Bollywood’s latest action movie, Baby John, starring Varun Dhawan, has sparked considerable buzz, especially with whispers circulating about its origins. For those in the know, the film feels strikingly familiar, and rightly so. Baby John is indeed a remake, almost a carbon copy in many respects, of the Tamil blockbuster Theri, originally starring Thalapathy Vijay and directed by Atlee. The film attempts to inject Varun Dhawan into a mass hero mould, echoing the South Indian action film formula, but does it succeed in recreating the magic of the original?
The initial scenes of Baby John are undeniably reminiscent of Theri. We see Varun Dhawan in full action hero mode, complete with sunglasses, gum-flipping antics, and a confident stance atop a police jeep. These stylistic choices are directly lifted from the template set by Theri, aiming to establish Dhawan as a formidable, mass-appealing figure. Even the dialogue delivery seems to borrow from the dramatic flair often seen in South Indian cinema. A particular line, intended to resonate with audiences much like Shah Rukh Khan’s iconic dialogues, unfortunately falls short, highlighting a potential disconnect between Dhawan’s current screen persona and the larger-than-life character he’s trying to embody.
Varun Dhawan plays John D’Silva, a baker leading a peaceful life in Kerala with his daughter, Khushi. This idyllic setting and the affectionate ‘baby’ nickname they share immediately establish the father-daughter bond, a core emotional element borrowed directly from Theri. However, the chemistry feels somewhat manufactured, perhaps leaning too heavily on Dhawan’s real-life father image to create an emotional connection with the audience. Initially portrayed as non-violent and even timid around law enforcement, John’s pacifist facade is quickly shattered.
The narrative swiftly transitions into action when goons threaten his daughter. This pivotal moment triggers John’s transformation. In a scene mirroring Theri, the seemingly gentle baker sheds his disguise, revealing his past. Tying his mundu in a classic action hero style as thunder rages, John unleashes his true self. We learn that John was formerly Satya Verma, a supercop with a violent past concealed beneath a Gandhian persona. The catalyst for this hidden identity is a brutal act of revenge by a local strongman, Nanaji (Jackie Shroff), after Satya delivers vigilante justice for a heinous crime. To protect his daughter from this dangerous past, Satya disappears and adopts a new identity as John D’Silva.
In conclusion, Baby John is undeniably a remake of Theri, adhering closely to the original’s plot and key scenes. While it attempts to repackage the South Indian action formula for a Bollywood audience and showcase Varun Dhawan in a new action-oriented avatar, the film’s success as a standalone entity, beyond being just a remake, remains to be seen. Whether Baby John can carve its own niche and resonate with audiences unfamiliar with Theri will ultimately determine its fate.
