Toby review: Raj B Shetty as Toby leaves you ‘speechless’, but falls short of brilliance

Tobia in Hebrew means ‘God is Good’. So, is the movie with Raj B Shetty playing the protagonist Tobia alias Toby as good as the title?

Well, let’s dwell upon it.

Toby opens up with a sub-inspector taking charge of his position in a police station which has a limited jurisdiction with theft and missing cases reported frequently.

It is the missing cases that soon strike hard after Toby (Raj B Shetty) is found missing for a few days, and his adopted daughter Jenny (Chaithra Achar) is seen furious against the police for not finding his father.

The story propels further with the police officer who is curious to know about Toby and his past.

Meanwhile, he has his own anxiety issue over the “sound” when a revolver is fired. This sets the tempo of the film as to what is in store for the next two-and-a-half hours.

The police officer goes around enquiring about Toby with characters who are close to the man who is missing and why people who go missing are never to be found.

We soon learn that Toby is an orphan and cannot speak (mute). It is the father from the church who christened him Toby. Even his daughter Jenny was actually an orphan whom Toby raised.

And, then there is this other man named Anandanna (Deepak Shetty), the villain.

Now, let us find Toby, who is missing and also the essence of experiencing another thriller of a different kind in Kannada.

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Speechless act

No doubt that Toby is all about the brilliant performance of Raj B Shetty from the moment he arrives on the screen until it hits the climax.

The shades of his previous outing in the gangster film Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana (2021) are quite visible in Toby, too. But Toby stands out for the reason that he shoulders it all by himself to perfection.

The actor nowhere falters and continues to spellbind with his acting skills as a man who is innocent and at the same time, a silent but ferocious wild being. He does it all with his eyes and expressions by playing the mute character.

In a way, he lives the character of Toby in multiple shades — as an orphan, father, lover, loyal, and merciless killer.

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Chaithra stands out

Talking about the rest of the cast, almost everyone plays the role to its best ability.

But Chaithra as Jenny is the most impressive of all. As a daughter, she is the reason why Toby finds some happiness amidst his turbulent character who is being used by Anandanna for his ulterior motives.

Samyukta Hornad as Savitri, a sex worker, finds solace in the innocence of Toby.

Slow pace

Apart from a good story and brilliant performances, Toby falls short of brilliance for its pace.

It takes its own time to build the intensity and hence spoils the fun to an extent due to its prolonged wait to hit the nail on time.

The first half is all about knowing who Toby is and his past through the people who made a difference and served a purpose in his life.

The second half is when things get seriously gory with more and more people going missing and the reasons behind it.

It is the end for which the whole film is basically written and it does arrive with an impeccable force. But one needs to patiently wait for it to arrive.

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Verdict

More than the story, it is the performance of Raj B Shetty as Toby and others supporting him to good effect which makes it compelling to watch.

But make sure you do not have anxiety issues of any kind and have some patience to wait for the powerful moments to arrive and leave you speechless in the end.

God is good and so is the movie!

(Views expressed here are personal.)