Baby 2023

Vaishnavi Vaishnavi Chaitanya and Anand Anand Deverakonda are neighbors and high school students living in a crowded slum in Hyderabad. Anand’s mother Prabhavathi Varma is mute and deaf, yet she loves him deeply, painting a portrait of warmth within a difficult daily life. Vaishnavi, drawn to Anand, musters the courage to stand up to a strict teacher, and in that moment their connection turns into a relationship that feels almost inevitable to them both.

Three years pass. Vaishnavi earns a place at a prestigious engineering college, while Anand drops out due to poor grades and starts driving an auto to make ends meet. He mortgages his auto to buy a smartphone for Vaishnavi, a gesture meant to bridge their two worlds, but it places a financial strain on him as he tries to repay the loan. Vaishnavi, meanwhile, struggles to fit in with wealthier, more modern classmates and begins to drift emotionally away from Anand as she seeks acceptance in this new social circle.

At the college, Vaishnavi befriends Viraj and Seetha. Viraj Viraj Ashwin is drawn to her, and she hides the fact that she is still in a relationship with Anand. The allure of glamour captivates her, and the distance between her old life and the new world grows wider. Viraj gifts her a shiny new iPhone, a symbol of status and belonging, which triggers a sharp rift with Anand when she belittles the phone he had bought for her—unaware that it had come at a cost to him, one he pays while facing pressure from a loan shark who once confronted his mother.

Seetha Kirrak Seetha grows envious of Vaishnavi, convinced that Vaishnavi is from a lower class who does not deserve Viraj’s attention. On Viraj’s birthday, Vaishnavi becomes torn: Anand leaves voicemails of apology, Viraj declares his love, and Vaishnavi, in a drunken moment, texts Anand that she loves him before kissing Viraj—an exchange captured on the building’s CCTV. The impulse to belong to Viraj’s glittering life blinds her further and Viraj presses for marriage, while Seetha uses these vulnerabilities to drive a wedge between Vaishnavi and Viraj.

In a dangerous turn, Vaishnavi has a one-night stand with Viraj, and she later drinks to forget her infidelity, confiding the truth to Seetha. Seetha secretly records Vaishnavi’s confession and the kiss with Viraj, and Harsha Harsha Chemudu passes the information along, sharing the footage with Anand. The revelation shatters the fragile balance and forces Anand to confront the full extent of Vaishnavi’s double life.

When Anand learns everything, anger erupts into a dangerous outburst; he attempts to murder Vaishnavi in her sleep but fails and breaks down in tears. Seetha informs Viraj that Vaishnavi has had a boyfriend since tenth grade, and in a public confrontation, Vaishnavi is overwhelmed by guilt and attempts suicide. Both Anand and Viraj are arrested but released on bail. Vaishnavi is hospitalised, and Anand—watching his mother’s passing—begins to confront the pain of his own harsh treatment toward her. He seeks solace in the bottle, slipping further into depression. Vaishnavi reaches out to apologize, but her efforts are rebuffed by fate and a heartbroken Anand asks her to leave him alone for his own sake.

The story moves toward its quiet, poignant epilogue: at Vaishnavi’s wedding procession, Anand, now a solitary figure behind the wheel of his auto, sees her from a distance. They exchange a lingering look as he drives away in tears. The final image—a photo of a younger Vaishnavi in his auto—suggests that they once shared a deep, enduring love, even as life and circumstance drew them apart.