Baby John Review: A Theri Rehash Lacking Mass Appeal
It’s not that the film doesn’t try, but all its energy and effort, delivered through noisy and exaggerated bursts, ultimately amount to nothing.
Baby John
Varun Dhawan’s bold attempt to showcase his action chops in Baby John quickly unravels, as the film collapses under the weight of excessive dramatics. Despite Dhawan's enthusiasm, the film is bogged down by a lack of substance, and the over-the-top spectacle quickly turns into a bloated mess that struggles to maintain any coherence.
Baby John is a disjointed, unpolished affair that fails to find its footing, drawing inspiration from the wrong sources. Rajpal Yadav, cast against type as a serious-minded policeman, sums it up perfectly when he says, "Comedy is serious business." The same applies to action, and this is where Baby John falters. Dhawan's typically charming persona doesn’t mesh well with his tough-guy role, making the film feel forced and unconvincing.
The movie, a remake of the 2016 Tamil hit Theri, is a tedious rehash that offers little in terms of originality or excitement. It follows the formulaic story of a psychopathic villain, a peace-loving supercop, and a child caught in their crossfire. Unfortunately, the film lacks the magnetic pull that Theri had, and its action sequences feel outdated and lackluster.
The story unfolds in two timelines: one in the present day and one set in Mumbai, where the hero, DCP Satya Verma (Varun Dhawan), is a celebrity cop known for his crime-busting feats. Satya’s love interest, Meera (Keerthy Suresh), is introduced in a subplot involving her internship at a hospital where Satya’s beaten criminals are brought for treatment. While there are attempts at romantic and emotional subplots, including the obligatory marriage approval sequences, these only serve to slow down the narrative and dilute its impact.
Baby John also attempts to explore a "good-dad, bad-dad" dynamic, with a focus on fatherhood. However, this theme feels shallow, reducing the female characters to mere relational figures. Meera’s dialogue, claiming that her fulfillment as a woman is tied to her marriage and motherhood, underscores the film’s regressive approach to gender roles.
The action is relentless but lacks any real power or surprise. The characters, including the villain (Jackie Shroff) and Satya’s allies, are archetypes we've seen countless times before, leaving little room for the actors to bring anything new to the table. Dhawan’s heroic persona is established with a sequence where he tackles gangsters in Mumbai traffic while listening to a song, but the spectacle lacks the flair to make it memorable.
Despite its attempts to build suspense and set up a revenge plot, the film feels drawn out, especially with a lengthy flashback that only adds to the sluggish pace. The story eventually shifts to Satya's quiet life, raising his daughter in hiding, until an inevitable clash with the villainous Nanaji and his henchmen.
For fans of the original Theri, Baby John offers little new, despite some minor changes in the remake. The film even teases the possibility of a larger undercover cop universe, but these additions fail to spark any real excitement.
In its final moments, the film includes a cameo from a Bollywood A-lister, who joins the protagonist in wishing the audience a Merry Christmas and a happy celebration of all Indian festivals. However, by then, Baby John has already fallen flat, failing to ignite the action movie fans it hoped to rally.
In conclusion, while Baby John tries to deliver all the thrills, it ultimately fails to live up to expectations, leaving behind a noisy, overblown spectacle that falls short of delivering anything memorable.
