyappachan (Gopalakrishnan). The family lives in the sprawling estate situated in the sylvan and dark setting of Western Ghats. The place provides the mood of darkness that runs below the surface. Baby is implicit in his obedience, and the power equation that exists between him and his employer’s family couldn’t be any clearer. 

In the forest, one small rolling of a rock can lead to a major landslide. Likewise, in Thiruvachola, things are smooth till Basil (Devadath), Baby’s son, triggers a tectonic shift by stepping out of the ranks, as it were. The moment Thiruvocha family members hear the news that Basil and their own family’s young girl Mini (Haniya Nafisa), are in love, all hell breaks loose. Baby, the trusted and loyal man, is now under a cloud.  Basil is not a person to take things lying down. He asks questions that are truth bombs to his hitherto subservient dad. 

The caste and class equations kick in with vehemence. The powerful are accommodative as long as the weak acknowledge their power. But the moment their position is questioned, they don’t react kindly. This sociological point is conveyed powerfully and poignantly in a story of human emotions.  Behind the wealth and power of prominent families lie the dungeon of patriarchy and pettiness.  Under the guise of honour, the power centres in such families can sometimes be unkind to even their own members, especially women. But the old order is bound to be changed by the new forces that will doubtless emerge.

This dark conflicting tale is given life by the lead actors’ performance, especially Dileep Pothan. The man understands the various shades in the character’s personality and exhibits them with great nuance. The newcomers Devadath and Haniya are mature not just in their characterisation but also in their performance. Saji Soman, the son of yesteryear actor Soman on a comeback, is adequate as the conflicted father of Mini.

Good directors know how to make larger points on society, the human condition and life in general without making it ‘messagey’. Ranjan Pramod has managed to pull that off in an emotionally powerful film, even while being visually gripping.