It is always the mother who is remembered as the symbol of purity, compassion and unconditional love. From the moment a child is born, she is the one who nurtures, protects, and sacrifices quietly, becoming the backbone of the family. But alongside her stands another pillar, often less celebrated, often less vocal, but no less powerful — the father. Fathers are the ones we associate with strength, protection, and provision. They are the spinal cord of the family, silent yet sturdy, always ready to hold everything together when life threatens to fall apart.
And when it comes to their daughters, fathers wear an entirely different cape. To daughters, fathers are often their first superheroes and their first love. They may not always show their emotions as openly as mothers do, but when their daughters are in danger, they can move mountains, bring down worlds, and even risk everything — life itself — to protect them. A father’s love may be less talked about, but it is fierce, unwavering, and capable of miracles.
With this very real and raw concept, director Jiit Chakraborty has begun shooting his film, aptly titled Baba. A family-action-thriller explores the extraordinary transformation of an ordinary man when the safety of his daughter is at stake. At the heart of this story is Vikram Chatterjee, stepping into the role of a father for the very first time on screen. Vikram has always been known for his versatility in Tollywood. He has played diverse characters — romantic heroes who tugged at heartstrings, passionate messiahs for furry friends, uniformed cops who fought against injustice, and action-packed heroes who made the adrenaline rush. But in Baba, Vikram steps into uncharted territory: the shoes of a father.
He plays Gourab, a crime journalist and a new father, whose seemingly ordinary life takes an extraordinary turn when his one-year-old daughter faces danger. The film explores how far an average middle-class man can go when love and responsibility push him beyond his limits. “My leading lady for the film is only one year old! And she’s the prettiest of all the heroines I’ve ever worked with,” Vikram said with a laugh, referring to his reel-life daughter, Ashleishaa Sarkar. At the tender age of one, Ashleishaa Sarkar makes her big-screen debut in Baba. She can barely form words, yet she is already the emotional anchor of this story. Vikram and Ashleishaa have only met a handful of times and have grown more comfortable with each other, ensuring their father-daughter bond looks authentic on screen. “Working with a one-year-old is, of course, going to be challenging and interesting,” Vikram admitted. But being a proud dog father, he draws parallels between the innocence of babies and his beloved pets.
While Vikram and Ashleishaa form the heart of the film, Baba boasts a stellar cast. Kiran Mazumder makes her big-screen debut as Rai, Gourab’s wife. “I said 'yes' to the film because I really loved the script. It was heartfelt and deeply relatable. Playing Rai felt natural to me because she is so similar to who I am as a person. The audience will probably see a lot of Kiran in Rai,” said Kiran.
Aparajita Adhya, Kanchan Mullick, Mamata Shankar, Biswanath Basu, Debraj Bhattacharya, and many more bring their own charm and depth to this powerful story. Together, they form a well-rounded ensemble, each character adding a unique layer to the family-action-thriller tapestry.
For director Jiit Chakraborty, Baba is a deeply personal exploration of family, love, and sacrifice. Having previously directed Aari, which focused on the bond between a mother and son, Jiit wanted to explore another equally powerful yet less frequently portrayed relationship: that of a father and his daughter. “This is my first film as a producer and my fifth as a director, and I couldn’t be more excited. With Aari, I delved into motherhood. With Baba, I wanted to shine a light on the unexplored and unconditional bond of fatherhood, especially the unique love between a father and daughter. It’s not just a family drama; it’s also an action thriller based on real-life events, and that makes it all the more powerful. I think the audience will be very touched by the film,” said Jiit. By weaving together emotional storytelling with high-stakes action, Jiit hopes to give audiences both goosebumps and tears.
For Vikram, stepping into the role of a father required more than just memorising lines. He immersed himself in the psychology of new fathers, reaching out to friends who had recently embraced fatherhood. He wanted to understand not just the joy of having a child but the weight of responsibility, the silent fears, and the determination to protect at all costs. “There’s a huge difference between wanting a child and wanting to become a father,” Vikram explained. “When you want to become a father, you’re ready to experience fatherhood in its truest sense. You want to give your child everything you probably didn’t get from your own father when you were growing up.”
The film also features intense action sequences, showing how an ordinary middle-class man transforms into someone extraordinary when pushed to the edge. “A lot of literature and cinema focus on mothers and motherhood, which is beautiful. But fathers, too, play a vital role. They are often the unsung heroes of the family,” said the actor.
Baba has already gone on floors, with shooting taking place across various locations in the city and its outskirts. The challenge of working with a toddler, the physical demands of action, and the emotional intensity of the storyline all come together to create a cinematic experience that promises to be both unique and unforgettable. The film also sheds light on the ordinariness of heroism. Gourab is not a cop, soldier, or superhero. He is a middle-class journalist, a man like many around us. But when his daughter’s safety is threatened, he becomes larger than life. That transformation is what makes Baba not only relatable but also inspirational.
At its core, Baba is about love. Love that does not need words. Love that turns ordinary men into extraordinary warriors. Love that makes a father both a shield and a sword.
