Noisy
action,
shootouts,
slo-mo
walks
and
some
dialoguebaazi
highlight
Baby
John‘s
unimpressive
teaser,
observes
Mayur
Sanap.
How
long
will
Bollywood
press
on
with
its
obsession
for
lazy
remakes?
This
question
pops
up
as
you
open
the
trailer
for
Baby
John,
which
has
Varun
Dhawan
doing
the
mass
hero
in
the
Hindi
adaptation
of
Theri,
which
starred
Vijay.
The
2016
Tamil
blockbuster
starred
Varun’s
Citadel:
Honey
Bunny
co-star
Samantha
and
it
was
helmed
by
Atlee.
The
Jawan
director
serves
as
co-producer
on
this
rehash
and
hands
over
the
reins
to
Kalees
for
his
Hindi
debut.
The
first
teaser
of
the
film,
which
is
curiously
being
called
a
‘taster
cut’
by
the
makers,
barely
shows
any
novelty
in
terms
of
story
or
concept,
and
simply
brings
Varun’s
star
aura
to
the
fore.
He
appears
as
a
dashing
police
officer
who
seems
capable
of
the
most
complicated
stunts
and
ruthless
killings.
He
plays
a
father
to
a
kid,
which
looks
like
a
driving
emotion
of
the
action-heavy
plot.
There’s
another
version
of
Varun’s
character
that
shows
him
in
a
long
hair
and
some
topless
shots.
Amid
this
double
identity
play,
there’s
an
ample
dose
of
noisy
action,
shootouts,
slo-mo
walks
and
some
dialoguebaazi.
‘Mere
jaise
bahot
aaye
honge,
lekin
main
pehli
baar
aaya
hoon,’
Varun
gleefully
mouths
the
line,
almost
announcing
his
action
hero
mode.
There’s
a
certain
degree
of
entertainment
in
watching
Varun
play
two
distinctly
different
characters.
And
the
BGM,
designed
by
S
Thaman,
adds
to
the
film’s
massy
pull.
The
teaser
also
offers
a
glimpse
of
Keerthy
Suresh,
who
appears
to
have
a
flower
pot
role
that’s
typically
reserved
for
female
stars
in
an
actioner
like
this.
She’s
a
capable
actor
as
seen
in
Mahanati
and
Saani
Kaayidham.
I
wish
her
Hindi
launch
was
better
than
this.
Jackie
Shroff
shows
up
in
an
uninspired
choice
as
the
film’s
menacing
villain.
His
funky
get-up
tries
to
make
him
look
interesting.
The
end
slate
flashes
the
film’s
tongue-in-cheek
tagline:
‘Good
Vibes
Only’.
Despite
the
starry
edge,
Baby
John
looks
like
an
expensive
action
romp
that
probably
does
nothing
new
with
the
original
idea.
Why
put
in
the
effort
then?
Theri‘s
4K
ultra
HD
print
is
already
available
on
YouTube
for
free
viewing.
Baby
John
is
set
for
a
Christmas
release.
