Varun Dhawan's 'Baby John' lands on OTT—but there's a catch
What's the story
The much-anticipated action drama, Baby John, starring Varun Dhawan in the lead, is now available on a digital platform. However, there's a catch—you can rent it on Amazon Prime Video at ₹249.
The film, directed by Kalees and co-starring Wamiqa Gabbi, Zara Zyanna, Keerthy Suresh (Bollywood debut), and Jackie Shroff, is a remake of Atlee's 2016 Tamil blockbuster Theri.
The film struggled at the box office after its Christmas Eve release in 2024.
Film narrative
'Baby John' plot and production details
Baby John narrates the tale of a sex-trafficking group ruining the peaceful life of John (Dhawan) and Khushi (Zyanna).
Before starting afresh, he unveils his past as Deputy Commissioner Satya (also Dhawan), a man on a revenge spree for his family's murder, who protects young girls and punishes the culprits.
The film was shot by Kiran Koushik, and edited by Ruben, with Thaman S composing the score.
Film reception
'Baby John' box office performance and Dhawan's perspective
Despite raking in ₹11.25-13.5 crore on its opening day at the domestic box office, Baby John's total worldwide gross till January 2, 2025, was merely ₹53.4 crore.
The film was met with mixed reviews from critics and tanked at the box office.
Speaking to OTTPlay in an interview, Dhawan revealed his thoughts on adapting Theri for Baby John, making major changes in the film's geography to work as an adaptation and not a true remake.
Actor's viewpoint
Dhawan's insights on 'Baby John' and its OTT release
Dhawan further emphasized that Baby John offers a modern perspective on parenting and real-life cases of women's safety in India.
He added, "There was a rationale for Atlee's arrival with this film"; the filmmaker informed them that they needed to alter the film's geography significantly.
Regardless of its box office performance, fans can now watch Baby John on Prime Video, where it will reportedly get a full-fledged release by February 20.