‘Baththa’ blends gangster comedy with a child’s coming-of-age perspective

Balaji Tharaneetharan’s “Baththa” turns the image of a feared local gangster into the centre of a funny and moving story viewed largely through the eyes of a schoolboy. Set in 1986, the film follows Sabari, played by Sai Prithvi Raj, after he witnesses the don Baththa, portrayed by Vijay Sethupathi, beating a bloodied man in the street. Stories told by Sabari’s classmates inflate Baththa’s reputation into that of an almost superhuman figure.

The review describes the Baththa seen on screen as a local ruffian who frightens residents and moves around with his associates. At home, however, he loves his daughter, Thenmozhi, and wife, Kanimaa, although his family life also includes angry outbursts. The film changes direction when Sabari and Baththa cross paths during an event that alters both their lives.

The review says the first half benefits from its period setting and from Sethupathi returning to a comic-gangster mode associated with earlier films. The story becomes more distinctive through the darkly comic situation involving the boy and the don. Rather than turning the film into a mystery about Baththa’s enemies, Tharaneetharan keeps Sabari’s perspective at its centre.

The screenplay uses that viewpoint for comic ideas, including one involving powdered rusk. The review praises Sabari as naive but quietly street-smart, and says the film captures the uncertainty of childhood when events are only partly under a child’s control. It also says the period setting evokes experiences from life before mobile phones became ubiquitous.

Although the second half loses momentum, the review says the screenplay continues to command attention and generate laughs. “Baththa” is currently running in theatres, according to the source.