Directed by Kalees, Baby John is the Hindi remake of Atlee’s 2016 Tamil revenge cop-drama Theri, which starred Vijay, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Amy Jackson. A successful adaptation should aim to reimagine the source material, offering a fresh take and providing an original experience, even if the audience is familiar with the core story. Unfortunately, Baby John does not achieve this. At 164 minutes, it is a dull and tonally inconsistent misfire.
The story follows a single father, inexplicably named Baby John (Varun Dhawan), who runs a restaurant called Toast on Coast in Alappuzha, Kerala. He lives a peaceful life with his infant daughter Khushi (Zara Zyanna), which quickly suggests there’s more to him than meets the eye. We soon learn about his troubling past.
In reality, he is Satya Verma, a super-cop from Mumbai who has been living in hiding after his world unravels due to his own recklessness. While fighting corruption, he kills the son of a notorious politician and human trafficker, Nana (Jackie Shroff), after the man is involved in the brutal gang rape and murder of a teenage girl. Satya could have committed the act quietly, but, true to Hindi film conventions, he makes a spectacle of it, taunting Nana with his son’s charred body. This sets off a chain of events where Nana seeks revenge. As is typical in Hindi films, the men fight, but it is the women who suffer, paying an unjust and untimely price. The plot feels predictable, reminiscent of 1990s cinema, though it is thankfully not as gory or graphic as Ghajini (2008).
Written by Atlee, Kalees, and Sumit Arora, the plot of Baby John is riddled with inconsistencies. It has so many plot holes that it could sink like a leaky boat. However, the film’s most glaring issue is its pacing. It seems unsure of which scenes deserve focus and which should be skipped. Several scenes, which add nothing to the story, receive excessive screen time. For example, in one sequence, Khushi is splashed with dirt by a passing car on her way to school. She becomes so angry that she insists Baby John follow the driver and confront him, only to cower away like a frightened mouse. Similarly, we are repeatedly shown Khushi’s tardiness at school because her father drives too cautiously. Or the entire subplot with Sanya Malhotra, which goes nowhere. The list is endless.
While the film wastes time on inconsequential scenes, it rushes through the crucial moments. Satya’s journey from marriage to fatherhood is summarised in a single montage. Wamiqa Gabbi, who plays Khushi’s teacher Tara, is later revealed to be an IPS officer, but the film never explains why she goes undercover or why she becomes so involved in Satya’s story.
Rajpal Yadav, who plays Satya’s loyal aide, head constable Ram Sevak, is given a heartfelt monologue. The film builds up a potential action sequence involving him, only to snatch it away at the last moment. Baby John is a prime example of how poor editing can completely derail a film.
Despite these flaws, Varun Dhawan remains a highly watchable actor. In Citadel: Honey Bunny earlier this year, he showcased his potential as a suave action star, provided he’s in the right hands. Although Baby John is heavily publicised and visually impressive, it falls short of his best work. Nonetheless, it marks a significant shift in his career, solidifying his desire to explore more complex roles.
Jackie Shroff, though playing a one-dimensional character, is the most enjoyable part of Baby John. The film ends with a forced cameo from a superstar and hints at a potential franchise, a trend that is becoming increasingly common in mass-market films.
