#AmazonPrime
Language – Hindi
Year of release – 2026
Cast – Nimisha Sajayan as ASI Babita Singh, Rajesh Kumar as SI Sethi, Geetika Vidya Ohlyan as Karamjeet, Anshumaan Pushkar as Sharad, Barun Sobti as Bansi Seni, Priyanka Setia as Rupa, Bansi’s wife, Sunita Rajwar as Babita’s Mother-in-Law, Priya Yadav as Guddi
Trigger warning – DV, drug addiction, violence
Plot – ASI Babita Singh is a docile, fearful and a gentle cop who has been given this job on compassionate grounds after her father passes away. She is due to go on a field posting but before heading there, she requests for leave to be able to attend her sister in laws baby shower in her hometown Rewa. But her senior refuses the leave and instead tells her to take on the blame of leaking a sensitive piece of information to the press and getting suspended temporarily.
Babita (Baby as she is called by everyone except Bansi) takes this suspension and prepares to leave for her hometown with her husband Sharad. On reaching Rewa, she meets her childhood friend Bansi at the station. He repeatedly asks to meet him again soon and Babita says yes, but doesn’t go to meet him. The next day she learns that he has been murdered and that the cops have arrested a young boy.
Babita is caught up with the arrangements for the baby shower and is torn between following her cop instincts to investigate and being told off by her husband and his family. They insist on her focusing on the family and social requirements than on the investigation.
Babita in spite of her restrictions, continues to investigate on the side and manages to find the real reason behind Bansi’s death.
The story is linear and it follows a straight forward path. There are twists and turns and you wonder where it will eventually lead to. But after all that, this movie doesn’t disappoint at all.
Here, I’d like to take a pause and talk about the social issues this movie talks about, specifically domestic violence. Domestic violence has many shades and this movie captures those shades so beautifully and so naturally that it almost seems relatable.
Babita’s husband is a “nice” man. He doesn’t beat her or torture her or cause her any physical harm. But he is the man who at every juncture takes it on himself to remind her of her weight, her colour, her caste and her role as the cop who got this job on compassionate grounds. In essence, showing her that she was incapable of the role. He keeps taunting her about her thyroid issues and makes subtle, yet scathing remarks of her appearance. He is aggressive when he needs to assert himself and will quickly turn into the victim, crying and asking for forgiveness. He is the ‘nice’ husband who feeds his wife and pampers her and because of this, Babita is left questioning herself and her attitude. From constantly reminding her of how she doesn’t prioritise family over her work to making her pay for the financial expenses of his sisters baby shower, to not standing up for her against his mother and sister, he is the kind of husband who manipulate and abuse their partners psychologically and emotionally. Unlike Babita’s classmate, Archana, whose husband, a ruthless cop in Rewa, beats her and abuses her physically. Sharad and his family show displeasure at every opportunity and taunt Babita at every occasion they can. Rupa, Bansi’s wife, uses emotional manipulation and financial control to hold a tight grip on Bansi. This is another form of domestic violence that we are introduced to in this movie.
Here, I would like to mention that among all the characters who see “Baby” in Babita, Bansi is the only one who sees Babita for who she is. He is a steadfast friend from her childhood who notices her and who is probably the only ones who truly see her for her strength and her courage. Barun Sobti as Bansi is the only character who has the shortest screen time and yet he is felt throughout the movie. He, in his, one single shot with Babita portrays a beaten, grief stricken and crushed man. There is so much that is said and much more that is felt about Bansi throughout this movie.
While all this manipulation is playing out in Babita’s life, she goes through the deepest character arc you can watch on the screen. From being docile, meek and a people-pleaser, she slowly and steadily shows up as the fierce, determined and intelligent investigator. Through her meekness, you can see streaks of a fiery woman who can fight off drug addicts when pushed against a wall. The same Babita who agrees to take on whatever social/ cultural expectations her family places on her, can also snap back at the same situations and assert herself.
Babita Singh was possible only because it was played by Nimisha Sajayan! She lives Babita, actually Baby’s, character to the hilt. Devoid of makeup and dressing like a small town girl, she emotes through her long silences, her sighs and her pauses. Nimisha’s acting has always been brilliant and here too she delivers a role that is absolutely thorough! The Dusshera scene when the truth unfolds and the last scene of hers when she salutes to her superior are images of a true actor! And the true character development of Baby!
The director Ambiecka Pandit holds up a social mirror to us while weaving a murder investigation in the story. There is no over the top dramatizing of the social issues and yet they are impossible to ignore! It takes a lot of restraint to talk of social and cultural issues without seeming preachy and dramatic. And Ambiecka delivers that so beautifully!
I would give this a 10/10. What do you think?
Leave a Reply