Jawan stands up!
Jawan-movie review
- Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Deepika padukone, Sanjay dutt, Sanya Malhotra, Priyamani
- Director: Atlee
- Screenplay by Atlee, S. Ramanagirivasan
- Story: Atlee
- Dialogs: Sumit Arora
- Producers: Gauri Khan, Gaurav Verma
- Cinematography: G. K. Vishnu
- Edited by Ruben
- Music by Anirudh Ravichander
- Rating: ***
(The aim and intention of my reviews is to critique and recommend while not revealing the whole story to enjoy the movie when seen. But minor details have been divulged for a proper review!)
Not many celebrities in India are brave enough to take a stand or take a mantle to raise awareness, denounce social and political injustices, or point fingers at a broken system. Shahrukh Khan, using his stardom and charisma in collaboration with Director Atlee, stands as the avenger and vigilante in Jawan for social and political justice and tries to shake the Indian audiences out of the lull to come together for the greater good.
While he is at it, he also makes a personal retaliatory statement about the persecution of his son with a dialog in the movie- “Bete ko haath lagane se pehle, baap se baat kar.”
Jawan is a soldier, a jailor, and a Robin Hood-style vigilante. His agenda is to expose the recent happenings with faulty systems and improve the lives of the common man. He tries to right the wrongs caused by - the Ministry of Agriculture with the sad plight of the suicidal farmers burdened by debt; - the Health Ministry and their insensitivity to provide government hospitals with infrastructure like simple oxygen cylinders and wrongful blaming the doctor for deaths instead of the real offenders; the faulty weapons in warfare due to underhand arms deals leading to loss of soldiers lives; political deals with billionaire businessmen; and such….All simultaneously with action adventures, high-speed chases, and hostage takeovers of the masked hero & his girl squad of avengers with guns and tech gadgets.
The big negative was the long list of wrongs to right sequenced to fit into one movie, cramming it a little. With the movie already stretched to 169 minutes, the transitions between each tragic flashback story and action-adventures to fix those wrongs were too quick that it lost out on making an emotional impact and meaningful connection.
But hopefully, if SRK’s fervent speech on democracy and the power of a single vote to help bring about a better tomorrow has influenced the audiences, it’s the biggest positive!
The director Atlee, did an excellent job of representing all Indian audiences, races, religions, and castes in his imagery from the north to the south to the east to west, showcasing the diversity of India. Though he is known for his blockbuster movies confronting social issues, in this agenda to expose the long list of events that have unfolded in India docu-drama style, he didn’t work his magic effectively in Jawan. Lacking the seamless blending of social messages, emotions, and action affected the movie’s entertainment value.
The South Indian Directors’ influence on the music and choreography is visible in the songs. ‘Challaya,’ ‘Not Ramaya Vastavaya,’ and ‘Zinda are good but not showstopping numbers.
While SRK in Jawan comes out sometimes as the vigilante Amitabh Bachchan of ‘Shehanshah,’ ‘Agneepath,’ and ‘Akhri Rashta,’ he pleases all audiences across the country by channeling even the South Indian superstar Rajnikanth and his iconic moves with cigar and stunts with motorcycles.
Shahrukh Khan proves himself as a feminist again in Jawan (besides in Pathan) when the women in the movie have an equal footing and show women empowerment. Deepika shines in the small role, while Nayantara also emerges as a strong character. However, Nayantara lacks the same romantic chemistry with SRK. His girl squad, like Charlie’s Angles with Sanya Malhotra, Priyamani, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, Girija Oak, and Lehar Khan, are outstanding, but their characters were a little underwritten due to excessive story jamming.
Vijay Sethupathi is a well-known South Indian actor, but maybe due to difficulty in adapting to the language or whatever reason, he doesn't have a strong villainous impact.
SRK, as the soldier, was outstanding and outshined the younger CGI’ed jailor SRK. But what is remarkable is not talking about his acting prowess but his courage to get off beyond the screen and play a ‘true real-life hero,’ exposing the wrongs in today's India.
