Baby John is a faithful remake of Tamil film Theri (2016), directed by Atlee and starring Vijay. Theri itself was inspired by Hollywood film Homefront (2013), starring Jason Statham. The plot remains the same – an honest, high ranking police officer has to relocate to a remote place with his daughter after goons kill his wife in retaliation. He reverts to being a killing machine again when his enemies reach his new location, ending the feud on his own terms. Director Kalees has added extra complications to the plot. The human trafficking racket wasn’t there in the original. And Wamiqa Gabbi has more to do here than Amy Jackson, who played the role in the original. Keerthy Suresh, in her first Hindi appearance, reprises the role done by Samantha in the original. The core of the film, about a man’s attachment to his daughter, remains intact. They have even managed to cast a child who looks strikingly similar to the original’s actor. Jackie Shroff’s character has been made more flamboyant as well. And Rajpal Yadav too gets his moment in the sun. And yes, as teased by the trailer, there’s a Salman Khan cameo in the end.
Baby John differs from Theri in the treatment. And the deviation is not for the better. The original didn’t have an ear pounding background score, for instance. The BGM is so loud in some places it gets on your nerves. And for an action film, two hours and 40 minutes is too big a runtime. It could easily have been trimmed by half-an-hour. The editing is choppy and inconsistent. The music by Thaman doesn’t work. The songs don’t feel like they were originally created in Hindi. Even though the lyrics are in Hindi, you feel like you’re hearing a South language. And in 2024, no one has the patience to sit through lip synched song and dance versions. They could easily have been chopped, as none of the songs, except the baby shower one, add to the narrative.
Theri’s plot worked as it told a simple tale about revenge from the perspective of both the villain and the hero. Adding subplots involving Wamiqa Gabbi, Prakash Belawadi, and human trafficking don’t add anything to the core. And making Jackie Shroff’s character into a larger-than-life entity too doesn’t work in the film’s favour. A more restrained portrayal, like from the original, would have served the film better.
The film has Atlee as one of the producers. Didn’t he oversee the film and check its course? The over the top elements were absent from the original. Why didn’t he tell Kalees to go easy on showboating? And why did Varun Dhawan agree to be part of a remake and not wait for Atlee to write something original for him. Theri came out in 2016. The taste of the viewing public has changed since then. Varun’s own Citadel: Honey Bunny, which ironically stars Samantha as his partner, follows a similar storyline about parents willing to take on the world for their child. But the aesthetics are totally different, more in tune with today’s demands. Cut the flab and the film still works but in the present bloated form, it makes for heavy viewing.
Varun Dhawan is a dependable actor. In his scenes with child actor Zara Zyanna, playing the caring father, with his mother, played by Sheeba Chaddha, playing the bantering son, and with Keerthy Suresh, playing the perfect husband, you can see him settling into the role. But cut to him trying to speak Malayalam or fighting goons in a lungi, one can see he’s not in his element. He gives his all to the role for sure but you can see the effort. Maybe he’s trying too hard as he’s filling Vijay’s shoes. Whatever the case may be, his natural ease is missing from the frames. Keerthy Suresh ideally should have chosen a film that showcased her acting talents better. She’s a good actor and pretty to look at but this role is too brief an introduction. Wamiqa Gabbi does plenty of action but her character’s complications are in excess and don’t actually add to the film.
The film has plenty of stylised action for sure. Varun Dhawan had won his fans back with Honey Bunny and we hope they stay loyal and stick to supporting him in Baby John too.
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