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Baththa review
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Filmi Score
Exceptional
17 reviews
84
What the critics say
Audience Score · not yet · appears once three readers have written a review
Critics widely praise Baththa's warm screenplay and the performances of Vijay Sethupathi and child actor Sai Prithviraj, calling it among the year's best Tamil films, though some note pacing sags.
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13+
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Summary
Baththa (2026, Tamil) has a Filmi Score of 84 from 17 critic reviews, and is rated 13+ by Filmi (CBFC: U/A 13+).
In 1986 Madras, a timid eight-year-old boy accidentally traps a feared gangster inside a deserted school toilet. As the gangster is forced to confront hunger, loneliness and his own vulnerability, an unlikely bond begins to grow between the two, changing their lives forever.
Where to watchAvailability by JustWatch · some watch links pay filmi.ai a small commission; it never changes what we show or how we score.
Not streaming yetNot streaming yetNot streaming yetNot streaming yetNot streaming yetNot streaming yet
Box office collection
₹$≈ at ₹88/$, as of 26 Oct 2026
₹33.08 CrWorldwide gross in 25 days
India gross₹33.08 Cr
Overseas gross₹0.00 Cr
As of 26 Oct 2026 · Sacnilk · still running
view →
Cast & crew
Cast
Directed and written by Balaji Tharaneetharan · music Sai Abhyankkar
Balaji TharaneetharanDirector · Writer
Sai AbhyankkarMusic
Selvakumar SKCinematography
R. KalaivananEditing
Vijay SethupathiLead
Lijomol Jose
Sai Prithviraj
Sahasra Sree
Santhy Balachandran
Arjun Chidambaram
Hari Krishnan
Ajay Ghosh
Deepa Venkat
Ramya Pandian
Vishnu Govindan
Full crew
SoundKunal Rajan · Sinoy Joseph
Production designT. Muthuraj · S Kannan
CostumeShruthi Manjari
ChoreographyRaju Sundaram
LyricsKarthik Netha · KK Nagar Gana Jeeva · Tamizh Aadhavan
VFXH. Monesh
ActionStun Siva · U. Pruthvi · Kevin Kumar
MakeupVinoth Sugumaran
More like this
Also by Balaji Tharaneetharan
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74
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61
Tamil · · All
59
Other well-rated Tamil films from 2026
Tamil · Jan 2026 · All
81
Tamil · May 2026 · 16+
80
Tamil · Aug 2026 · 18+
76
Around the web
Recent writing, podcasts and video essays about “Baththa” — chosen by hand, one line on why to read each.
Balaji Tharaneetharan on the eight-year gap, his Triplicane childhood, and why Baththa isn't a gangster actioner but a character study.
The Hindu · Bhuvanesh Chandar · 29 Sep 2026 · 1,000 words
Summary
In 1986 Madras, a timid eight-year-old boy accidentally traps a feared gangster inside a deserted school toilet. As the gangster is forced to confront hunger, loneliness and his own vulnerability, an unlikely bond begins to grow between the two, changing their lives forever.
