The most awaited film of the year, Jawan released on Thursday, 7th September and has been breaKING all the records at the box office.
Starring Shahrukh Khan and South stars Vijay Sethupathi and Nayanthara this pan-Indian action drama is directed by Atlee, who is famous for his mass entertaining films. While the film is a complete masala entertainer, it also gives out a very strong social message through it.
Shahrukh Khan is the undisputed King of Bollywood and with Jawan’s roaring success, it proves that he will continue to reign for decades to come. At a time, when India as a country is grappled with issues like crony capitalism and religious intolerance, Shahrukh Khan’s ‘Jawan’ comes as a ray of hope. The film makes even more sense as India is bracing itself for the upcoming general elections in 2024.
When SRK speaks, the world listens… So in Jawan he has spoken and how!!! He highlights the flaws in our system and governance throughout the film. Then in a 5 minute long monologue towards the end of the film, he urges the citizens to be vigilant and ask questions before casting their invaluable votes to any candidate. During all of this somewhere the lines between reel and real are blurred and it feels as if India’s most loved person is directly speaking out to his fans and followers to make a choice.
Coming back to Jawan, it is by far the most massy film Shahrukh Khan has ever done and director Atlee leaves no stone unturned in establishing him as an “Action Hero” which he always wanted to be! At 57, Shahrukh looks breathtakingly handsome and nails every look that he has donned in the film be it the badass bald look, the clean-shaven chocolate boy look, the rugged salt & pepper look (holding a cigar in his mouth in Rajnikant style) or the thick-moustached army uniform look (PS: from Fauji, Army to Main Hoon Naa or Jab Tak Hai Jaan it is a different high to see SRK in Uniform).
As revealed through the dialogue from preveu “Main punya hoon ya paap hoon… main bhi aap hoon!”, Jawan is the story of a common man Azad who is on a mission to bring justice to everyone around him who have been wronged by the corrupt system. Azad, turns a vigilante and with his all women army hijacks a metro and holds the 376 passengers hostage to demand a ransom of 40 thousand crores from agriculture minister only to pay off the debts of several lakh poor farmers. Later, Azad and his army of 6 girls kidnap the health minister and within a span of few hours transform numerous government hospitals with advanced health care facilities.
The story keeps transcending into backstories of these girls who are prisoners in the same jail where Azad is a Jailer. In the second half of the film, viewers get to know about Azad’s connection with this jail and the women prisoners there. Apart from rectifying the wrongs of the government, Azad is also on a personal mission to avenge the death of his parents from Kalee Gaikwad (played by Vijay Sethupathi), the menacing arms dealer and one of the most powerful businessman of the country who is also preparing to contest for the upcoming elections only to become more powerful!
Shahrukh Khan’s character as Azad whom the girls address as “Chief” does remind of the Professor from Netflix’s popular crime drama series Money Heist. Then there’s Narmada Rai (played by Nayanthara), the NSG officer who reminds us of Raquel as she negotiates with Azad during the metro hijack and minister’s kidnap. Narmada is a single mother who unaware of Azad’s truth gets married to him and later is seen joining his army (Raquel taking the name Lisbon and joining the Professor, does that ring any bells?)
Being a pan-Indian film, Jawan manages to bridge the gap between South Indian Cinema and Bollywood as it has the best of both. There are a few scenes which will remind you of Baahubali and KGF but director Atlee continues to leave a mark of his signature style by combining high-octane action scenes with strong socio-political message, multilayered narrative with flashbacks and flash-forwards alongside also showcasing the emotional bond between father-son like his previous films Mersal and Bigil.
Jawan has all the ingredients that make a superhit film. From sleek action set pieces, to drama, romance, comedy, and wonderful music everything in perfect proportion. All the songs including “Zinda Banda” and “Chaleya” and seamlessly blend in with the storyline. Mind you, the Jawan theme song with Rajakumari’s rap and the tune “Massy Massy” will linger on your mind even after the movie ends. Anirudh Ravichander’s background score just adds on to the impact of the compelling plot.
The film touches upon various sensitive issues such as farmer suicides, death of innocent children due to encephalitis (referring to the Gorakhpur incident and arrest of Dr. Kafeel Khan), crony capitalism, corruption and faulty ammunition putting lives of our defense forces at risk (loosely inspired by the Bofors scam in late 80s). The incidences shown in the film hit you hard and make you question the system. At the same time, Shahrukh Khan’s enigmatic charm, his wit and grit keep you hooked and entertained throughout. It isn’t the first time that Shahrukh has fearlessly shown a mirror to the society through his art. He has done it before with films like My Name is Khan, Swades, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Dil Se and Chak De! India and proved that he is a true Nationalist.
Be it the reference of Mufasa and Simba from Lion King or the popular punchline “Bete Ko haath lagane se pehle, baap se baat kar”…. You can’t help but oscillate from reel to real and cheer for the man who has been relentlessly entertaining us for more than 3 decades. Jawan is not just a film but it is a labour of love, it is a ray of hope to bring a change in the society and to restore democracy. While the South Indian industry has been doing this for years, it is an awakening for the Hindi Cinema. And yes, this is how we need cash in on the super stardom and create a social impact!