Nimisha Sajayan is fantastic as a Bhopal-based cop named Babita Singh, aka Baby. She has always been overweight, and this has given her issues with her self-confidence. People are easily able to manipulate her for their gains. But when she goes to visit her in-laws in a small town and runs into what appears to be a murder, it paves the way for a coming-of-age story. That’s the basic storyline and the quick review. A longer analysis follows, and it will contain spoilers. So be warned.
Babita Singh Reporting is one of those cases where the lead actor is so good that you are willing to follow them anywhere, even into a script that doesn’t always know what it is doing. Nimisha Sajayan plays Babita Singh, who’s called Baby. The childlike nickname suggests that she may be having a tough time being taken seriously. Her husband feels she was better off as a schoolteacher. And now, when she’s become a cop, she is still not given the respect she craves because she got the job on compassionate grounds, after her father was killed on duty. Even a female colleague who’s a friend remarks that Babita knows nothing about what it’s like to become a cop “the hard way”. Babita replies that this friend, on the other hand, knows nothing about being married, so maybe she should stop giving advice about Babita’s attempt to get some leave to go visit her in-laws for a family function. The film, written by Amita Vyas, is the coming-of-age story of a woman who learns to assert herself both professionally and personally.
But at first, we think we’re watching a police procedural, with tropes like looking at CCTV footage or realising that the killer cannot be left-handed. Anshumaan Pushkar (who’s very good) plays Baby’s husband, Sharad. When they reach his hometown, Baby runs into a school friend named Bansi (Barun Sobti), and the next day, he is found dead. Baby is shocked. She has thyroid issues, and she used to be even heavier while in school. Her friends used to call her a buffalo, and only Bansi stood up for her. She remembers that kindness and she wants to crack this case – even as the in-laws expect her to do a lot of work for the family function. Baby is overwhelmed by return gifts to be bought and boxes of sweets to be delivered, but her “police brain” won’t let go of the case. She’s chased by dogs, attacked by drug addicts, scolded by her family, and yet she keeps at it.
In one remarkable passage, we see Sharad break down. In his limited capacity, he has tried to be an understanding husband, marrying Baby even though he got more caste-appropriate alliances. He is tired of being asked about a child when he thinks her thyroid issues are the reason they’re not getting pregnant. And when Baby won’t give up investigating, he’s simply had enough. Baby comforts him the way she can, but she also realises that she is not cut out for these traditional roles. She’d rather be a cop. Given the range of men around, Sharad may be one of the better ones, but she begins to see that that may not be enough for her. The script is not able to balance the crime aspects with the same interest and enthusiasm as the domestic aspects, but director Ambiecka Pandit gives us a woman who is still being formed. Under our eyes, Baby grows up.
And Nimisha shows us this growth beautifully. There is a scene where Baby gets into a car and chases a man on a bike – it’s a classic scenario from a police procedural. But when the car hits the bike, Baby is unprepared for the physical impact of the collision and the emotional impact of knocking a man down. Nimisha makes us feel every bit of this confusion between thrill and fear. She makes us feel how a brand new cop would react to situations that may be old hat to many others. Nimisha does not hide Baby’s weight. She lets the flesh hang from her hips. I found the ending something of an anticlimax, and in general, the case and its various components do not bear close scrutiny – but I was happy that Baby had solved her first case. The clumsiness with which she goes about it adds to the charm of her achievement, and if there is a sequel, I’d love to see Nimisha back in action. Just let the writing be better, please!
