BABY JOHN is a mass entertainer which works

Baby John Review {3.5/5} & Review Rating

Director: Kalees

Baby John Movie Review Synopsis:
BABY JOHN is the story of a protective father. John D’Silva (Varun Dhawan), a restaurateur, stays in Alappuzha, Kerala with his daughter Khushi (Zara Zyanna). He dotes on her and is bringing her up with the right values. John forms a bond with Khushi’s teacher Tara (Wamiqa Gabbi). Tara takes John’s help, without his knowledge, when she rescues a girl and approaches the cops. John is aghast when he learns about Tara’s actions due to his past with the police force. A complaint is filed against a dreaded henchman, Boss (Jaffer Sadiq). Assuming that John complained to the police and that he’s a common man, Boss and his men attack him. But John turns out to be a beast. He finishes them off ruthlessly. Tara sees him attacking the goons and learns that he’s none other than Satya Verma, who was once the DCP and the husband of Dr. Meera (Keerthy Suresh). But his confrontation with Nanaji (Jackie Shroff) proves to be a turning point in his life. Hence, he decides to leave the force and live as a common man. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Baby John Movie Story Review:
Atlee’s story is massy but also a bit outdated. Kalees’s screenplay tries to rise above the plot and is infused with mass moments. However, the writing could have been better. Sumit Arora’s dialogues add to the mass touch.

Kalees’s direction is commercial. The film is mounted on a huge scale and it has been handled appropriately. The bond shared by the father and the daughter is adorable while the romantic track also has its moments. But the best is reserved for the mass elevation scenes. The scenes that are memorable are John attacking the goons at night, Satya and Meera’s first meeting, Satya searching for Amba (Snigddha Suman) and what happens thereafter. The pre-interval block is when the film goes on another level and it’ll be greeted with whistles and claps. Post-interval, Satya’s meeting with the parents and the shootout at his residence stand out. The scene of Bhima Rane (Shrikant Yadav) and the North Eastern kid is well thought out.

On the flipside, BABY JOHN comes too late in the day as it gives a déjà vu of SIMMBA [2018], JAWAN [2023] etc. The execution is overall satisfactory but in some places, it’s haphazard. The product placement of Center Fresh and Astral Pipes is quite in-your-face. But the biggest issue is that of the writing. BABY JOHN is a remake of THERI, which arrived 8 years ago. A lot has changed since then in terms of tastes and trends and Atlee should have aligned the script accordingly. Moreover, the hero vs villain equation is not convincing. Usually, the villain needs to be so powerful that the audience should wonder how the hero would defeat him. But in BABY JOHN, the hero becomes all-powerful once he harms Nanaji big time and doesn’t face consequences from the police department or the government. Nana takes revenge much later. But by then, it becomes clear that Satya can finish Nanaji, whenever he wants. This aspect severely impacts the goings-on.

Baby John – Trailer | Atlee | Varun Dhawan, Keerthy Suresh, Wamiqa Gabbi, Jackie Shroff

Baby John Movie Review Performances:
Varun Dhawan delivers a sincere performance and excels in the action and emotional scenes. However, it’s not convincing to show him as a DCP as he seems young for that position. Ideally, there should have been a reason why he managed to rise through the ranks so early in his life. Keerthy Suresh makes a superb debut in Bollywood and has an arresting screen presence. Wamiqa Gabbi, as expected, rocks the show, albeit in a supporting role. Jackie Shroff looks menacing and does a brilliant job. But he’s let down by the writing. Zara Zyanna is adorable. However, a few of her dialogues are not audible properly. Jaffer Sadiq is apt for the part. Shrikant Yadav lends able support. Rajpal Yadav (Ram Sevak) is seen in a different avatar and would be loved by the audience. Sheeba Chaddha (Madhvi Verma; Satya’s mother) is dependable as always. Zakir Hussain (Baldev Patil) and Prakash Belawadi (Yashraj Mukherjee) are strictly okay. Omkar Das Manikpuri (Badrinath) and Mona Ambegaonkar (the doctor who tries to revive Amba) are fair. Lastly, Salman Khan’s cameo is quite entertaining.

Baby John movie music and other technical aspects:
Thaman S’s music is not of chartbuster variety. The title song is the only song that stands out. ‘Nain Matakka’ is well picturized while ‘Pikley Pom’ is passable. ‘Bandobast’ is too similar to ‘Zinda Banda’.  ‘Hazaar Baar’ and ‘Gudda Guddi’ are forgettable. Thaman S’s background score is energetic.

Kiran Koushik’s cinematography is satisfactory. Anl Arasu, Stunt Silva, Anbariv, Yannick Ben, Sunil Rodrigues, Kaloyan Vodenicharov, Manohar Verma, and Bronwin October’s action is violent but works well in a film like this. T Muthuraj’s production design is rich. Sheetal Iqbal Sharma’s costumes are appropriate while Shruthi Manjari’s costumes for Keerthy Suresh are appealing. NY VFXWaala’s VFX is superior. Ruben’s editing could have been slicker, especially in the first half.

Baby John Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, BABY JOHN is a mass entertainer which works due to the clapworthy moments, the message, Varun Dhawan’s energetic performance and the cameo by Salman Khan. At the box office, the film will benefit owing to the long holiday period and no competition until Republic Day.