Director Kaless and producer Atlee retain the soul of 'Theri' while adding some new spices like the angle of human trafficking however the film suffers from a remake fatigue and the highly amplified back ground score.
A poster of the film 'Baby John'. (X)
The 2016 movie Theri marked the maiden collaboration of Vijay Thalapathy and Atlee, after the grand success of Theri the duo collaborated on two more successful movies Mersal (2017) and Bigil (2019).
Theri had an often repeated story of a cop going underground for personal reasons and later forced to come out of a temporary exile creating havoc. The wafer-thin plot was elevated by Vijay Thalapathy’s charisma particularly his act of a caring father, what also helped the movie was Atlee’s ability to pack the commercial elements in the right proportion.
Coming to the latest release, there is a huge gap of eight years between Baby John and its source material, leading to a certain sense of datedness that Baby John carries.
Much like the original this one is also filled with major melodrama and is crammed with many social issues. As a Varun Dhawan star vehicle, Baby John is a treat for his fans but for those who have seen numerous South commercial entertainers, there is little to take back.
Varun Dhawan in ‘Baby John. (X)
For those who haven’t seen Theri, Baby John focuses on John/ACP Satya Verma (Varun Dhawan). In the beginning portions, John is seen leading a normal life with the daughter Khushi (a very endearing Zara Zyanna).
Wamiqa Gabbi plays a school teacher Tara. There is a hint of a budding love story between John and Tara but John comes with a certain past which his daughter isn’t aware of.
In the flashback, we come to know about his identity as a fearless cop ACP Satya Verma a terror for his enemies. Satya Verma’s path crosses with that of Jackie Shroff’s Babbar Sher. Due to certain incidents, Babbar Sher becomes Satya’s nemesis leading to the tragic death of both his mother and wife (Sheeba Chaddha and Keerty Suresh in her Hindi debut).
Another important character is the head constable Ram Savek (a terrific Rajpal Yadav).
‘Baby John’ is an action entertainer.
As already mentioned Baby John is mostly a star vehicle for Varun Dhawan and he does keep the movie afloat even when proceedings start to crumble. He gets the cocky attitude spot on leading to some entertaining moments. His face-off with Jackie Shroff has the right masala thunder.
At the same time, his act of a caring father is also touching. The scenes with the child actor Zara Zyanna are fun to watch.
Rajpal Yadav as Ram Savek in a refreshingly non-comic role is a delight to watch too. He brings in an emotional resonance as John/Satya Verma’s trusted aid. He also gets the movie’s biggest highlight when a goon mocks him for being a comedian, to which he replies “Comedy is serious business” leading to a mass-ey sequence.
Wamiqa Gabbi thankfully has more to do than Amy Jackson from the original. There is a subplot of her being an undercover cop leading to an interesting dynamic. Wamiqa too gets her fair share of action which the actress pulls off competently.
Lastly, Jackie Shroff also deserves a mention for his intimidating portrayal. He makes for a formidable villain with his chilling presence.
Thaman’s background music is both loud and repetitive. However, the songs are fairly good like “Haazar Baar” and “Nain Matakka.”
Varun Dhawan and Keerthy Suresh in ‘Baby John’. (X)
A major problem with Baby John is the unnecessary angle of human trafficking. Director Kaless doesn’t bring anything new to the table; this addition is only there to make ACP Satya Verma more heroic. Also, the movie’s southern flavour particularly the melodramatic scenes gets on the audience’s nerves.
The movie’s running time of 2 hours and 41 minutes also tests the viewer’s patience with some unnecessary additions. Apart from the human trafficking angle even Salman Khan’s extended cameo feels forced.
The love story between Keerty Suresh and Varun is also underexplored. The chemistry between the two just doesn’t add up, unlike Theri.
Keerty Suresh looks stunning but doesn’t have much to do apart from being a devoted housewife.
To sum it up Baby John ends up as a Christmas dampener, it is strictly for those who enjoy South-styled larger-than-life heroes and Varun Dhawan fans.
(Views expressed here are personal, edited by Sumavarsha)
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