Where to watch
Availability by JustWatch · some watch links pay filmi.ai a small commission; it never changes what we show or how we score.Not streaming yet
Not streaming yet
Not streaming yet
Not streaming yet
Not streaming yet
Not streaming yet
What the critics said
17 reviews · the critic’s own number where they gave one
Five of 17 · the critic’s own number where they gave one
Yashaswini Sri · 1 Oct 2026
Baththa movie review: Vijay Sethupathi shines in a film that earns every emotion Read it there →
Published · 4/5
Filmi’s reading 93
80
YouTube, Telugu · transcript read · 3 Oct 2026
Thyview calls Baththa an instant classic, ranking it alongside the director's and genre's best work, and praises the writing, direction, and… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
92
Prashanth Vallavan · 1 Oct 2026
An effusive review calling the film one of the great recent Tamil storylines, praising its restraint and empathy for both the boy and the… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
90
Sruthi Ganapathy Raman · 1 Oct 2026
Calls the film a delicate, surprising friendship drama anchored by superb performances from Sethupathi and the child actor, with no reservations… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
90
Unni Narayanan · YouTube, Malayalam · transcript read · 4 Oct 2026
Unni calls Baththa a must-watch, repeatedly telling viewers to go to the theatre, and singles out child actor Sai Prithviraj's performance as the… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
87
Sreeju Sudhakaran · 10 Oct 2026
Baththa Movie Review: A Heartwarming Redemption Tale Read it there →
Published · 3.5/5
Filmi’s reading 86
70
Baradwaj Rangan ✓ Claimed · 2 Oct 2026
A detailed, admiring analysis calling the film a warm, unexpected companion piece to Meiyazhagan, with the critic's only stated reservation being… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
85
YouTube, Telugu · transcript read · 3 Oct 2026
Poolachokka calls Baththa his film of the year, praising the performances — especially the child actor — and the background score, and says… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
85
YouTube, Kannada · transcript read · 3 Oct 2026
Nanna Prakaara calls Baththa possibly the best Tamil film of the year, praising the screenplay, character writing, and especially the child… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
85
Deeksha Sharma · YouTube, Hindi · rating spoken aloud · 8 Oct 2026
4/5, said on camera. Published nowhere. Watch it there →
Stated in video
Filmi’s reading 83
80
1 Oct 2026
Praises the film's humour, emotional payoff and performances as a thoroughly enjoyable theatrical experience, noting only that the first half… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
80
Nona Prince · YouTube · transcript read · 15 Oct 2026
Nona Prince calls Baththa a delightful, emotionally moving film carried by strong performances and direction, singling out the climax as a… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
80
Bhuvanesh Chandar · 1 Oct 2026
A warm, nostalgic appreciation of the friendship drama that largely praises the screenplay and period detail, noting only that momentum dips… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
78
Janani K · 1 Oct 2026
Baththa review: Vijay Sethupathi's gangster tale is all heart, humour and nostalgia Read it there →
Published · 3.5/5
Filmi’s reading 78
70
M Suganth · 1 Oct 2026
Baththa Movie Review: An emotionally resonant story of a gangster's rediscovery of innocence Read it there →
Published · 3.5/5
Filmi’s reading 76
70
Arathi Kannan · 2 Oct 2026
Finds the film entertaining and well-paced, comparing it to Majid Majidi's work, but faults the screenplay for over-explaining emotions that… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
76
Rohit Panikker · 13 Oct 2026
Baththa Review: Vijay Sethupathi Elevates A Heartfelt Tale Of Change And Redemption | Filmfare.com Read it there →
Published · 4.0/5
Filmi’s reading 76
80
How this number was made. We read every review and derive a 0–100 reading from each — including where the critic printed a number, which stays first on its row, because it’s theirs. The Filmi Score is the mean of 17 readings; 6 of those rows also carry the critic’s own rating, shown beside ours. Rubric v2.1, computed 26 Oct 2026. Any critic can ask us to remove a derived reading.
PublishedStated in videoDerived by FilmiNo score
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Baththa: quick answers
Box office, where to watch and what critics said — from the same data as the page.
What is Baththa's box office collection?
Baththa has a box office collection of ₹33.08 Cr worldwide (gross), made up of ₹33.08 Cr India gross and ₹0.00 Cr overseas gross. Figures are Sacnilk's, as of 26 Oct 2026, day 25 and still running. Grosses are contested in India, and money never feeds the Filmi Score.
How much has Baththa collected at the box office?
Baththa has collected ₹33.08 Cr worldwide in 25 days, as of 26 Oct 2026, according to Sacnilk.
Where can I watch Baththa?
Baththa is not on any OTT service we track in India, the US, the UK or Canada right now. Availability comes from JustWatch and is checked every Friday.
What did critics say about Baththa?
Baththa has a Filmi Score of 84 (Exceptional), the mean of 17 readings of critic reviews, one per review. Readings run from 76 (Times of India) to 93 (The Indian Express). Every review and how it was scored is listed below.
What readers say
The Audience Score appears once three readers’ reviews have been read under the rubric — built from what people write, never from the rating numbers.
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Baththa · official trailer
Think Music India · 25 Sep 2026 · 6 days before release
Also from the studio: · 24 Sep 2026; · 16 Sep 2026