Babita Singh Reporting (Social Thriller/ 2026/ Prime)
Writer- Amit Vyas
Director- Ambiecka Pandit
Cast – Nimisha Sajayan, Anshuman Pushkar, Geetika Vidhya Ohlyan, Sunita Rajwar, Rajesh Kumar, Priyanka Setia and Barun Sobti
Babita Singh aka Baby, our protagonist, is an under dog in every possible way.
She doesn’t have the stereotypical good looks.
She is a woman struggling with health and weight issues.
She is married to a brahmin while presumably not being one.
She is a police woman who got the job on compassionate grounds and hence not taken seriously.
She is kind hearted and gullible, constantly trying to please people around her, whether her boss or her in-laws.
Under moral pressure for not being able to play an ideal bahu, eager to go to her husband’s hometown for her sister-in-law’s baby shower, she takes upon herself, a false charge so that the suspension will get her the leave desperately needed. But a childhood friend ,Bansi’s murder derails her plans to please her marital family.
Baby might be the protagonist but the story is meant to be neither about her nor about the man who dies. It is actually a story about the people around her, around him, around us. The film is primarily a scathing social commentary woven as a thriller.
The most striking aspect of the film is how the makers create the social milieu and its nuances -realistic, subtle and disturbing. Her desperation to please the in laws, acceptance of the occasional barbs wrapped as jokes and concern, the sickening pressures, stifling expectations ,everything reeks of deep conditioning, patriarchal set up and regressive societal norms.The realistic locations, costumes and Nimisha ’s no make up bare faced look added to the realism.
The story also touches upon other issues like corruption, apathy, biases and domestic abuse. Admirably, all of it seems woven seamlessly.
Besides the social commentary part , as a thriller I feel the story lacked. There were loopholes, convenient unexplainable twists and irrational behaviour that marred the last 45 minutes for me. The story seemed to have lost the sharpness and focus of the first two acts. Also I found the climax underwhelming and hurriedly wrapped up.
Despite this shortcomings , the film was a good watch and the major credit goes to Nimisha for her phenomenal performance. I still remember being wowed by her realism when I saw her for the first time in “The Great Indian Kitchen” . She makes a splash with this film and practically carries the film on her shoulder, appearing in literally every frame of the film.
Anshuman Pushkar gives a good performance as her husband Sharad. Watch out for subtle changes in his character,as a couple living alone to the couple living in parental home and town.
Entire cast adds value to the overall feel of the film.
It’s a slow burn social thriller. If that’s your genre, watch how Baby strives, struggles and stumbles but eventually discovers her confidence ,clarity of thoughts and the reality about Bansi’s murder.
BHAVNA TALKIES 