Baby John

The Hindi remake of Theri struggles to capture the essence of the original, despite a few strong performances. Varun Dhawan, though solid in the latter parts of the film, overacts in the early scenes, particularly with forced dialogue like "Mere jaise bahut aaye honge, but main pehli baar aaya hoon." His emotional depth is average, but a standout moment comes during an intense scene involving Nanaji's son.

Keerthy Suresh, in a role made iconic by Samantha, could have delivered more. Though she holds her own, her performance lacks the emotional intensity needed. The supporting cast shines, with Sheeba Chaddha adding charm to her role, and Jackie Shroff stealing the show as the antagonist. Wamiqa Gabbi, despite a promising character as an undercover agent, feels underused.

The film's pacing suffers due to an overabundance of songs, which slow down the narrative, though the background music does add intensity. The direction is competent but lacks the emotional depth that could have elevated the film. While the plot follows the original, the inclusion of Wamiqa's subplot doesn't feel fully integrated.

Overall, the remake is an average watch-solid performances from some, but it fails to leave a lasting impact.

Baby John: A Disappointing Imitation of "Theri" "Baby John" sadly falls flat as a pale imitation of the South Indian action-thriller "Theri." While attempting to replicate the successful formula of its predecessor, it stumbles into a realm of overacting and predictable plot points, leaving the audience feeling thoroughly unimpressed.

The film's narrative, a thinly veiled copy of "Theri," lacks originality and fails to captivate viewers. The predictable storyline, filled with cliches and formulaic plot twists, offers little to no surprises. The protagonist, Baby John, while attempting to embody the charismatic persona of Vijay from "Theri," comes across as a shallow imitation, devoid of the depth and nuance that made the original character so compelling.

The acting performances, unfortunately, are a major letdown. The actors seem to be overcompensating for the lack of a strong script, resulting in exaggerated expressions and melodramatic portrayals. This overacting further diminishes the film's credibility and detracts from the overall viewing experience. The dialogue, too, is often cringeworthy, filled with forced humor and predictable one-liners that fail to elicit any genuine laughter.

The action sequences, while attempting to replicate the high-octane thrills of "Theri," fall short in terms of execution. They appear poorly choreographed and lack the finesse and impact of the original. The special effects are also underwhelming, further diminishing the impact of the action scenes.

In conclusion, "Baby John" is a disappointing cinematic experience that fails to live up to the expectations set by its inspiration, "Theri." The film suffers from a lack of originality, poor acting performances, and underwhelming action sequences. Viewers seeking a thrilling and engaging cinematic experience are advised to steer clear of this predictable and underwhelming imitation.

How many times the audience will be fooled? Difficult to sit through for even half an hour. Irritating characters, bad dialogues, poor bg score, hamming villian and extremely bad storyline. Not an even single area to cherish. Theri by Atlee was bad and now remake is worst!! We should have rights to ask for refund. Rather audience should be paid to watch this. You can't even watch if paid. All the positive reviews are either paid or I pity the people who found this cinema good.

Kalees- Poor Director Atlee- Copycat producer/director Bad remake of Theri which was copier from Vijaykanth starree Shatriyan.

Baby John (2024), directed by Kalees, is a remake of Atlee's 2016 Tamil blockbuster Theri. Starring Varun Dhawan in the titular role, alongside Keerthy Suresh (in her Hindi film debut), Wamiqa Gabbi, and Jackie Shroff, the film follows Sathya Verma, a former cop who goes undercover as Baby John to protect his daughter from a dangerous enemy. With high-octane action sequences, a star-studded cast, and a runtime of 2 hours and 45 minutes, the film promises thrills but struggles to deliver a cohesive experience.

From the outset, it's clear that Baby John heavily leans on choreographed action and song sequences, visually impressive but loosely strung together by a weak and uninspired storyline. The screenplay and editing, crucial elements for a gripping narrative, falter significantly, leaving the film feeling disjointed. As the captain of the ship, the director shoulders much of the blame for allowing these technical snags to slip through.

The superhero-like heroism in the fight and dance sequences stretches believability, often pulling the audience out of the experience. While some moments provide spectacle, they fail to maintain the emotional crescendo necessary to sustain the film's momentum. The predictable climax, punctuated by Salman Khan's tired cameo, ends the roller-coaster ride on a disappointingly flat note.

The performances, however, stand as the film's saving grace. Varun Dhawan, Jackie Shroff, and the rest of the cast give it their all, doing justice to their roles despite the lackluster material. Keerthy Suresh's Bollywood debut is commendable, though her talent feels underutilized in this setup.

Ultimately, Baby John feels like a missed opportunity-an action-packed visual extravaganza that fails to resonate emotionally or narratively. The film's reliance on spectacle over substance leaves it feeling hollow, making it a challenging watch for audiences expecting more than just surface-level thrills.

Rating: 2/5 stars - Baby John offers brief moments of visual entertainment but suffers from a weak storyline and missed opportunities, making it a forgettable addition to the action thriller genre. Watch it for the cast's earnest performances, but don't expect much beyond that.

The same old storyline once again repackaged with different actors, different director, different camera angles. While watching this film reminded me of that song from one of SRK's old film Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, in that there is a line that says 'thodi ham mein sachchai hai thodi hai baimaani, kabhi naye packet mein bechein tumko chiz puraani".

I watched this film only because I have slight bias for Varun Dhawan. I find him slightly likeable amongst all the current lot of mediocre mainstream actors. But even he brings nothing new to the film. Full of clichés such as hero helping blind beggars, heroine singing aartis on baby shower. Villain derailing heroes life, then hero coming back to take revenge.

I can guarantee you that you will keep feeling that you have watched this film before because hundreds of films have been made with the exact storyline and exact formula.

I gave three stars for Keerthi Suresh and Wamiqa for looking damn good, the little girl who was the only savior because of her cuteness and Jaggu Dada for being a good actor even till now.