It takes courage to remake a film already available on YouTube in Hindi dub – but to make a pale remake of it? That’s ‘Baby John’ for you. The film is a remake of the 2016 Tamil film Theri, but it doesn’t come close to the original. Varun Dhawan feels more like a “baby” than a “John” in ‘Baby John’. Varun says a line in the film – “Many people like me have come before, but I have come here for the first time.” Unfortunately, this is not true. Thalapathy Vijay has already done this role and left a mark. But here the film running for 2 hours 40 minutes is a headache for the audience.
Plot – predictable and stale
No need to worry as the original ‘Theri’ is available on YouTube, and the full story is on Wikipedia. Varun Dhawan plays the role of a DCP who kills a powerful man’s son after he rapes and murders a girl. In retaliation, Jackie Shroff’s character kills Varun’s wife and mother, believing that he has also killed Varun and his daughter. However, Varun survives and leaves the police force, living a simple life with his daughter. But the antagonist returns, and what happens next forms the crux of the story. While this storyline might have felt relevant in 2016, it feels old and stale today.
A step back in action cinema
Comparisons to the original were inevitable. The filmmakers claimed it was an adaptation, not a remake, but many scenes are frame-by-frame copies. The action feels old-fashioned, and at a time when action films have evolved, ‘Baby John’ has lagged behind. Recently, Malayalam cinema’s ‘Marco’ has raised the level of violence and action choreography. In contrast, the action sequences in ‘Baby John’, especially the ones starring Salman Khan and Varun Dhawan, look artificial. Vijay had a great presence in ‘Theri’, but Varun Dhawan doesn’t match him. Every scene reminds you of the original, and even if you haven’t seen ‘Theri’, this film doesn’t lose your attention. Some scenes look childish and even ridiculous. Poorly placed, disturbing songs further test the audience’s patience. Ultimately, you feel like re-watching the original rather than sitting through this version.
Acting – a missed opportunity for Varun Dhawan
Varun Dhawan, despite being talented, is not able to do justice to the role. His hard work was visible in ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’, but that was under the guidance of Raj and DK. Here the director fails to mold Varun’s character. His performance feels like a mix of ‘Singham’, ‘Simmba’ and ‘Sooryavanshi’, without establishing a distinct identity. Despite knowing that comparisons with Vijay were inevitable, Varun appears weak. Vamika Gabbi’s dialogue delivery sounds awkward and struggles to impress. Keerthy Suresh is successful, while Jackie Shroff comes across as a formidable villain. However, the real star is Zara Zianna, who plays Varun’s daughter. She steals the show and is the real “baby” of this movie.
Disha – Callies fails to deliver
The original ‘Theri’ was directed by Atlee, while ‘Baby John’ was directed by Kallis. Unfortunately, Callies fails to create the magic. His promise of presenting Varun in a unique action avatar failed. Now it seems that both the audience and Varun would like to forget this film. Despite three writers – Atlee, Callies and Sumit Arora – the script seems uninspired. It’s puzzling why three writers were needed for a story that already existed. If they were going to rewrite it, they could have at least done a better job.
Music – adding to the despair
Thaman S’s music makes a bad film even worse. The songs seem unnecessary and disrupt the flow, further testing the audience’s patience.
final call
‘Baby John’ disappoints on many levels. Save your money and time – watch the original ‘Theri’ on YouTube instead.
