Baby (2023 Film)

''Baby'' is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language coming of age romantic drama film directed by Sai Rajesh Neelam and produced by Sreenivasa Kumar Naidu under Mass Movie Makers. The film features Anand Deverakonda and Vaishnavi Chaitanya in the lead roles.

''Baby'' was released on 14 July 2023 to positive reviews from critics and grossed worldwide.

Plot

Anand and Vaishnavi are neighours and high school students, who live in a slum in Hyderabad. Anand dislikes his mother as she is mute and deaf although she loves him dearly. Vaishnavi has a crush on Anand, however, he does not acknowledge her until one day, when she stands up to their teacher. Anand reciprocates her feelings, and they eventually start a relationship. Three years later, Anand drops out of Intermediate due to bad grades, while Vaishnavi goes on to join a prestigious Engineering college. Anand resorts to driving an auto for a living.

Anand pawns his auto to buy a smartphone for Vaishnavi. However, he has a hard time repaying the loan. Vaishnavi on the other hand, has a hard time fitting in with the rich students of her college. She befriends fellow students, Viraj and Seetha, and tries her best to fit into their social circle. Viraj is attracted to Vaishnavi and Vaishnavi hides the fact that she in a relationship with Anand when she is around them. Enamoured by the glitz and glamorous life of her new friends and angered by Anand's abusive attitude, Vaishnavi starts to become emotionally distant from Anand and closer to Viraj.

Seetha gets envious of Vaishnavi and sets out to ruin her life as she believes that Vaishnavi is from the lower class and does not deserve Viraj's attention. One day, Vaishnavi goes to a party along with her college friends. In an inebriated state, she kisses Viraj, which is captured on video. She tries to rectify her mistake, but Viraj continues to pursue her and asks her to marry him. When she rejects him angrily, he threatens to disclose their kissing video. Using these situations to her advantage, Seetha manipulates both Vaishnavi and Viraj against each other. In an attempt to get rid of Viraj, Vaishnavi sleeps with him. The next day, she consumes alcohol to forget the pain and discloses the same to Seetha, which is recorded by Anand's friend Harsha on his phone secretly. Seetha shares the kissing video with Harsha, who in turn, shares Vaishnavi's confession recording with Anand.

Anand comes to know about everything that has been going on between Vaishnavi and Viraj, and Viraj comes to know that Vaishnavi has a boyfriend. When confronted publicly by both Viraj and Anand, Vaishnavi attempts suicide. Anand and Viraj are both arrested, but are eventually released on bail. Vaishnavi is also released from the hospital. Anand realises his mistake and decides to apologise to his mother, but it becomes too late as she passes away that night, causing Anand to slip into depression. Vaishnavi tries to apologize to an emotionally disturbed Anand, who is unable to forgive her. He begs her to leave him alone and she obliges.

Anand becomes an alcoholic. After a few months, he notices Vaishnavi's wedding photo while picking up a passenger. Vaishnavi and her husband are about to leave their home. Vaishnavi and Anand exchange a brief glance as Anand drives away from her house in tears. The film ends with an emotional Vaishnavi tearing up, but choosing not to cry in the presence of her husband and family.

Cast

* Vaishnavi Chaitanya as Vaishnavi "Vaishu"
*Anand Devarakonda as Anand
*Viraj Ashwin as Viraj Ashwin
*Nagendra Babu as Vaishnavi's father
*Prabhavati Varma as Anand's mother
*Lirisha Kunapareddy as Vaishnavi's mother
*Harsha Chemudu as Harsha, Anand's friend
*Sathvik Anand as Sathvik, Anand's friend
*Kusuma Degalamari as Kusuma, Vaishnavi's friend
*Kirrak Seetha as Seetha, Vaishnavi's college mate
*Vadlamani Srinivas as Viraj's father
*Sai Prasad Goud as Financer

Music

The music was composed by Vijay Bulganin.

Release

''Baby'' was released theatrically on 14 July 2023. The post-theatrical streaming rights were acquired by Aha and was premiered on 25 August 2023. Television satellite premiere rights were acquired by ETV.

Reception

Critical reception

A critic from ''123telugu'' wrote that "On the whole, Baby sheds light on modern-day relationships in a neat manner, and the climax is unconventional. The performances of Anand Deverakonda, Vaishnavi Chaitanya, and Viraj Ashwin are simply superb". A critic from '' The Indian Express'' wrote that "Baby is a must watch this season". A critic from '' The Times of India'' wrote that "Baby might leave you with mixed feelings, but it's also the kind of film that'll incite conversations – for better or worse. And maybe that's the point of it all!" A critic from ''The Hindu'' wrote that "Helmed by Sai Rajesh, Anand Deverakonda's latest reads like a moral story with the protagonist actually spelling out the moral three-fourths into the movie". A critic from '' Deccan Chronicle'' wrote that "Director wanted to engage the audience riding on confusions in youngsters in dealing with relationships, but falls flat barring some moments".

Box office

Ten days after its release, the film had collected a worldwide gross of crores with a distributors' share of crores, amassing a total profit of crores. In the home market ( Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states of India), it has collected a gross of crores with a distributors' share of crores.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 16118524, Baby

2023 films
2020s coming-of-age drama films
2023 romantic drama films
Indian coming-of-age drama films
Indian romantic drama films
Films shot in Hyderabad, India
Films set in Hyderabad, India
2020s Telugu-language films