‘Baththa’ movie review: Balaji Tharaneetharan returns with a delightfully funny, moving comedy-drama
Director Balaji Tharaneetharan returns with 'Baththa', a comedy-drama starring Vijay Sethupathi that explores the life of a feared gangster through the eyes of a schoolboy. The film examines themes of identity and the masks people wear in society.
Why it matters
The film marks a significant return for a notable director and contributes to the cultural discourse on the portrayal of 'don' archetypes in cinema.
Who are we when we no longer perform the role society forced upon us? In life, we may never realise what we have repressed that led us to put on that mask, all the while causing that rust in others. In Baththa , director Balaji Tharaneetharan’s first theatrical release in eight years, a dreaded don, the titular Baththa (Vijay Sethupathi), remembers who he truly is when he inadvertently crosses paths with a schoolboy.
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