Baba Black Sheep

Baba Black Sheep Movie Synopsis: Two rival school gangs come under the same management and are forced to co-exist, leading to several changes in their lives.

Baba Black Sheep Movie Review: Films that are centred upon the lives of students and their life at school are often great to watch as they have moments that take us back to the good ol' days. Rajmohan Aarumugam's debut directorial, Baba Black Sheep tries its best to be that kind of a film, but the emotional aspects in the second half don't really take us into the characters' world and the fun elements overpower it.

As the opening credits roll, we get a funny voice-over explaining the characteristics of '80s and '90s kids and how 2K kids stand out among them. Within a few minutes, we are introduced to two different gangs — one belongs to a boys higher secondary school and another to a co-ed school. Both these schools are managed by the same people and are also located in the same vicinity with only a compound wall separating them. At one point, the management decides to merge the two schools, which eventually creates a ruckus among the two gangs. While one group is headed by Ayaz, another one is headed by NP along with Nila (Ammu Abirami). As their conflicts get intense, the management decides to solve the issue by keeping them busy in the name of science exhibition, election and culturals.

As things progress, the students not only become close to each other but also teach the value of life, literally.

Rajmohan's film starts well with the first half generating fun moments like the best episodes of the popular TV show Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal. Vigneshkanth's one-liners and his lengthy monologues about last-bench students manage to evoke laughter and the other fun moments also help in creating an enjoyable first half. However, the film has a drastic tonal change in the second half and delves into topics such as suicidal tendencies among students of the present generation and touches upon the real-life incident of the controversial death of a girl student in a private school hostel. The director deserves appreciation for dealing with the topic of suicidal tendencies of students, which hasn't been talked about much in the mainstream arena. However, the characters in the film who struggle with these tendencies aren't flushed out properly and fail to make us empathise with them.

The performances of Ayaz, NP and Ammu Abirami are decent enough to hold our attention. The staging of certain sequences in the pre-climax portion is interesting and the idea to dress up the character with suicidal intentions as a joker is quite laudable. There are other fun moments, including the end credits. The director has taken a dig at public reviews in a fun way and it gives us one final laugh before we leave the theatre.

Baba Black Sheep is a one-time watch, especially for 2K kids and those who want to revisit their school days.