‘1000 Babies’ Review: Sanju Sivram Stands Out As the Wronged Psychopath in This Partly Gripping Series Co-Starring Neena Gupta and Rahman (LatestLY Exclusive)

1000 Babies Review: Considering that Kerala Crime Files was Disney+ Hotstar's first Malayalam original series and a success, I wonder why 1000 Babies, its new Malayalam series, wasn’t considered a second season of KCF. Both shows revolve around a team of cops investigating a murder(s) anyway and even have the same narrational flaws. 1000 Babies, directed and co-written by Najeem Koya (scriptwriter of Apoorvaragam, 2 Countries, and the underrated Friday), starts off as a bizarre psychological mystery drama before transforming into a serial killer manhunt, with the show’s true strength lying in its early stages. Once the secretive "cat" is out of the bag, however, it wavers and struggles under its own high expectations, eventually tapering off to an underwhelming season finale. ‘1000 Babies’ Trailer: Neena Gupta, Rahman and Sanju Sivram’s Malayalam Series Promises a Spooky and Disturbing Mystery.

Sara Ouseph (Neena Gupta), a former nurse, lives in an isolated house with her son Bibin (Sanju Sivram), a lab technician and introverted genius. Sara is mentally unstable, often hallucinating cradles of babies, screaming inexplicably, and obsessively scribbling names and other notes on her wall, with Bibin supporting her eccentricities obediently. One day, Sara confesses a dark secret to Bibin, shattering him psychologically and triggering a violent outburst.

Watch the Trailer of '1000 Babies':

Years later, Aji Kurian (Rahman), a top cop in Kerala Police, investigates the mysterious death of an actress. He successfully solves the case but, in the process, unearths a bizarre can of worms that leads him and his team to a covert operation to uncover related deaths. How Sara and Bibin’s story connects with Aji’s investigation forms the central plot of 1000 Babies.

'1000 Babies' Season 1 Review - The Excellent First Three Episodes

There’s no denying that 1000 Babies shines brightest in its first three episodes, especially in terms of style, direction, and audience engagement. Each episode is titled after a screenplay segment: the first, "Prequel," introduces the strange lives of Sara and Bibin in a twisted psychological drama. The curious presentation of these characters grabs attention, hinting at Sara's terrible secret and its impact on Bibin. However, the truth remains withheld, and viewers are left to wait a few episodes for its reveal.

Personally, I'm not a fan of shows that withhold information for dramatic effect while showing us the same, but in the case of 1000 Babies, this tactic actually helps maintain intrigue throughout the initial episodes.

The second episode, "Sequel," jumps ahead 12 years and introduces Aji Kurian as a brilliant officer. This murder investigation storyline is compelling, staying separate from the events of the first episode before intertwining near the end. The third episode, "Legacy," is the show’s strongest as it synchronises both storylines and finally unveils Sara’s horrifying secret—though the title itself is somewhat of a spoiler.

'1000 Babies' Season 1 Review - An Evident Downturn

After this episode, however, 1000 Babies suffers a notable decline in writing quality and pacing. While the show remains decent and is more disturbing than Kerala Crime Files in terms of gore and violence, it never quite lives up to the initial brilliance conveyed in the first three episodes. 1000 Babies becomes a full-fledged investigative thriller while relying on flashbacks to Bibin’s disturbing behaviours and their origins.

One main grievance for me with these later portions is the portrayal of the cops, especially Aji. Despite being depicted as brilliant, his breakthroughs feel more like a combination of luck and (SPOILER ALERT) manipulations. At times, I found myself deducing clues and character behaviours before he and his team (played by Adil Ibrahim and Shaju Sreedhar) did. Though this might be a deliberate choice due to the events in the final episode to underplay their characters, it’s difficult to care about the cops, especially when their opponent has a far more intriguing character arc.

The screenplay also suffers from plot conveniences, such as Bibin’s old landlord in Bengaluru keeping his room vacant years after he left, simply for the cops to stumble upon his belongings. In Bengaluru! 1000 Babies frequently overextends its flashbacks, attempting to spoonfeed viewers even when the narrative is straightforward enough without them (like Bibin getting one of his victims addicted to meth, which goes on and on). The creators try to incorporate twisted elements to sustain suspense, but the result is a thin and cluttered storyline. The finale, echoing a certain David Fincher cult classic and elevated by the antagonist’s performance, unfortunately, drowns in a chaotic attempt to set up future mysteries, leaving viewers with more questions than necessary. But hey, the makers did warn you about it with the episode title - "Anticlimax"! Kerala Crime Files Review: Aju Varghese and Lal’s Malayalam Series Is a Well-Knit Investigative Thriller That Loses Its Grip Near the End.

'1000 Babies' Season 1 Review - The Visual Treatment and Performances

Even the visual treatment and performances felt mixed. As with Hotstar's previous Malayalam series, there are some stunning wide shots of scenery. The first episode’s lighting and cinematography effectively evoke Sara's hallucinatory guilt. Yet, green-screen effects are obvious in places (made more conspicuous by blurring them out), and the obvious CGI in Aji Kurian’s office to show hi-tech screens detracts from the realism.

As for the actors, Sanju Sivaram, seen recently as the villainous cop in Tovino Thomas' ARM, delivers the most impressive performance of the lot. Bibin is a character with different variances that range from a meek introvert to a sinister corporate employee, and the actor brilliantly portrays these in a career-best role, easily emerging as the show’s highlight. His performance stands out further against the limitations of his co-stars.

Neena Gupta, while visually embodying the role of the disturbed woman (despite having less screen time than the trailers suggest), suffers from lip-sync issues that make one wonder why a native Malayali actress wasn’t chosen for this part. Rahman looks the part of the suave cop, but his delivery and body language fall short in certain scenes. There’s a climactic moment where his reaction to a development unintentionally prompted laughter in me. Among the supporting cast, only Manu Krishnan, who plays a hardliner right-wing politician, manages to stand out, even though his scenes are steeped in clichés. In some instances, it felt as though actors were responding to cues rather than the actual dialogue exchanges with co-stars—something that should have been avoided.

'1000 Babies' Season 1 Review - Final Thoughts

In the end, 1000 Babies is a series that begins with promise, teasing interesting psychological mystery with a strong visual flair but falters as it ventures into formulaic thriller territory. The captivating first three episodes set high expectations, only for the remaining chapters to deliver a somewhat diluted experience with uneven pacing, plot conveniences, and underdeveloped character arcs. At best, 1000 Babies is a decent investigation drama that had the potential to do better, with Sanju Sivram's chilling psycho act bringing in the goods when it falters.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 28, 2024 10:31 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).