‘Baby Do Die Do’ review: Huma Qureshi leads moody Mumbai noir with heart and style
Huma Qureshi stars in Baby Do Die Do, a new Hindi noir thriller set against the backdrop of monsoon Mumbai, released on July 3, 2026.
Directed by Nachiket Samant, the 125-minute film follows Baby Karmarkar, a deaf and mute assassin played by Qureshi. Traumatized after witnessing her twin sister’s death as a child, Baby is shaped by a city that failed her and now carries out hits with a stone-cold demeanour. The film opens with a striking sequence in a rain-lashed local train, where Baby uses an umbrella with a concealed gun to carry out a muffled assassination before vanishing into the crowd. The scene draws parallels to recent real-life violence in Mumbai’s locals and sets the tone for a story about urban brutality.
Baby Do Die Do also explores links between the builder lobby and the mafia, but reviewer Shreyas Pande notes the film treats violence more with style than gravity. Samant uses noir as a design element, with moody lighting, rain, and dark humour giving the narrative a pulpy, comic-book feel, though the themes don’t always get room to deepen.
Despite that, the film stands out for its heart and disregard for formula. The cast includes Chunky Panday, Sikandar Kher, Seema Pahwa, Rachit Singh, Marudhar Shekhawat and Arun Kushwah. A highlight is an inventive item number set in a gay pub in Andheri East. Saqib Saleem, who also produces, makes a guest appearance as a dancer in the song with the hook line ‘Alpha Q’. The sequence is noted for its empowering gaze and for avoiding lecherous camera treatment.
Overall, Baby Do Die Do is described as having “more heart than the combined range of some of the other monotonous films” released recently. It balances grim revenge themes with quirk and fun, subverting genre clichés while delivering a distinct Mumbai mood.
