We break down the ending of 1000 Babies and what exactly happened in that finale.
The Malayalam-language series 1000 Babies is a delicious treat for anyone who loves a good suspense thriller. Starring Neena Gupta, Rahman, Sanju Sivram, Joy Mathew, Ashwin Kumar, and Adil Ibrahim, among others, the Disney Plus Hotstar series promises psychological twists, eerie visuals and unsettling revelations that will compel you to think. It follows the story of a retired nurse with a dark secret with serious sociological repercussions. This secret becomes a catalyst for a series of murders that leave the police baffled. Let’s explore everything we know about the new series 1000 Babies streaming on Hotstar— from release date to cast — and unpack the mysterious ending.
Neena Gupta plays the role of Sarah Ouseph, a retired nurse who lives with her son, Bibin (Sanju Sivram). She is a dishevelled old lady who spends time scribbling on the walls. She also experiences psychotic episodes where she hears thousands of babies crying. Meanwhile, her son obediently takes care of her. One day, she decides to tell him her dark secret. After listening to it, Bibin loses his mind and kills his mother. The ending of 1000 Babies unpacks the distressing secret and its repercussions.
1000 Babies ending explained: Unpacking the mysterious plot and anti-climatic cliffhanger of the Hotstar series
Before Sarah’s (Neena Gupta) death, she reveals her secret to the authorities via letters. The secret was so disturbing that even the police decided to hide it from the public for over a decade, fearing the social consequences. The series takes a time leap of 12 years. Kalamassery Circle Inspector Aji Kurian (Rahman) solves a high-profile murder case of an actress who is killed by her writer husband. While solving the case, he stumbles upon the name ‘Bibin’. He decides to dig deeper which leads him to Sarah’s diabolical secret and forms a crucial aspect of the ending of 1000 Babies.
What is Sarah’s dark secret?
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After getting heavily involved in the case, the only authorities who knew of the secret for over 12 years decided to tell Aji Kurian. Sarah confesses in her letters that she swapped over 1000 babies during her tenure as the head nurse. Due to her infertility, Sarah’s husband abandons her, stripping her of happiness. While working as a nurse, she develops a twisted sense of pleasure in seeing parents embracing someone else’s child. She continues to swap babies based on religion, gender and other reasons, changing their lives forever. She also swaps Bibin in the delivery room and later adopts him. While he was a smart child, Sarah seldom let him out of her sight. Hence, he lives an ordinary and anti-social life, wasting his potential and taking care of Sarah.
Sarah decides to tell Bibin about her sinister act and reveals his true identity to him. After hearing the truth, Bibin loses control, pushes Sarah and runs away. On her deathbed, Sarah writes letters to the authorities revealing her dark secret.
The secret becomes a catalyst for a series of murders
After solving the murder of an actress, Kurian gets curious about Bibin who constantly pops up during the investigation. Kurian’s probe leads him to two different murder cases with one common link — Bibin. Unsure of his identity, Kurian sets out on a mission to prove that Bibin, along with his accomplice, is orchestrating the murders of the people who were swapped by Sarah as newborn babies.
Renuka was his first target as she was swapped with him at birth. Before killing her, Bibin scrutinised her and judged if she was worthy of living the life she was accidentally given. After making a call, Bibin made an elaborate plan to befriend her and slowly push her toward her death. After killing her, Bibin developed a diabolical satisfaction of scouring the people who were swapped and judging if they deserved to live. His next target was Devan, a corrupt politician who misused his powers and manipulated people to his advantage.
Meanwhile, the police decide that it is in the best interest of the country to kill Bibin rather than arrest him. The consequences of revealing Sarah’s dark secret to the world would mean catastrophic damage to society. Kurian gets strict orders from the higher-ups to kill Bibin and bury the secret along with him.
Why did Bibin send the letters to Marlin?
Just when Kurian reaches a dead end in the investigation, Marlin hands him letters. She serves the evidence on the platter to him by revealing that Bibin is the sender. She further reveals she was romantically involved with Bibin while dealing with her abusive husband. Towards the end of the series, Marlin receives yet another letter. It is still unclear why she was receiving the letters.
One of the hypotheses suggests that Bibin wanted to be caught and hence, he sent the letters to Marlin. He knew she would report it to the police and successfully stop him from committing any more mistakes. While this explanation is not compelling enough, we would have to wait till the makers decide to drop the second season with a better explanation.
Ending explained: Kurian catches Bibin in an anti-climatic finale
Along with Vinod (Shaju K.S.) and Ansari (Adil Ibrahim), Kurian tracks down Bibin and his accomplice. Thanks to the letter, Kurian locates Bibin’s next victims. However, it is soon revealed that the people in the letter are already dead. They soon reach an eatery on the highway by tracing one of the victim’s phones. The owner of the eatery reveals that his tea master, Arivu, would often chat with him. Kurian decides to take Arivu with them.
His search leads him to Bibin who reveals his sinister tendencies and motives behind the murders. Moreover, he also confesses that the murder spree would continue even after his death. Conflicted by Bibin’s confession Kurian decides to arrest him to dig out the entire truth. However, Vinod shoots him. Although we can see an unresponsive Bibin on the ground, given his importance in the story, we cannot be quite sure if Bibin is truly dead. Moreover, before dying, Bibin admitted that his death would not put an end to the murder spree.
On the other hand, Anzari takes Arivu to a secluded place in the car. It is not clear what happened to Arivu at the end. At the end of the series, we see Bibin and his accomplice with Sarah’s diaries which contain all detailed information about the 1000 babies she exchanged.
It is quite possible that someone from Kurian’s team was working with Bibin. The suspicion points at Anzari. It would explain Kurian’s shifted energy towards him. Moreover, Anzari receives a text before he takes away Arizu, the boy who led them to Bibin. The ending of 1000 Babies is a complex one that can only be solved if there’s a second season.
A brief review of 1000 Babies
From the unsettling visuals to the spooky performance by Neena Gupta, the pilot episode instantly gets you hooked on the story. The series skillfully maintains the plot’s mystery, successfully creating a compelling anticipation. However, the second half falters terribly with clichéd dialogues and mundane subplots. The original idea of exploring the dark secret of the old psychotic nurse (Sarah Ouseph) disappeared from the plot. It was replaced with a stereotypical serial murder subplot whose only connection was being one of the swapped babies. The last four episodes dragged the narration by playing several unnecessary scenes.
The performances by all the actors, especially Neena Gupta, are the highlights of the series. They managed to pull in the audience despite the occasional falter in writing. The cinematography by Faiz Siddik is notable. It elevated the viewing experience of the series, majorly contributing to its thrill factor.
Here’s the trailer of 1000 Babies
When was 1000 Babies released?
1000 Babies was released on 18 October 2024 on Disney Plus Hotstar.
(Hero and Featured Image: Courtesy Disney Plus Hotstar)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Although the writing faltered in many places, 1000 Babies has a unique plot that will keep you hooked to the screen,
The cast of 1000 Babies includes Neena Gupta, Rahman, Sanju Sivram, Joy Mathew, Ashwin Kumar, Adil Ibrahim, and more.
There are seven episodes in 1000 Babies.
Before dying, a retired nurse confesses that she swapped 1000 babies. This secret becomes a catalyst for a series of mysterious murders.
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Princia is an entertainment writer and pop culture addict whose eyes sparkle at the sight of true crime docu-dramas. In her free time, she consumes an unhealthy amount of Korean dramas and anime. She has previously worked for Mashable.
