Baby John: Breaking down Salman Khan's cameo in Varun Dhawan's actioner

We already knew that Salman Khan makes a cameo appearance in Baby John. The movie's trailer and Varun Dhawan's promotional materials both hinted at it. This cameo is hardly surprising given the superstar's involvement in Atlee's upcoming Bollywood project and his strong connection with Varun. What makes Baby John stand out, though, is that this cameo is very different from the one in Theri, Atlee's 2016 Tamil smash hit.

The trailer teases an action scene in which Salman appears, and his appearance is sure to thrill his loyal fans—certainly an upgrade on his ill-fated cameo in Singham Again. Before getting into the details, I'll warn those who haven't seen the movie; spoilers ahead.

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Salman Khan's initial appearance

The opening titles feature a recording of Salman's signature voice, hinting at his arrival. He plays a secret informant who provides the police with information on the plot's major girl trafficking ring. Nevertheless, following this cameo appearance, the superstar is completely absent from the storyline—until the mid-credit scene, when Varun's Satya Verma defeats Jackie Shroff's Nanaji, the character he had been at war with throughout the film.

His trafficking organization continues to operate, despite the belief that the females he attempted to traffic are responsible for Nanaji's murder. The plot moves to a cargo container two years after the climax, where Russian mobsters keep bidding on girls. Corrupt cop Yashraj (Prakash Belawadi) informs the mobsters that agents are trying to dismantle their racket. He has caught three agents: John (Satya), Tara (Wamiqa Gabbi), and Jackky (Rajpal Yadav).

Plot's climactic setup

Yashraj then comes clean about another teammate—their boss. A black duffel bag covers the man's head, and the mobsters force him to kneel before them. As John builds to a dramatic climax, the bound man unleashes pandemonium and defeats the gang. After he manages to get free, the masked figure unveils his identity: a fully bearded Salman Khan (similar to what we saw in Singham Again).

"Agent Bhai Jaan" appears on the screen. Bhai Jaan and John work together to vanquish Yashraj and all the criminals. At the scene's conclusion, there's some playful banter, with Bhai playfully teasing Tara by calling her a "bomb" before instructing her to dispose of a real bomb. After that, they break the fourth wall to wish the audience holiday greetings—from Merry Christmas to Happy Onam—in a competitive manner.

Impact of Salman Khan's cameo

Does Salman Khan's cameo have any bearing on the plot? In no way. Will there be a sequel if he is included? Despite being evocative of Salman's cameo in Pathaan, the superstar does not promise a sequel in this appearance. Similar to Sanjay Dutt's cameo in the climax of Jawan, this appearance seems more like a delightful extra than a definitive continuation.

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