With Toby, it seems evident that Raj B Shetty is yet to get over Shiva, the character he played with great ferocity in Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana. In the 2021 film, which he also wrote and directed, Shiva stood as a model for a kind of muffled angst that Raj had presented a variant of a couple of years prior, in his debuting outing Ondu Motteya Kathe. With Toby, the titular character of his latest outing (which he has only written and not directed) added to the mix, it's very clear that he is making an impassioned case for the anti-hero.
It is as though he wants us to stop celebrating male bravado of the conventional kind in cinema and instead embrace actual, real-world flaws in our 'heroes'. The ones who come from recognisable places and carry relatable vulnerabilities, but are still laced with whistle-worthy quirks.
Toby, in that manner, is a lot like your John Wicks and Rocky Bhais, because he too is propelled by great loss. Much like the other two, Toby is also referred to in the third person by all the bystanders, and is mounted in stature through small but compelling folk tales. One person compares Toby to Satan himself, another calls him a petty thief and another describes him as a madman who is dimwitted, yes, but also a genius. The first acquaintance we make of him is inside a remand home, where the warden tells the visiting church priest that this boy is “not like others”. The priest is intrigued and so are we, and what follows is one of the best moments in the film wherein the boy is baptised inside a prison and given the name Toby, short for Tobia, a Hebrew word meaning 'God is Good'.
Each person in Damaskatte (a real-life town near Kumta) has had varying encounters with Toby over the years, but it is obvious that he has made a strong impression on everyone, including those who have only heard of him. The only difference between Toby and the John Wicks & Rocky Bhais is that he belongs to a world where others, too, have a position and a personality and aren't mere pawns for his cause.
The resulting film, therefore, is best seen as a foray into a character that's born into tragedy, and how he does everything in his capacity to escape his fate. At first glance, he is an amoral character but when you dig deeper, you see that he is the way he is because he isn't left with a choice. In essence, Toby is only trying to find love and a place for himself in a cruel world.
But there is one major problem, which is that the real-world poignance goes overboard here. Almost to the point that there are a few too many scream-into-a-wall, masochistic moments in the film. And each time Toby does that, composer Midhun Mukundan is summoned to whip up a pathos tune. Raj B Shetty's previous film Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana was called a masterpiece, but those who did not completely agree with that verdict might have found the film overpronounced. Toby, unfortunately, suffers from the same problem. Raj plunges headlong into his character, no doubt, but he also becomes a bit of a control freak while doing so, telling us, the viewer, how to feel about every dramatic moment.
Perhaps that is why I felt Chaithra J Achar's portrayal of Jenny, Toby's daughter, was loud and overbearing. Her character is given two timelines — past and present, to put it simply — and a child artiste (Snigdha) is cast to play the younger version. The two versions are starkly contrasting. If kid Jenny is endearingly mischievous and too-old-for-her-age kind, the older one is plain sad. The older version is burdened too much with the grief of the story, and the sparkling dynamic we see between Toby and Jenny in the past is just not visible anymore. Sure, the circumstances are entirely different in the present but just as the story starts to grow ‘intense’, their relationship stops being as fascinating.
That's the case, I suppose, with most relationships in Toby. Samyukta Hornad's place in the film is refreshing for as long as she lasts on the screen, but it feels abruptly nipped in the bud. Gopal Deshpande's Damodara is a person of his own in the beginning, who has a tragic story to tell. Yes, it's not necessary that each of these characters get an arc of its own but with a runtime of 2 hours and 35 minutes at its disposal, we don't see the film helping them evolve or being of any value after a point.
Raj Deepak Shetty, who plays Anandanna, is solid as the stoic and the perpetually-plotting villain but what his initial portions promise isn't exactly what his character gets at the end. Still, the actor pulls off a great act and remains a valid presence throughout. Praveen Shriyan, Raj's long-time collaborator, is superb and non-intrusive as the cinematographer and captures the setting with care and without frills.
That said, the film still shines bright because it manages to mask all the shortcomings with conviction. Raj B Shetty, as expected, leads from the front and imbues the entire film with what we are slowly coming to learn as his 'touch'. He gives his all to the role and is just incredible in certain moments, especially the tender ones featuring Toby and kid Jenny. If only the narrative wasn't slightly contrived and remained as innocent as his smile, Toby would have emerged as the film that it was always meant to be.
Watch the trailer here:
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film’s producers or any other members of its cast and crew.