Allu Arjun praises Baby team, Sai Rajesh, Vaishnavi Chaitanya to the skies, calls it a milestone in Telugu cinema

Baby, starring Anand Deverakonda, Viraj Ashwin, Vaishnavi Chaitanya, directed by Sai Rajesh opened to glowing responses from audiences, grossing over Rs 40 crore in a week. In praise of the team’s efforts, Pushpa 2 star Allu Arjun graced a special promotional event for Baby and recognised the various efforts that went into the film.

“Baby is a superb film, you’ve hit it out of the park. Very rarely do we come across films where you witness the pain in love - Kaadhal Konden, 7/G Brindavan Colony and Arjun Reddy, one can only make these films out of real experiences. Sai Rajesh deserves praise and I lost my mind after watching the first half in my home theatre. I watched it in two days due to my work commitments,” he said.

Beyond first half and second half, the film is a sixer, Allu Arjun shared. “Behind every common man is a woman who broke his heart when he was young. I was shocked by the writing, performances and I genuinely loved it. If it’s a good film, audiences will always watch it. I, Maruthi and Sukumar are in awe of Sai Rajesh, you’ve perfectly represented life from a perspective of an auto driver in the city.”

“Sai Rajesh faced many insults in his life because he made comedy films and people didn’t even give him time to narrate his scripts. You never know what anyone is capable of. Right during Colour Photo, I was aware of his potential. The film has a candid quality in its cinematography and the performances are so un-cinematic, realistic and genuine,” he added.

The director went through a pain akin to a mother to conceive ‘this’ Baby, the star opined. “I’ve seen how far (producer) SKN has come up in the industry, his growth from a journalist to a PRO and a producer is unbelievable. He waited for many years and put his heart and soul to make Baby, he kept calling it a cult film and wanted to show it to me only after it’s fully ready.”

“Vijai Bulganin created a great impact with the music score, I can’t believe he didn’t commit to any project for two years to do justice to Baby. I loved O Rendu Prema Meghalila, Devaraja; the soundscape is so unique. The cinematography is so realistic without an attempt to be glossy. I see my brother in Anand Deverakonda, he is the pillar behind the film,” the star shared.

Viraj Ashwin performed very well, he looked so handsome; it’s important for every actor to be original and break patterns, he mentioned. “I came to this event largely because of Vaishnavi Chaitanya. I remember working with her for Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. I was very sad that Telugu-speaking heroines don’t exist in the industry. I’m now relieved that the moment has come for them to shine.”

Allu Arjun felt that Vaishnavi spoke Telangana beautifully and hoped she would get the Best Actress award this year. “It’ll be an inspiration for many Telugu girls. I thank Sai Rajesh for his conviction to cast a Telugu girl amidst many pressures. Baby is a gamechanger in Telugu cinema and I can understand why audiences are going bonkers. It is not misogynistic and it’s easy to showcase women in a poor light, but he gave respect to women,” he signed off.