Wamiqa Gabbi

Story:

John D’Silva (Varun Dhawan) is living a peaceful life with his daughter, Khushi (Zara Zyanna), in Alappuzha, Kerala. His world changes when he grows close to Tara (Wamiqa Gabbi), Khushi’s teacher, and an unexpected incident reveals his true identity. Tara discovers that John is actually DCP Satya Verma, a powerful officer from Mumbai who faked his own death. But why did he do it? What is he running from? Who is Nanaji (Jackie Shroff), and what caused their rift? These answers will unfold in the main movie.

Plus Points:

Varun Dhawan delivers a memorable performance as both a police officer and a caring father who runs a bakery. His looks and physique suit the role, and he uses them effectively. In several scenes, he gives a solid performance.

Wamiqa Gabbi is a pleasant surprise. While she plays Amy Jackson’s role from Theri, her character is given more depth in this version. She looks great and performs well, despite having limited screen time.

Keerthy Suresh is charming. Her acting is simple, but her role, though small, leaves an impact. Jackie Shroff adds weight to the film.

Other actors like Zara (the child) and Rajpal Yadav entertain in their respective roles. Thaman’s score is another highlight, especially in the action scenes, which add intensity to the movie.

Minus Points:

It’s been eight years since Vijay’s Theri made its mark, both emotionally and action-wise. When remaking a film like that, the story should’ve been more developed, and the characters should’ve been stronger, especially with a big budget. Sticking to the same plot with a frame-by-frame remake, even using similar camera angles, raises the question of what’s new in this version.

The original had a perfect balance of action and emotion. While both elements are present here, the way they are told doesn’t hit as hard. Atlee handled the emotional depth in the original, making the audience feel the pain. In this version, some emotional scenes fall flat because they lack that same impact.

Varun Dhawan is good in his role, but he could’ve brought more depth to the emotional scenes to make them truly impactful. The love track between him and Keerthy Suresh also feels underdeveloped.

Jackie Shroff’s character is built up at the start, but as the story moves forward, his performance doesn’t match the earlier buildup. He comes across more as a powerful don than a complex, corrupt politician. A couple of songs work, but they don’t add much to the overall experience.

The biggest letdown is the failure to capture the emotional intensity of the girl’s death and the minister’s son’s death—key turning points in the story. The original nailed these moments with Atlee’s direction and GV Prakash Kumar’s score, but here, the emotional punch falls flat.

Technical Aspects:

Kalees directed Baby John with care, but he missed a key element: maintaining the emotional depth that made the original film so powerful. If he had focused on this more, the movie could’ve been a big hit. However, the writing team deserves credit for developing the character arcs of Wamiqa Gabbi, Rajpal Yadav, and Jackie Shroff, which were lacking in the original.

Thaman’s background score is solid, but if you’re familiar with his earlier work, you might notice some recycled tunes and sounds. Still, it fits the mood of the movie. The cinematography by Kiran Koushik is good, and the production values are solid. Editing is crisp in the first half, but the second half could’ve used some trimming.

Verdict:

On the whole, Baby John is an action-packed emotional drama that has its moments. Varun Dhawan does a solid job balancing both sides of his character, and Keerthy Suresh is charming in her small role. Wamiqa Gabbi does well, but Jackie Shroff doesn’t meet expectations. While Thaman and Kalees do their part, the film, being a carbon copy of Vijay’s Theri, doesn’t quite match the original, even with a bigger budget. If you’re in the mood for a formulaic story with mass action and some emotional moments, Baby John might work for you. Otherwise, you can explore other options.

PS: Salman Bhai, please save the cameos for when they actually make sense.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team