Bollywood star Varun Dhawan is embracing the larger-than-life cinema style of South India with his upcoming Christmas release “Baby John,” a film that had him studying the iconic mannerisms of superstar Rajinikanth in preparation for his role.
Speaking with Variety ahead of the film’s December 25 release, Dhawan explains his attraction to the project, which marks a significant departure from his previous work. “I wanted to do something larger than life. I wanted to be that macho hero. I wanted to express my emotions in a certain way, which I guess I was not getting those opportunities here [in Bollywood], or those films are not being made here,” says Dhawan.
Directed by Kalees (“Kee”), “Baby John” represents a significant collaboration between Hindi and South Indian cinema, presented by Jio Studios and Atlee, and produced by Murad Khetani, Priya Atlee, and Jyoti Deshpande. The film is a production of A for Apple Studios and Cine1 Studios in association with Atlee and Cine 1 Studios. The action-drama sees Dhawan following in the footsteps of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan, who ventured into larger than life South Indian style cinema with Atlee’s “Jawan.”
The actor’s preparation process involved an intensive study of South Indian cinema’s mass appeal moments. “I was shown a video compilation of [Indian superstar] Rajinikanth-sir and all the different antics that he does, the mass moments he does,” Dhawan reveals. “Then I was shown a video parallelly of all the actors from Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi cinema, where they were doing what Rajinikanth-sir has done, and it was very fascinating to realize that he has done so many things, that everything that people do usually are things that he’s done.”
Drawing parallels to classic Hindi cinema, Dhawan cites the 1991 Amitabh Bachchan starrer “Hum” as a key inspiration. “In my childhood, I loved this film called ‘Hum’ by Mukul Anand, which has Amitabh Bachchan, where he plays almost a double role, dual identity kind of character,” he explains. “‘Baby John’ has similar themes. It also has another theme of protection of women in this country and how it’s done. And there’s a solution also for it, which is good parenting versus bad parenting. It’s almost like an Indian Thali [platter], which has every different cultural cuisine.”
The transition to South Indian filmmaking style proved challenging for the actor. “It was very, very difficult. I think one of the tougher acting assignments I’ve had in a while,” Dhawan admits. “When I did [Prime Video action series] ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny‘ with [directors] Raj and DK, it felt like a piece of cake actually, because that was very differently engineered.” He emphasizes the intense nature of the production: “No shooting day felt easy ever. There was no light shooting day. Everything felt heavy. Everything felt big.”
The film’s action sequences, choreographed by “Citadel: Honey Bunny” action director Yannick Ben, promise to deliver spectacular set pieces. “There’s a big interval block, pre-interval block, which is in the rain, which he’s done, which is a standout for me,” Dhawan shares. “The action in ‘Baby John’ is a monster in itself.”
Among the production highlights, Dhawan particularly enjoyed working with his young co-star. “Shooting with a small child Zara, I think that was a very joyous moment,” he recalls. “Just doing scenes with her was very enjoyable, fun, spontaneous, very new. Because as a child, every take of hers was different.”
Reflecting on the changing landscape of Indian cinema in 2024, Dhawan underlines the evolving audience expectations. “You can’t give them anything mediocre,” he observes. This understanding has influenced his recent project choices, including “Jug Jug Jeeyo,” “Bhediya,” and the upcoming “Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari.”
Looking ahead, Dhawan’s slate is packed with diverse projects. Comedy “Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai,” directed by his father David Dhawan, co-stars Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde. In January he begins the first schedule of war film sequel “Border 2.” And by the end of 2025 he will commence Anees Bazmee’s comedy sequel “No Entry 2.”
