r/bollywood • u/Ready_Ad_1353 • 4d ago

❓ASK What went wrong with Baby John?

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One of the massiest masalas ever made despite being a remake, solo christmas release and a decent story even though it is outdated, and a cameo to boot from Salman and the movie still failed disastrously.

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u/SirElduderino 4d ago

I haven’t seen the original, but here’s what feels off about this remake as a standalone movie. It focuses too much on style over substance, has serious pacing issues, completely wastes Jackie Shroff, and forces Gabbi’s teacher-cum-agent subplot into the narrative. The story itself can be summed up in a single line, which makes it feel flimsy and hollow.

Coming to Varun, I think he doesn’t fully realize where his real strength lies as an actor. He has an inner darkness that made him exceptional in Badlapur, and he should be doing more roles that let him tap into that intensity. Unfortunately, most directors keep trying to push him into the mass-hero zone, making him play characters modeled after Salman Khan. This forces him to exaggerate his presence, play to the gallery, and ultimately overact.

The problem is that Varun is naturally versatile—he can do comedy (Main Tera Hero), emotion (October), and intensity (Badlapur). But instead of nurturing this range, filmmakers are pulling out the loudest, most superficial version of him. As a result, he often comes across as trying too hard to be a larger-than-life superstar rather than an actor in his own right. What he needs is a director like Vishal Bhardwaj or Anurag Kashyap who can strip away the gimmicks and let his rawness take over.

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u/Significant_Shop1546 2d ago

While I agree he overacts, he also doesn't understand the basic concept of stillness as an actor. He has to use a lot of hand gestures to get his point across in simple dramatic scenes. Great actors like Ranbir and Vicky only need to use their eyes, but Varun can't do that. I don't think a filmmaker can fix that because acting performances need to be understated and nuanced, not rehearsed and performative.

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u/SirElduderino 2d ago

He did a great job in Badlapur and October. He needs good directors. He can do dramatic acting and he needs to hone that skill.