Vijay Sethupathi’s gangster drama Baththa will premiere on Netflix this Thursday, October 29. The film, which hit theatres on October 1, 2026, follows a local gangster trapped in a bathroom by a young boy. Netflix India said, "You’re not ready for Baththa’s rampage." It is now a sleeper box office hit.
Vijay Sethupathi and director Balaji Tharaneetharan's third collaboration, after Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom and Seethakaathi, is making its digital debut this week. The Tamil film was released in theatres less than a month ago on October 1, 2026, but will be premiered on Netflix on Thursday, October 29, in several languages. Vijay stars as the title character, called Baththa, a local gangster who everyone is afraid of. When Baththa is accidentally locked in a bathroom by a little boy, the audience glimpses a different side of the gangster when pushed to the limit.
On social media, Netflix India announced the OTT release for the Vijay Sethupathi starrer, "You’re not ready for Baththa’s rampage. Watch Baththa on Netflix, out 29 October in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam." Produced by Cine1 Studios, A for Apple Studios and Star Studio18, Baththa is set in 1986 Madras (now Chennai).
Master Sai Prithviraj plays the timid eight-year-old boy, Sabhari, who somehow becomes Baththa's friend after their joint ordeal. Lijomol Jose plays Baththa's wife Kannima, while the ensemble cast includes Baby Sahasra Shree, Santhy Balachandran, Hari Krishnan and Arjun Chidambaram. Produced by Jawan director Atlee, Baththa seems to have recouped its Rs 28 crore budget during its theatrical run and has been dubbed a sleeper hit at the box office.
The Times Now review of the gangster drama stated, "Baththa is aimed at viewers who enjoy unconventional cinema and films that do not follow the usual song, dance and action formula. It is a gangster story, but the film is more interested in the person behind the gangster and the relationships surrounding him."
Filmmaker Balaji Tharaneetharan shared in an interview with NDTV that he didn't want to make a conventional gangster action film. He wanted to follow a gangster without glorifying the violence or turning the character into another larger-than-life hero. In his film, Balaji focused on Baththa's anger, ego, insecurity and fear that often accompany someone in a life of crime. The director also told The Hindu that Vijay was a "director-friendly and sensible actor" who would never try to imitate anyone else.
The Tamil film's score is composed by Sai Abhyankkar, while Selvakumar SK was the cinematographer and R. Kalaivanan was the editor. Last seen in Rajinikanth's Jailer 2 in a cameo, Vijay Sethupathi also has the films Train, Slum Dog: 33 Temple Road, Pocket Novel, Arasan and Inji Vellam in the pipeline.