O.Baby (film)

Following Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu (2017), O.Baby is the fourth directorial of Ranjan Pramod after a six-year break.[7] In an interview with OTTPlay, Ranjan said that Dileesh called him and discussed doing a film together.[8] After discussing and finalizing the theme, Idukki was chosen as the main location, and Ranjan began writing the script there.[7] Along with Abhishek Sashidharan and Pramod Thervarpalli, Dileesh also joined as one of the producers of the film.[9]

In an interview with The Hindu, Ranjan Pramod said that he chose Dileesh Pothan to play the lead role as he would be apt for the character.[7] Haniya Naifsa, who played Nayanthara's daughter in Connect (2022), was cast in the role of Mini.[10] The film makers chose her without an audition after seeing her photographs and videos on social media.[10] Ranjan cast Saji Soman, son of the late M. G. Soman, as Haniya Nafisa's father.[7] In an interview with Malayala Manorama, Devadath V. S., a Kuruppanthara native and Kalaripayattu trainee who played the character Basil, told that he was chosen by the assistant director, Krishnamani.[11] After appearing in 1001 Nunakal (2022), Vishnu Agasthya was cast to play the role of Stanley.[12] Dr. Shinu Syamalan, who was a part of Pathonpatham Noottandu (2022), was selected to play the role of Suja.[13] Gopalakrishnan, a theatre actor, was cast to play a significant role.[7]

The film was shot during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main shooting location was an estate near Anavilasam.[11] The shoot lasted for 40 days.[13]

The film was released on 9 June 2023.[16]

Anna Mathews of The Times of India gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "The raw feel of the film gives it an immersive feel, but what could have been a really powerful story falls short because of shortcomings in the script."[17] Vignesh Madhu of The New Indian Express gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Although the film doesn't boast of anything groundbreaking in terms of its writing, its such competent execution, with the right mix of thrills, that makes it an engaging watch... on the big screen."[18] S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote "O.Baby explores feudal society through the minds of a few young people, who want to break free from the stifling atmosphere."[19]

Swathi P. Ajith of Onmanorama wrote "O.Baby stands as a commendable endeavour by Ranjan Pramod to bring forth a profoundly serious theme to the public."[20] Sanjith Sidhardhan of OTTPlay gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Director Ranjan Pramod's O.Baby is a thoroughly engaging drama-thriller that asks pertinent questions about social oppression and also help bridge that generation gap a bit."[21] Arjun Ramachandran of The South First gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "O.Baby is an intense dark thriller that discusses pertinent issues revolving around the backward class and the privileged ones."[22]