1000 Babies is a 2024 Indian, Malayalam-language, crime thriller miniseries directed by Najeem Koya.[1][2] The series is written by Najeem Koya and Arouz Irfan, with cinematography by Faiz Siddik. The series was released on Disney+ Hotstar on 18 October 2024.[3]
| 1000 Babies | |
|---|---|
 Title Card | |
| Genre | Crime thriller |
| Written by | Najeem Koya Arouz Irfan |
| Directed by | Najeem Koya |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Sankar Sharma |
| Country of origin | India |
| Original language | Malayalam |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Shaji Nadesan Arya |
| Production location | India |
| Cinematography | Faiz Siddik |
| Editor | Johnkutty |
| Running time | 38-55 minutes |
| Production company | August Cinema |
| Original release | |
| Network | Disney+ Hotstar |
| Release | 18 October 2024 |
Plot synopsis
editSarah Ouseph (Neena Gupta), is suffering from hallucinations probably related to her career as an obstetric head nurse in the past. She's living with her son, Bibin Ouseph (Sanju Sivram) in Mundakkayam after retirement. Sarah is very controlling and Bibin is apparently okay with that. Bibin works as a lab technician in a nearby lab and caters to all the needs of Sarah.
On a fateful day, Sarah reveals some disturbing secrets related to her past to Bibin, and struggling to deal with how Sarah changed his destiny, Bibin attacks Sarah and flees with Sarah's diaries. Sarah is admitted to a hospital and requests of the doctor to arrange a meeting with a local CI and a legal advisor. She hands over 2 letters to them, one for the police and one for the magistrate (Joy Mathew). Soon after, Sarah dies while the police decide not to pursue the crimes done by Sarah as there is no way to deal with the social situation if her secrets are out in public.
However, the truth overwhelms Bibin and he chooses to go and learn more about his original parents. As soon as he learns the child that was swapped with him was treating her parents badly, he decides to make her go away and deviously concocts a plan that leads to her death.
Having all the information of the babies his foster mother swapped, he goes through one by one with the help of like-minded others who share his ideology, with the intention of removing individuals from the face of the planet, especially those who did not live up to the opportunities they got. However, he also starts sending a series of cryptic letters to a friend of his which catches the attention of the Kerala police, and they are on his case, led by Aji Kurien (Rahman).
Cast
edit- Neena Gupta as Sarah Ouseph
- Rahman as CI Aji Kurian
- Sanju Sivram as Bibin Ouseph/Naisam Ali/Harshan
- Joy Mathew as Magistrate Samuel K. Sam
- Adil Ibrahim as SI Anzari
- Ashwin K Kumar as Sanjeev Krishna / SK
- Dain Davis as Suneer
- Shaju Sreedhar as Vinod Pankajakshan
- Viviya Santh as Merlin
- Irshad as MLA Pinto Varghese
- Manu Lal as Devan Kupleri
- Srikant Murali as Hareendran Kupleri
- Radhika Radhakrishnan as Ancy Sanjeev
- James Eliya as Advocate Rajan Varkey
- Dileep Menon as Anil Das
Episodes
edit| No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Prequel[4]" | 18 October 2024 |
| 2 | "Sequel" | 18 October 2024 |
| 3 | "Legacy" | 18 October 2024 |
| 4 | "First half" | 18 October 2024 |
| 5 | "Interval" | 18 October 2024 |
| 6 | "Second half" | 18 October 2024 |
| 7 | "Anti-climax" | 18 October 2024 |
Production
editThe series began production in May 2023.[5] Earlier it was titled as 1000+ Babies and later changed to the current title.[6] It marked return of Neena Gupta to Malayalam after 32 years hiatus.[7]
Release
editThe teaser of the series was released on 23 August 2024.[8] The trailer was released on 9 October 2024 which announced the release date as 18 October 2024.[9] The series released on 18 October 2024 on Disney+ Hotstar.[10]
Reception
editThe series received positive responses from critics and audience.[11] Gayathri Krishna of OTTPlay rated the series 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote:"A well-crafted crime thriller that keeps viewers glued to their seats, thanks to the performances".[12] Christy Rosy Sibi of The Week rated the film 3/5 and wrote: "A twisted psychological series driven by plot convenience".[13]
References
edit- ^ "INTERVIEW: 1000 Babies director Najeem Koya reveals what led to casting Neena Gupta as lead over a Malayalam actress". Pinkvilla.
- ^ "1000 Babies trailer: Neena Gupta adds an ominous touch to this murder mystery". India Today. 7 October 2024.
- ^ "Rahman and Neena Gupta's '1000 Babies' starts streaming". The Times Of India. 18 October 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ "1000 Babies Web Series (2024) | Release Date, Review, Cast, Trailer, Watch Online at Disney+ Hotstar".
- ^ "Neena Gupta and Rahman to star in Disney+ Hotstar series 1000+ Babies". Cinema Express. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "INTERVIEW: 1000 Babies director Najeem Koya reveals what led to casting Neena Gupta as lead over a Malayalam actress". Pinkvilla. 18 October 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "'1000 Babies': Neena Gupta to make her Malayalam comeback with Rahman's series". The Hindu. 24 August 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "1000 Babies teaser: Neena Gupta cuts an ominous figure alongside a towering Rahman in this eerie thriller". The Indian Express. 23 August 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Neena Gupta and Rahman's '1000 Babies' to stream on October 18; Watch the suspense-filled trailer". The Times Of India. 9 October 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "From '1000 Babies' to 'Level Cross': New OTT releases this week". Onmanorama. 18 October 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "1000 Babies: Setting a new benchmark in Malayalam; here's what makes the web series a perfect binge-watch". The Times Of India. 18 October 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "1000 Babies Review: A well-crafted crime thriller that keeps viewers glued to their seats, thanks to the performances". Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "'1000 Babies' review: A twisted psychological series driven by plot convenience". The Week. 19 October 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.