Varun Dhawan’s attempt at becoming Bollywood’s next mass action hero has suffered a major setback. His much-hyped movie Baby John, directed by Kalees and produced by Atlee, was released this Christmas with high expectations. However, the film’s dismal box office performance has left both fans and critics questioning the project’s direction.
Baby John is an official adaptation of the 2016 Tamil hit Theri, which starred Thalapathy Vijay in the lead. Vijay’s role in Theri is iconic, and stepping into those shoes was never going to be an easy task for Dhawan.
Yet, the actor had a heavy burden to carry, attempting to fill the role while introducing a new persona to audiences. The pressure was mounting, but things went south even further due to Atlee’s bold claims about the film and Dhawan’s future in the industry.
Atlee Claimed Varun Dhawan Is The Next Superstar Before Baby John Release
At a press event for Baby John, Atlee made a number of bold statements that now seem to have backfired. The filmmaker confidently declared that Varun Dhawan was the next ‘superstar’ in Bollywood, positioning Baby John as the film that would elevate him to the status of Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Salman Khan.
Atlee didn’t stop there & directly compared Dhawan to Ranbir Kapoor, who had just enjoyed immense success with his film Animal. According to Atlee, Baby John was supposed to do for Varun what Animal did for Ranbir (push him into the league of the biggest stars).
“Varun Dhawan is the next superstar⭐️”
Animal for Ranbir Kapoor
Baby John for Varun Dhawan– Atlee pic.twitter.com/OYDH7z2Dkh
— Manobala Vijayabalan (@ManobalaV) December 26, 2024
Filmmaker Being Called Out For His Bold Claims
The comments have now backfired. The film’s lacklustre box office performance has led to online backlash, with many pointing fingers at Atlee for overhyping the project.
Baby john how is it ?
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One user referred to the underwhelming success of Baby John and wrote, “Ye toh what Animal did to Bobby Deol bhi nahi kar paaya.”
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Another said, “Ranbir already had a good fan base, Animal just increased it. Varun can never come close to what Ranbir can perform on screen!”
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Some even defended Varun & blamed Atlee’s comments for the film’s failure. One user suggested that the overconfidence was a mistake and commented, “Atlee jinxed the film by saying this sentence.”
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Check out some more reactions below!
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Baby John BO Performance
Despite a high-budget production reportedly costing Rs 180 crore, Baby John has only earned Rs 16.5 crore globally over its first two days. Even a cameo from Salman Khan, which was expected to draw in crowds, hasn’t been enough to salvage the film’s reputation.
Starring Keerthy Suresh, Wamiqa Gabbi, and Jackie Shroff alongside Dhawan, Baby John continues to run in theatres, but its future at the box office looks uncertain.
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