‘Baby John’ Review: Varun Dhawan in a Flashy, Twisty, Exhaustingly Extravagant Hindi Actioner

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As a longtime fan of Indian cinema, I have seen my fair share of masala films that leave me entertained and sometimes bewildered. However, watching “Baby John” has left me with a unique perspective as someone who grew up on the original “Theri.”

Firstly, the film’s attempt to recreate the magic of Atlee’s 2016 blockbuster feels like trying to capture lightning in a bottle twice. While the Hindi remake is bigger and louder, it lacked the subtlety and cohesiveness that made “Theri” such a standout. The story twists and turns with flashbacks, double identities, and assorted villains, but it fails to hold the audience’s attention.

The film also strays from its original source material in ways that leave me feeling disconnected. Vijay’s portrayal of DCP Satya/John in “Theri” was nuanced and memorable, but in “Baby John,” the character feels indistinct and forgettable. The hero worship of the police and glorification of brutality is also troubling, as it presents a problematic portrayal of law enforcement.

One thing that did stand out was Varun Dhawan‘s performance. He brings a ferocious sincerity to the role and showcases his versatility as an actor. However, the plot switches from romance to action to abducted girls to flashback so abruptly that it gives me whiplash and glazed eyes.

In the end, I can’t help but feel that “Baby John” missed its mark. It tried to recreate the magic of a beloved original, but ended up feeling like a shadow of its former self. Maybe next time they should try to find a new location for action scenes – this year alone, we’ve seen shipping docks as backdrops in several films! But that’s just my two cents from a lifetime of watching masala movies.

As a former social worker who has encountered numerous traumatic situations involving children, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of empathy for young Khushi (Zara Zyanna) in the movie “Baby John”. Her fear-filled screams and the knowledge that she’s hiding from danger while her caretakers are being attacked outside resonate with me. It’s heartbreaking to think about the terror and uncertainty she must be experiencing, and it brings back memories of the children I worked with who faced similar situations. In these moments, it’s essential to remember that children are incredibly resilient but also vulnerable, and they need our support and protection more than ever.

The setting left me questioning why Baby John (Varun Dhawan), the title character’s father, hadn’t taught his daughter these survival skills as Honey does with her daughter Nadia in the movie ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’, where Dhawan plays the role of Nadia’s father. In the film, Nadia is so adept at handling violent attacks that when one occurs, Honey simply places her in a box, puts headphones on her ears and instructs her to listen to a song without emerging.

Interestingly, Nadia and Khushi are members of a unique club in Indian cinema – a group of children who speak as if they’re adults. (I sometimes imagine the character Sexy from Cheeni Kum, despite being ill with cancer, as the leader of this club.) However, while it’s intended to be charming and adorable, it frequently feels more irritating and manipulative instead.

Essentially, “Baby John” is the type of movie that assaults you with big-name stars (even featuring a cameo by Salman Khan), stunning visuals, deafening sound effects, garishly catchy tunes, and a plot filled with unexpected twists, flashbacks, multiple personas, and a variety of antagonists. However, all the spectacle doesn’t manage to keep you fully engaged. With its length of 161 minutes, it provides ample opportunity for your mind to wander, making connections such as that between Khushi and Nadia.

Contrary to some instances, the original content wasn’t like that. Atlee’s 2016 hit movie Theri, named after the Tamil word for “shimmer,” was brimming with this quality. The director’s unique blend of action, emotion, and social commentary harmoniously flowed throughout. Star Vijay, portraying DCP A. Vijay Kumar and his peaceful alter ego Joseph Kuruvilla, was a sleek superhero who entered and exited scenes in slow motion, yet he could also weep and be affectionate. In Baby John, Atlee (also serving as producer alongside his wife, Priya Atlee) injects his story with performance-enhancing substances. The Hindi adaptation is larger and louder, but not automatically superior.

During the marketing phase for the movie “Baby John”, we were informed that it would be releasing around Christmas, which suggests a widespread commercial entertainment. Director Prashanth Neel labels it as “anti-gravity cinema,” meaning that it disregards conventional coherence, logic, and physical laws. The main aim is to create what Atlee refers to as a “stadium moment”, an exhilarating feeling shared by the audience in a theater. This is a complex and delicate skill that Atlee excels at; take, for example, Captain Vikram Rathore’s entrance in the movie “Jawan”.

Director Kalees fails to achieve the same cinematic peaks with the same finesse, as he seems overly eager to produce these effects. Consequently, every scene is accentuated by music or dialogue, and excessive dramatization becomes the norm. This results in Dhawan, who has successfully delivered in diverse films like “Dishoom” and “October”, receiving numerous heroic moments complete with slow motion shots, low-angle perspectives, stylish shadows to highlight swagger, action scenes where he soars and annihilates effortlessly. However, amidst all this spectacle, the filmmakers overlook creating a unique and impactful character in Satya/John.

The film portrays the police character with respect and glorifies excessive force used by law enforcement. In the story, a character named Satya embarks on a killing spree, where he inflicts torture, castration, and arson upon another man, but these actions are depicted as righteous because the victims were themselves perpetrators of heinous crimes, primarily targeting women who serve as vessels for violence. The female characters in this movie experience shootings, beatings, rapes, burnings, trafficking. In some instances, young girls are hidden in shipping containers and even animal carcasses. These violent acts only amplify the hero’s image. At one point, he is called the “protector of Indian women,” or desh ki ladkiyon ka rakhwala.

Kalees consistently emphasizes on portraying the villain as an over-the-top character. In the movie Theri, Mahendran delivered a powerful performance as a crooked minister who ruins Vijay’s life, without any unnecessary embellishments. In this film, Jackie Shroff takes pleasure in playing Babbar Sher, a villain known for his frequent lounging in a traditional Kerala rocking chair that he adores so much that he even transports it to a dock during the climactic confrontation. However, despite Shroff’s convincing portrayal of danger, I found myself confused about Babbar’s numerous illegal activities and how frequently he ends up in jail, as well as the reasons behind these occurrences.

In recent productions like “Devara: Part 1”, “Pushpa 2: The Rule”, “Singham Again” and “Yudhra”, it’s fascinating to see how filmmakers are expanding their location choices beyond the usual, with shipping docks serving as backdrops. As a movie enthusiast, I can’t help but appreciate this fresh perspective!

Above all, “Baby John” is primarily a platform for Dhawan, showcasing him as the epitome of masala cinema’s hero. He gets to portray romantic scenes, be an affectionate father and son, engage in dynamic dancing, and naturally, fight. At one instance, he even performs a somersault on a horse. Constantly present throughout the film, Dhawan delivers his role with unyielding earnestness. It’s delightful to see the son embody his father David Dhawan’s love for mass entertainments. However, the storyline struggles to make an impact due to its rapid and jarring transitions between romance, action, abducted girls, and flashbacks, leaving viewers with a sensation similar to whiplash and glazed eyes.

In the film, the two main actresses – Keerthy Suresh, new to Hindi films, and Wamiqa Gabbi, debuting in mass movies – aren’t given many meaningful roles. Although they are skilled performers, their talent isn’t fully showcased here. If you want to see their abilities, I suggest watching the Telugu movie “Mahanati” for Suresh or the series “Jubilee” for Gabbi instead.

Baby John is relentless and joyless. Christmas needed better mass. 

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2025-01-02 23:55