Kandasamys: The Baby

The Kandasamy movies are geared towards a specific audience and I'm sure that this market will defend it's brand fighting tooth and nail. It's not for everyone though. The shameless attempt to money grab following it's previous three releases is quite evident here. The storyline makes no sense, plenty of missed opportunities to tackle relevant social issues are apparent. The cinematography was well done, with some stunning visuals being the movie's only saving grace. The granny was the only character that I found interesting. Interesting being me sugar coating it. It's predictable and boring, if you've seen any of the previous movies then you would know what to expect here. Same formula that's been cut and pasted over and over, time and time again. No originality and I think they should have stopped after the first movie and held their heads up high. Unfortunately dignity does not pay the bills and they decided to release part 2,3 and now 4. I would not be surprised by these shameless producers if they released part 10. There would still be an audience for these type of movies and you would not need to be a very technical, competent or half decent director to fulfill their needs. Don't be fooled by anything above 5, it's probably the cast or crew members amping this up. Simply awful.

Much as I love the Kandasamys and the films so far, I feel in this film they have lost their way. It doesn't have the brightness, the pizazz, the spark of the previous movies. Worse, they seem to be sticking to a formula: there's a big event involving both families; each mother believes that she and she alone can manage the event properly, and they both get in the way of each other, the event, and in general make a riotous mess of things, until it all gets ironed out neatly at the end to everybody's satisfaction. Along the way the husbands Elvis and Preggie act as foils to their wives, and the redoubtable Aya gets in some excellent one-liners.

In this film, it's Prishen and Jody's new baby; both Jennifer and Shanthi are of course insistent that each one will show the new parents how to do it right. So it's off to Mauritius they all go. However, Jennifer's itinerary of how they will spend each hour of each day is neatly binned by Prishen, who not only has the four new grandparents, and Aya, put up at a luxury resort, but has himself planned an itinerary for them, much to Jennifer's annoyance.

Preggie and Elvis are even more background figures in this film than in others. Aside from one scene when they instruct Prishen on how to be a new dad (selective deafness, and constipation - thus allowing plenty of alone time) they hardly figure at all. Aya indeed has lots of one-liners, and plenty of having the last word, but it all feels a bit forced and without humour. We were hoping for some brilliant punch-lines, but there are none. There is however, a nice scene where she brilliantly describes the four grandparents to their guide, Moothoo.

Throw in some genuine issues: Jody's postnatal depression, and Jennifer's flashback to her own difficult time as a new mother - and there is the potential for real drama. And in different hands this could have been a truly dramatic film. But we don't expect drama from the Kandasamys, we expect humour and a bit of fighting between Jennifer and Shanthi. This drama thus sits a bit oddly in the film, as though the makers weren't quite sure to handle it. Shanthi is having her own difficulties with her second son Desan accused of bullying and being expelled from school; Desan on the other hand feels he can never measure up to the golden son Prishen (as he puts it in a rap: Prishen is a hero; he, Desan, is a zero).

With a scene in which Jennifer explodes in furious anger at both Prishen and Jody, the feel-good ending - one year later, at baby Arya's first birthday party - seems a bit contrived and unnatural. Too much has happened in the film for it just to end with a colourful dance and Aya's voice-over.

I think this film is for Kandasamy fans only - it's not unwatchable, but it's less than it could have been. And if a fifth film is to be made, they will have to seriously lift their game.

The movie covers everything in terms of advertising Mauritius for a holiday. The dialogue and scenes are full of Tourist attractions etc. I'm guessing that was in return for some kind of financial Rebate Scheme from the Mauritius government.

The story is otherwise weak and the gags or genuine funny moments are very far and few. The story comes across like it was written by a writer who just had to come up with something to justify the project.

I'm sure the cast had a blast making the movie on a fun and pretty Island like Mauritius. The veiwers however are going to have a disappointing time watching it. It's definitely the weakest movie of the Kandasamys.

I really do like the cast, the jokes and I just get it. But the horrible horrible treatment to the son and daughter is too much.

The audience waits for a proper lesson to be taught or a serious mind altering discussion with them but nothing happens. They silently just gets forgiven and gets buried. The daughter had a very serious mental health issue and it was not even addressed with her parents and discussed openly on what she was going through. It was really hard to watch, I had to fast forward. It can be very triggering.

I wish the real issues were addressed in the end but it wasn't......

So I personally feel Jody got disconnected from her character in the previous movie cause she hardly spoke, now theres alot of focus on her rather than the baby, and I expected this movie to be more about a baby, but it seems to be drama based on real life problems.

Once again the granny saves the movie with her comedy but she can only do it so many times.

The fathers are the same way they have always been, so pretty much predictable behavior/storyline, and too much focus on the mothers

I personally think the Kandasamys franchise needs to end now but this purely my personal opinion based on my personal preference.