By Atanu Roy Kolkata, Feb 7 (Agency): Elon Musk once said, “if something is important enough, even if the odds are against you, you should still do it”. Team Windows Production House did the same taking the call of their soul and delivered one of the most pertinent regional films of recent times, ‘Baba, Baby, O’. Makers dealt the issue of surrogacy with the film. Bollywood director and producer Karan Johar, who also is a single father, wrote in his memoir that, “there hasn’t been a single day in the recent past that I haven’t thought about children, because I feel I have a very strong nurturing quality. I feel like I have all the love to give.” And here lies the foundation stone of the story. The protagonist here felt that he has that nurturing quality and that all love to give. Protagonist Jisshu Sengupta excels all the way he can. With time Jisshu is proving himself indispensable and indomitable. Jisshu owns Megh Roddur Chattopadhyay in every way and he has done it better than the best. Mainak Banerjee and Gourab Chattopadhyay plays two very important characters and played their roles pitch-perfect. Bidipta Chakraborty plays the character of Solanki’s mother with a command and demands some more screen space. Rajat Ganguly and Reshmi Sen also lits up the screen with their presence.
Sauraseni Maitra played a small character who has nothing more to do but within a short span, she looked so beautiful with Jisshu. She raises the possibility that makers can try to pair them in future. Last but not the least, Solanki Roy, who debuted with the film steals the show. It’s very expected that Jisshu Sengupta will act like he has done but Solanki as Brishti has done surprisingly good. The promise she has delivered will keep the audience waiting for her. Whereas in many parts of our country surrogacy is taboo there actor Tusshar Kapoor, who also opted for surrogacy thinks differently. Tusshar believes, “there is no taboo rather not many people in India have been aware of it. There’s also no harm in it if it’s within the framework of the law”. Though the makers of ‘Baba Baby O…’ have avoided keeping the legal parts and provisions in the film. But it could have been better if they opted to keep it to some extent. As people have not completely aware of the thing, subtly keeping the legal procedures could have been encouraging more to opt for surrogacy. But it has to be mentioned that, the makers of the film significantly used the references of Karan Johar through using his memoir ‘An Unsuitable Boy’ and Bollywood hit ‘Chori Chori Chupke Chupke’, which also told the story of surrogacy. Creating a family is not without anxiety or sensitivities.
There are multiple peaks and valleys in our lives. The same goes for surrogacy. Every path is different and tells a unique story. Some may experience more volatility than others. Yet this film reflects a true example of family and commitment. The makers preferred not the wounds but the possibilities during making the film. While our society often bewilderedly use In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy interchangeably, story writer – dialogue writer duo Zinia Sen and Samragnee Bandyopadhyay tried to clarify the distinction very clearly through light dialogues. The angle of homosexuality also has been kept in the film in a very subtle way. Somehow, makers have also tried to counter the brain drain and abrupt migration to the western countries through dialogue like “tritiyo biswo niswo lagchhe?(Doesn’t the third world look endurable anymore?)” It also works emotionally. Aritra Mukherjee, who earlier helmed film like ‘Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti’ and non-fiction shows have done a commendable job. The experience from non-fiction makes a filmmaker more measured and Aritra embodies that.
While handling a serious issue, one must know how much to say and what not to say; Aritra knows it very well. Being taking a commitment of serious social issues to convey, the film never fails to emerge as a family entertainer too. Like in his previous film he dealt with menstrual taboo, this time he choose surrogacy as his content. Subhankar Bhar has done a commendable job through his lens. Music remains a very important part of a family entertainer and the film passed with the letter marks in it. Amit-Ishaan and Chamok Hasan have created some songs to remember. Chamok, a composer from Bangladesh brings a lot of freshness in his debut work in India. His composition ‘Ei Mayabi Chander Raate’ is topping all the charts. It’s undeniably a very good story but the story touched most because it has been told from two women’s perspectives. While they scripted the story of a single father, it generally covers the both-side view of our society. It was difficult enough to depict the story. But as we know that difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations, the same happens with the film ‘Baba, Baby, O…’ So, at this time, it’s a very important film that must remain to conquer trying times.