Mumbai: Despite its struggles at the box office, Baby John, the Hindi remake of Atlee’s 2016 Tamil blockbuster Theri, remains a special project for actress Keerthy Suresh. The actress recently revealed that Samantha Ruth Prabhu suggested her name for the lead role in the film.
Speaking to Galatta, Keerthy expressed her gratitude towards Samantha, stating, “She probably had me in mind when this was happening; that’s what Varun [Dhawan] also told me. I can’t be grateful enough for that. It’s so sweet of her to say, ‘Keerthy will be able to pull off this character.’”
Interestingly, Samantha played the same role in Theri that Keerthy took on in Baby John. Keerthy admitted that she was initially apprehensive about stepping into Samantha’s shoes. “Her performance in Theri is one of my favourites in Tamil. Honestly, I was very scared,” Keerthy shared.
She also recounted a heartfelt moment when Samantha publicly supported her after the trailer of Baby John was released. “I remember her posting a story on Instagram after watching the trailer, saying, ‘I wouldn’t have shared this one with anyone else, but you.’ It was so sweet and meant a lot to me. I couldn’t have asked for a better debut.”
Keerthy and Samantha previously worked together in the 2018 Telugu period drama Mahanati, for which Keerthy earned the National Award for Best Actress. Their camaraderie both on and off-screen is evident, with Keerthy cherishing Samantha’s support throughout her career.
While Baby John garnered praise for Keerthy and Varun Dhawan’s performances, the film failed to replicate the success of its Tamil counterpart, Theri. Produced by Atlee, the film struggled to even reach the Rs100 crore mark at the box office.
Despite the lukewarm commercial performance, Keerthy remains positive about her Bollywood debut. “This is one of the characters I really love, and I am so glad I got to play it in Hindi,” she said. Though Baby John faced challenges, Keerthy’s entry into Bollywood has been met with optimism.
