Baby John Movie Review and Rating: The problem with this Atlee-produced film, a remake Vijay’s 2016 hit Theri with which Varun gets his big fat South Masala film, is that not much sticks.
Baby John Review & Rating In the late stages of the film, Rajpal Yadav, who plays the sidekick, delivers the best line in Baby John. Comedy is serious business.
The only time I heard laughter was in the preview. This is the type of punchline masala movies use in order to get the audience laughing. It says a lot about Baby John, a punishingly long 164-minute film, that the comic gets more taalis for his dialogue than the hero’s 'taqia Kalaam': 'par toh pehli aaya'.
You feel like telling the lead actor Varun dhawan that he shouldn't have bothered to watch this film. He is not suited for it. His delivery is only suitable for low-fi comedy. Baby John is the clear winner of the worst movie of 2024. This was a year in which Bollywood's big stars tanked.
Making masala films is a serious business, as you can see from the fact that , Pushpa 2,, still has the audience hooked. The second one is longer but the hero has a natural feel to him, the set pieces have a rhythm, and Sukumar and Allu Arjun throw everything at us and some of it sticks.
The problem with Baby John, the remake of Vijay’s 2016 hit Theri with which Varun gets his big fat South Masala film, is that not much sticks. The novelty factor is what makes a good masala different from a bad one. Baby John looks like it was thrown together: why is there so much fascination with containers and ships, and heroes hanging upside-down? Baby John is the next Pushpa.
Khushi's (Zyanna) relationship with Baby John (Vaun) is reminiscent of Shah Rukh Khan, who starred in Jawan as a father and daughter duo. When these two become involved with an evil flesh-trading group, led by Babbar Sher's (Jackie Shroff), the calm pace of Alappuzha is disturbed. It's true, that is his name. It's obvious that there's a story behind the regular joe Baby John, who wore a lungi, and had a mother (Sheeba Chhadha, Bollywood’s new favorite mommy) as well as a sweetheart in Keerthy Suresh.
All those plot points, however, are just an excuse for Baby John, aka DCP Satya Varma, to start a savage war against the villains using anything and everything that can be turned into a weapon. The director, who worked with Atlee on the film, throws as many fight scenes as he can in as many places as he finds. The ugliness is displayed in many ways: human bodies are burned, trampled on, body parts are scattered, blood spurts. Who cares if the audience becomes desensitised to it?
You can watch Jackie Shroff in his first villainous role in Southern cinema, the 2010 Aranya Kaandam. He slits throats and shakes his straggly hair, all while wearing a thick layer of haldi (don't ask us why) on his face. A little girl who is aware that he has done something horrible calls him "daadu". Yes, that's right. How did she know? We're not even asking. No, this film does not protect children.
Keerthy Suresh has a vital presence but zero connection with Dhawan; Gabbi, who plays a teacher-with-a-secret, gets just enough screen time to justify her presence. Sanya Malhotra appears and disappears in a blink and miss part.
Varun Dhawan channels his inner Salman khan to the fullest (shirts and vests are removed here and there) and shares a climactic scene with the latter in a very 'Pathan style'. You instantly know two things. There will be more where this came from. Groan.
This is how the year has ended. What will Bollywood bring us in 2025? I won't be holding my breath.
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