Baby John review: This baby is too young to be Jawan

This Varun Dhawan-led remake of Vijay’s Theri, created by the original creator Atlee, desperately aspires to be the next Jawan but is too infantile to take it seriously!

Larger-than-life, anti-gravity mass action entertainers are designed for a very specific purpose – the kind that leaves logic at the door, immerses in the spectacle and embraces the stadium-like atmosphere that single-screen theatres create. These films thrive on fan service, with audiences cheering on as their favourite god-like stars dominate the screen, taking down villains while delivering moral lessons. This art of making the cinematic hero is not just an action figure but a larger cultural force, blending personal vengeance with social commentary. Atlee revolutionized this genre last year with Jawan, merging the swagger of South Indian cinema with the emotional core of Hindi films. With Shah Rukh Khan at the centre, the film gave audiences a hero who empowered the masses, all while maintaining the dance-worthy, stadium-filling spectacle of a traditional mass entertainer. The formula is similar in Baby John, but despite Varun Dhawan’s comic timing and earnest performance, which make him perfect for such a blend, the film fails to utilize his potential fully. The attempt to mould Dhawan into a traditional action hero from the south feels forced, as if the film is trying too hard to fit him into a template we've seen too many times before, making it a mismatch! 

A remake of Atlee and Vijay's 2016 film Theri, this film tells the story of police officer Satya Verma (Varun Dhawan), who, in a very Singham-like fashion, becomes a messiah for women and children, saving them from the cruel hands of human traffickers. Unafraid to risk everything for justice, Satya faces a personal tragedy that drives him into hiding, only for him to rise again as a feared protector of the innocent.

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Given how Atlee has written Baby John, his fingerprints are visible all over it! While the main focus is Satya's revenge thriller arc with the politician gangster villain Babar Sher (Jackie Shroff), the film is filled with subtexts that layer it with social messages. I like how Atlee injects moral values into a mass commercial film, even if it is wrapped in monologues, because it points out the general public's fault. But still, this film made by Kalees craves Atlee's masterful touch, which balances and evens out to leave a lasting impact.

The meta-layer of Varun Dhawan’s real-life fatherhood, his baby face, and on-screen persona as a goofy star adored by children adds an interesting dimension centring his heroism around children, echoing how SRK’s hero in Jawan was a champion for women. Dhawan’s character even straightens out goons by literally teaching them lessons, not violence! Yet, despite these promising elements, the film falters when it lets go of its organic potential to shoehorn into the familiar mould of a mass-action film and establish Dhawan as a star of it. Also, it is weighed down by overloadedness where the initially sweet father-daughter bond becomes too cute to handle, or a scene of a family massacre is so prolonged that it starts to lose its emotional power.

Hence, the cracks make the gaps visible, which none of the film's star power currently can fulfil. And unfortunately, for a mass-action entertainer, either the high is working, or otherwise, the missteps give headspace to start questioning the illogicality of the film! It's all there: brand endorsements filled action sequences, money shots, and a "good vibes" Varun Dhawan with full swag, stylishly eating chewing gum, wearing shades, walking the crowd in confidence and having more than five entries, yet nothing stays with you for longer than a moment.

It is also because the film is in such a hurry to tell so many things at once and move on to the next thing so fast that before you connect with anything, it goes away. This is why Jackie Shroff's maniac aspect, Keerthy Suresh's soft-sweet romanticizing effect, and Wamiqa Gabbi's bold fighter effect turn more caricaturist or into chocolate effect where they are just there because they are supposed to be. However, credit has to be given to the film for highlighting Rajpal Yadav in not a comedic but a serious action light. The film's randomised structure, oscillating between timelines, montages and abrupt interruptions by the song-dance sequence, isn't helpful either! 

Varun Dhawan dominates every frame of the film with an unforgettable background score! A bus filled with kids falls down from the bridge, he is there; a container full of girls is being taken to sell them off, he is there, a young girl gets kidnapped, raped and burned, he is there, he is everywhere to save everyone and seek justice not just for his daughter but for the entire nation that needs it.

The film tries to make Satya, aka John, a metaphor for heroism. But he feels too much like a child, and so does the film, which is currently a juvenile attempt to achieve what films like Jawan accomplished. Maybe even Varun Dhawan, despite his charisma and potential, isn't quite ready to command the kind of star power that SRK has mastered. Baby John has potential, but it needs to grow up and realize its strength before it can truly stand out in the genre! 

Baby John is currently streaming at a theatre near you!

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