‘Baby John’ Review: Director Kalees's Hindi adaptation of the Tamil film ‘Theri’ arrives with considerable anticipation, starring Varun Dhawan in a dual role that promises both intensity and emotion. However, across its lengthy runtime of approximately 2 hours and 44 minutes, ‘Baby John’ struggles to deliver on its potential, getting tangled in its own narrative complexities while failing to do justice to its serious themes. The film’s overstretched runtime, inconsistent pacing, and missed opportunities with its social commentary ultimately prevent it from achieving the impact it set out for.
A Disappointing Start
The film opens in the serene backdrop of Alappuzha, Kerala, where we meet John D'Silva (Varun Dhawan), a seemingly ordinary baker and single father whose world revolves around his daughter Khushi. Their touching father-daughter dynamics provide the film's early emotional core, with genuinely sweet moments of banter that showcase Dhawan's natural charm in lighter scenes.
However, this peaceful facade begins to crack when a series of teenage girls go missing in the city. The investigation brings John into contact with Tara (Wamiqa Gabbi), a schoolteacher who, we later discover, is an undercover IPS officer. As the layers peel back, we learn that John is actually DCP Satya Verma, a former police officer with a tragic past. The dual identity angle promises intrigue, but the execution fails to build on the tension it could have created.
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Unresolved Backstory
The film frequently shifts between present and past, revealing Satya's journey from an idealistic police officer to a man in hiding. In flashbacks, we see him as a dynamic cop who single-handedly takes on criminals, punctuated by moments of comedy that Dhawan handles well. The introduction of Dr Meera (Keerthy Suresh) brings a romantic subplot that, while featuring decent chemistry between the leads, feels rushed and inadequately developed.
The story takes a dark turn with the entry of Nanaji (Jackie Shroff), a human trafficking kingpin who considers himself above the law. When Satya investigates a case involving Nanaji's son and a raped minor, it sets off a chain of violent events that ultimately leads to the death of Meera and forces Satya to assume his new identity as John. Despite this shift, the film’s focus on action sequences rather than the human trafficking issue weakens its emotional resonance.
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Flawed Structure and Pacing Issues: Why Baby John Struggles to Connect
The film's most significant problems lie in its structure and pacing. The first half barely touches the core theme of human trafficking, instead spending excessive time establishing Satya's credentials as a righteous cop through multiple action sequences and no fewer than three song numbers. The serious issues at the heart of the story - human trafficking and crimes against women - are treated as plot devices rather than subjects deserving thoughtful exploration.
The narrative's constant back-and-forth between timelines often creates confusion rather than suspense. Some scenes are so ambiguously shot that viewers might momentarily wonder if they're watching a ghost story, particularly when Satya returns to his police duties in the present day. This inconsistency in tone undermines the potential for deeper engagement with the characters and their motivations.
Varun Dhawan's Performance
Varun Dhawan shows commitment to both his roles but struggles with the weightier dialogue delivery, particularly in intense scenes that demand gravitas. Keerthy Suresh, despite her proven talent, gets limited screen time and exits the story too soon to leave a lasting impact. Wamiqa Gabbi's potentially interesting character of an undercover officer remains frustratingly underdeveloped, leaving her arc feeling unfinished.
Jackie Shroff's Nanaji suffers from inconsistent writing - one moment he's an omnipotent crime lord, the next he's easily imprisoned, making his threat level fluctuate unconvincingly. However, Rajpal Yadav as Ram Sevak provides solid support, earning audience cheers in his action sequences during the climax.
The Climax and Conclusion: Baby John’s Unconvincing Resolution
The film's finale at the port, where Satya confronts Nanaji's trafficking operation, follows typical action movie tropes—the hero gets beaten but ultimately prevails, inspired by his daughter's speech that motivates the trafficked girls to fight back. Cut to two years later, a post-climax sequence featuring Salman Khan as Agent Bhaijaan feels tacked on. While it provides some entertaining moments of action choreography between the two stars, the cameo feels more like an afterthought than a meaningful addition to the story.
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‘Baby John’ had the potential to be a meaningful action thriller addressing serious social issues. Instead, it becomes a bloated spectacle that prioritises style over substance. While it offers some entertaining moments and decent performances, the film's inability to maintain focus, excessive length, and superficial treatment of serious themes ultimately prevent it from becoming the impactful drama it aspires to be.
The film's attempt to balance commercial elements with social commentary recalls recent films like ‘Maharaja’ starring Vijay Sethupathi, but where ‘Maharaja’ maintained its thematic focus while delivering entertainment, ‘Baby John’ loses its way amidst unnecessary songs, repetitive action sequences, and confused storytelling. Despite Dhawan's earnest efforts and some well-choreographed action sequences, the film remains a missed opportunity to create something truly meaningful.
Despite a promising premise and moments of genuine emotion in the father-daughter relationship, ‘Baby John’ ultimately succumbs to the weight of its ambitions, delivering neither a fully satisfying action spectacle nor a compelling social drama.
Rating: 2/5
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