Are You Ok Baby

Are You Ok Baby Movie Synopsis: The happiness of a family gets disrupted after their kid's biological mother comes back to reclaim her baby.

Are You Ok Baby Movie Review: Lakshmy Ramakrishnan's Are You Ok Baby touches upon the intricate complexities surrounding adoption and the legal complications that can often arise in this context. The narrative tries hard to keep us hooked throughout with its melodramatic approach, and the premise is quite interesting as the events unfold against the backdrop of a popular-yet-controversial reality TV show, modelled on the one that Lakshmy hosted in real life.

In the very first scene, we get introduced to a couple from Kerala — Vidhya (Abhirami) and Balan (Samuthirakani), whose lives revolve around their baby girl Anya. But an unexpected phone call from a reality TV show changes their life upside down. The couple, who till then believes that they have adopted Anya after getting proper permission from her biological mother Shoba (Mullai Arasi), is shattered after being accused of child trafficking.

The issue gets exacerbated because of the reality show, making things even worse. The adopted parents and the biological mother are pit against each other in a legal battle.

The film begins on a lighter note and shifts into a courtroom drama in the second half. Though the transition here is smooth, scenes that have the potential to provoke certain emotions with the audience fall a bit flat. We have to wait until the pre-climax sequence for us to actually empathise with the biological mother and the central characters involved in the conflict. But the idea to incorporate the events that play behind the scenes of the reality show is quite good. The writing is intelligent enough to both mock and appreciate the intention of the show.

In fact, many characters in the film question the host of the show (played by Lakshmy Ramakrishnan) on why she's intervening in another person's life when there are police and court to solve their issues. There are also sequences that try to showcase the amount of effort the team behind the show had put in to solve certain things.

While the film excels in portraying the emotional turmoil of its characters, it occasionally falls short of delving fully into the psychological intricacies of their personalities. There are moments when viewers yearn for a deeper exploration of the characters that would have further elevated the film's emotional resonance. This slight shortcoming prevents the audience from fully immersing ourselves in the film's world.

Both Mullai Arasi and Abhirami's performances in the court add a sort of believability. They have delivered what's expected out of them and the writing, too, works in certain places.

Mysskin's cameo appearance as the head of a child welfare association is something to watch out for. Samuthirakani, too, has given his best as a helpless father who gets entangled in the legal issue. Ashok Kumar, who plays Mullai Arasi's partner, has delivered his best.

The score by Ilaiyaraaja effectively captures the plight of the lead characters.

The film's intentions are all noble, and it effectively sheds light on the problems associated with the adoption process.