‘Baby John’ Movie Review: Varun Dhawan’s Swing at ‘Thalapathy’ Swagger Misses the Mark by Miles! (LatestLY Exclusive)

Baby John Movie Review: The biggest mystery about Baby John is not why Bollywood is still insistent on remakes nor why Salman Khan made yet another inconsequential cameo this year. The real question is: why does this movie want to be called Baby John? That name is uttered only a couple of times (not counting the grace-saving title track), and not even Varun Dhawan’s character introduces himself as that in any scene. Sure, it’s a catchy title, but if the movie itself doesn’t take it seriously to justify the name, why should I? Salman Khan’s Cameo in ‘Baby John’ Leaks Online: ‘Bhai Jaan’ Entry Scene From Varun Dhawan’s Movie Goes Viral on Social Media Ahead of Its Release.

'John Kuruvilla', aka 'Baby John' (Varun Dhawan), lives with his precocious daughter Khushi (Zara Zyanna, cutesy, to the point of being inauthentic) in a small town in Alappuzha, Kerala, running a café. John avoids violence at all costs. For reasons that remain unclear, he catches the attention of Khushi’s pretty teacher, Tara (Wamiqa Gabbi, miscast), who might be attracted by how badly he wears his lungi.

As a Malayali, I sincerely wish Baby John wasn't releasing in Kerala, just so my fellow statesfolk aren’t shocked by the depiction of the people living in Alleppey. Almost every character speaks fluent Hindi; in fact, the default language of communication is Hindi and conveniently, a top cop in the town is Punjabi. For Kerala tokenism, there’s an elephant and some garbled attempts at Malayalam in a song. If you thought Vijay butchered Malayalam in Theri, wait until you hear Varun Dhawan in Baby John!

Which begs the question: why set these portions in Kerala when they could have easily been placed anywhere else in India where the characters and conversations would feel more natural? Just because you’re remaking Theri doesn’t mean you have to follow it note for note. It is not that Baby John is a page-by-page remake of Theri - there were some changes incorporated - for instance, Tara’s character gets a twist that gives her some relevance in the narrative. While it doesn’t necessarily improve her character, it’s still an attempt to wanna be different. The keyword is 'wannabe'.

Watch the Trailer of 'Baby John':

However, the main plot remains largely intact. Baby John, or whatever he’s calling himself, isn’t who he claims to be. He was once Satya Verma, a celebrated Mumbai cop. Fearless in the face of criminals, Satya falls for Mira (Keerthy Suresh, looking gorgeous in a thinly sketched character), a pretty doctor, in what might set a record for the fastest transition from instant attraction to a lifetime commitment. They don’t even go on a proper date before they end up discussing family plans. Why waste time here when Satya has bigger fish to fry, like Nanaji (Jackie Shroff, mumbling his way through a frail body and matted hair), a dreaded kingpin involved in girl trafficking?

'Baby John' Movie Review - A Remake That Struggles to Improvise

Baby John is directed by Kalees, a longtime assistant to Atlee, the director of Jawan in Bollywood and hits like Mersal and Bigil in Tamil Nadu. Theri is, in fact, Atlee's ticket to superstardom, and perhaps that’s why he chose to remake it in Bollywood, though he handed the directorial reins to Kalees while staying on as producer.

If you’ve seen Theri, you’ll remember its highlight scene: the protagonist asking his subordinate how the latter would deal with a rapist and then he reveals a surprise twist. Regardless of where you stand on extrajudicial killings, that scene was impactful. It’s faithfully recreated here, like much of the plot. That's the thing, though. Theri wasn't exactly a movie worth a remake, a film with very few highs and in attempting to shallowly replicate it in Bollywood, Baby John comes off as a cheaper imitation of an average film. Whatever it tries to do differently from the original just about passes muster.

'Baby John' Movie Review - Varun's a Miscast?

This brings us to Varun Dhawan’s casting. Varun is a decent actor with a good screen presence, but what this role demands is the superstar swag that Vijay brought to Theri, which came after years of mass appeal he had built for himself. Baby John assumes Varun has that kind of aura instead of building it up, which is why his transformation in the first-act fight scene falls flat. While Varun brings energy to the action and charm to the romantic scenes, he lacks the zing factor needed for mass appeal. Ironically, the most applauded mass moment in the film belongs to Rajpal Yadav, never mind that impact is lost within 10 seconds. If only such a buildup was also provided for its lead star.

Varun and the film are further let down by the editing, which seems to lack confidence in the director and the performances. Several crucial scenes, especially hero-villain face-offs, suffer from erratic cuts. The action sequences also fail to stand out. Even the songs by Thaman S don't get to standout, except for the banging theme track. ‘Baby John’ Promotions Event: Varun Dhawan Opens Up About His Passion for Making Films Kids Can Enjoy, Says ‘I Want To Put a Smile on Their Faces’.

The film relies heavily on the South-style trope of the hero as the saviour of women, with the plot revolving around sexual assault victims. It is a very flattened-out trope that serves nothing but to build up the hero. I would have looked the other way if Baby John respected its own lead female characters. Instead, we have one heroine being treated as collateral damage (the death scene is unintentionally stilted thanks to some bad dialogues and awkward acting) and the other heroine as a victim of 'being there' syndrome.

The romantic subplot between Varun and Keerthy is predictable and lacks chemistry, hindered by rushed writing. The second half sees Satya acting as a phantom vigilante to exact revenge on his enemies. However, this makes little sense, as the main villain knows he’s alive, so the whole “back from the dead” act feels contrived (how the f**k does Satya manage to drive his jeep up a skyrise building that's under construction?).

The climax, set in a cargo shipyard, tries too many things with too little effect. This includes Khushi leading kidnapped girls to push a container they are trapped within to the side for no discernible reason, and Varun’s character going full John Wick on horseback (just don't ask where the horse came from), dodging bullets with miraculous ease.

Finally, the much-hyped mid-credit cameo feels like blatant fan service to draw in the crowds. Yet, I believe we should thank our stars that it’s not Bajirao Singham inviting Baby John to join his ever-expanding police Avengers. But then, who knows, I might be putting ideas in Rohit Shetty's head!

'Baby John' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Baby John's attempt to pull a Jawan off Varun Dhawan falls short on multiple fronts, from the casting to the editing. It borrows heavily from its Tamil counterpart without building a unique identity for itself, and the rare attempts at trying to be different are half-hearted at best. What becomes of it is a loud, flashy remake that lacks verve, relying on fleeting moments of excitement and the promise of a cameo that is utterly superficial to the plot.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 25, 2024 09:35 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).