Keerthy Suresh, who recently made her Bollywood debut as the female lead in Kalees’ action thriller Baby John opposite Varun Dhawan, revealed she owes her role to Samantha Ruth Prabhu. During an interview with Galatta India, Keerthy shared that Samantha, her co-star from the acclaimed Telugu film Mahanati, recommended her for the role.

Keerthy Shares Her Gratitude

Keerthy Suresh expressed her heartfelt appreciation for Samantha, who previously played the same role in Atlee’s 2016 Tamil blockbuster Theri, of which Baby John is a Hindi remake. “Samantha probably had me in mind when this was happening; that’s what Varun also told me. I can’t be grateful enough. Her performance in Theri is one of my favourites in Tamil. Honestly, I was very scared,” said Keerthy.

Keerthy also recalled Samantha’s Instagram story after the Baby John trailer release. “She wrote, ‘I wouldn’t have shared this one with anyone else, but you.’ It was so sweet and meant a lot to me,” Keerthy added.

Keerthy described her role in Baby John as one of her favourites, stating, “I couldn’t have asked for a better debut. I’m so glad I got to play it in Hindi.”

Samantha’s Support For Varun Dhawan

Samantha’s influence extended beyond Keerthy’s casting. She recently collaborated with Varun Dhawan in Raj & DK’s espionage series Citadel: Honey Bunny on Prime Video India. Varun credited Samantha for motivating him to take up roles like Baby John. “Both Citadel and Baby John are Samantha’s conviction for me. I have to thank her for that, 100%,” Varun said in an interview with Hindustan Times. Samantha responded by calling it her “manifestation for Varun” and predicted that 2024 would be his year.

Star-Studded Cast Of Baby John

Baby John also features Jackie Shroff, Wamiqa Gabbi, and Rajpal Yadav. This Bollywood debut marks another milestone in Keerthy Suresh’s already illustrious career, further solidifying Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s reputation as a supportive and influential figure in the Indian film industry.