Babita Singh Reporting review: Nimisha Sajayan reliably anchors a familiar yet engaging crime procedural | Bollywood

Babita Singh Reporting reviewCast: Nimisha Sajayan, Barun Sobti, Rajesh Kumar, Geetika Vidya OhlyanDirector: Ambiecka PanditStar rating: ★★★Where to watch: Amazon Prime VideoOTT has already given us its fair share of women at the centre of crime procedurals. From Delhi Crime and Dahaad, to She and Aranyak, female protagonists have repeatedly found themselves chasing killers and navigating systems rarely as straightforward as they seem. Babita Singh Reporting enters the same crowded space. But when the template is this familiar, the question is whether there is anything new to investigate. Does Babita Singh Reporting bring a fresh perspective to the genre? Let’s find out.The premiseDirected by Ambiecka Pandit, the story revolves around Babita, or Baby (Nimisha Sajayan), as everyone calls her, from her department seniors to her husband Sharad (Anshuman Pushkar). She is an ASI who got the job on compassionate grounds after her father was killed in action. Her career takes a turn when she is suspended despite having done nothing wrong. She returns to her hometown for her sister-in-law’s baby shower, where she is confronted with the death of her childhood friend Bansi (Barun Sobti) What begins as personal concern soon turns into an investigation, with Baby determined to find out what really happened to him. Where Babita Singh Reporting gets it bang on is its casting. The ensemble is effective, with each actor bringing enough lived-in quality to their characters to keep the story engaging across its roughly two-and-a-half-hour runtime. Nimisha gives Baby a grounded quality that makes her easy to root for. She is neither presented as a supercop nor reduced to the usual cliches.The pacing is another plus. The film takes its time to establish Baby and her relationships. The investigation moves forward at a steady pace. More importantly, there is a degree of relatability woven into the proceedings. The film observes the small, casually cruel ways in which people around Baby comment on her appearance, particularly her weight.The plot development benefits from this grounded approach. Baby’s growing discomfort with the circumstances surrounding Bansi’s death makes for an interesting watch.What doesn't workWhere the film stumbles, however, is in its stretched runtime. The editing table could have done with a sharper pair of scissors, with at least 15 minutes trimmed. It gradually begins to lose steam, with certain stretches feeling repetitive. Performance wise, Nimisha Sajayan delivers a solid one, bringing conviction to Baby. Barun Sobti, despite having limited screen time, makes his presence felt. Anshuman Pushkar is effective as Sharad, while Sunita Rajwar, as Baby’s mother-in-law, gets the character’s taunts just right without overplaying them. Rajesh Sharma, as SI Sethi, is reliable.Overall, Babita Singh reporting knows when to pause, and when not to underline an emotion. That restraint lends the investigation some tension, even when the plot itself feels familiar. The stretched runtime does little to help, but the performances and grounded treatment keep it from losing you completely. It is a conventional film in many ways, but one that remains engaging enough because of the care with which it handles its characters.