'Jawan' Movie Review

'Jawan' Movie Review

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Deepika Padukone, Priyamani, Sanya Malhotra, Sanjay Dutt and others.

Music: Anirudh Ravichander

Cinematography: GK Vishnu

Producer: Gauri Khan

Writer - Director: Atlee

King Khan Shah Rukh Khan has joined hands with a South director for the first time. He teamed up with Atlee who is known for his big scale commercial mass movies. The teaser and trailer took the hype to a whole new level. With a lot of big names involved in the film, the audience were hyped up for this movie. Let us dive into the review straight away to know more about 'Jawan'.

Story:

A metro train in Mumbai gets hijacked by six girls and their leader. They take thousands of crores from the father of a teenage girl who is on the train. The father is Kaali Gaikwad (Vijay Sethupati). The entire money is deposited into the accounts of farmers who are unable to pay the loans. It is learned that this Robinhood is none other than jailer Azad (Shah Rukh Khan) who uses the girls in his jail for his mission. Officer Narmada (Nayanthara) who is trying to catch this Robinhood finds out that he is none other than her husband Azad. Just when Kaali catches them two and tries to kill them, Vikram Rathod makes an entrance and saves them. Who is Vikram Rathod? What is his relationship with Azad? Why did Azad take up this mission? All these questions will be answered in the movie.

Analysis:

Tamil director Atlee never had a failure in his career. All the four films he has done till date were blockbusters. His debut film 'Raja Rani' is heavily inspired by 80's Mani Ratnam's 'Mouna Raagam'. His second film 'Theri' is a modern version of 'Baasha' but with a police officer. His next two films 'Mersal' and 'Bigil' are also a mix of many old movies. The influence of his guru Shankar is clearly seen when we see Atlee's emotional flashbacks. He is known for taking old stories and packaging them amazingly and catering it to the audience. He doesn't show anything new but he never bores you. He makes sure that there are ample mass moments and hero elevations that make the masses go crazy. Now Atlee made his way to Bollywood with 'Jawan' and he did not change his style at all. We remember a lot of old South movies while watching 'Jawan' but watching Shah Rukh Khan in such a commercial entertainer makes it very refreshing. With the right mix of hero elevations, high-octane action scenes and SRK mark entertainment, 'Jawan' turns out to be a paisa vasool film. You should not expect something new or unique from 'Jawan'.

The Robinhood story where the hero takes from the wealthy and distributes the money to the poor is something we have seen for ages. This formula has been made popular with Shankar's 'Gentleman' and South directors have squeezed the life out of it over the years. We see the same in 'Jawan'. Not just the story but the scenes and episodes look very familiar too. Just when you think that one scene is similar to a previous movie, another scene comes up and gives the same feeling. So, we tend to stop finding the similarities after a certain point and enjoy the adventures of the hero on the big screen. The hero is beaten to death but he is rescued by village people who treat him. When the villagers get attacked, the hero saves them and his face is revealed slowly as all the bandages get torn out. This is how the hero is introduced and we get an idea that this is going to be a complete formulaic commercial flick right at the beginning. The rest of the scenes run on a predictable note too but Atlee's strength lies in making the audience cheer even for such predictable scenes. The fast proceedings manage to keep the audience hooked.

When the hero gets caught by the villain, another Shah Rukh arrives and rescues him which leads to the interval. This is a point that was shown a thousand times in South Indian movies. But Atlee and Anirudh presented Shah Rukh Khan in such a way that his fans will go crazy in theatres during this scene. 'Jawan' can be enjoyed thoroughly if you stop expecting something new from the film and understand what to expect from it. While the first half had some interesting turns, the second is completely routine. But Atlee increased the action dose in the latter half which keeps the audience glued to the screens. They are the biggest highlights in the movie. Shah Rukh Khan is in his full glory and watching him like that itself is going to make the audience's ticket worth it. Especially, his acting as old SRK is just amazing. Sanjay Dutt's cameo works out well too and the duo of Shah Rukh and Sethupathi make the climax worth watching. There is nothing new in terms of story but it is nice to see SRK in a complete South Indian commercial style movie.

Performances:

Shah Rukh's fans will have a treat with 'Jawan' and it is another blockbuster performance from him after 'Pathaan'. There are more hero elevation scenes and brilliant action scenes in this movie compared to 'Pathaan'. Shah Rukh looks perfect in each and every look except for the clean-shaven one. He showcased brilliant variations and his mesmerizing screen presence is a delight to watch. His dialogues and mass action will not just please his fans but also the regular audience. Nayanthara is okay beside Shah Rukh but she delivered a good performance. Deepika Padukone leaves an impact within the limited time she has. Vijay Sethupathi's character is not as impactful as expected. But he showed his talent during the climax portions. He did his best in the eccentric role given to him. His look is decent. Sanjay Dutt's cameo is fine. Priyamani and Sanya Malhotra get less screen time but did well in their scenes. The rest are okay.

Technicians:

When the movie is full of hero elevations and action sequences, what more does Anirudh need? He excelled in the background score department. He elevated a lot of scenes with his music and took the movie to a whole new level. The English rap in the trailer was quite impactful in the movie. He is one of the major strengths of this movie as usual. GK Vishnu's cinematography is wonderful. The visuals are a treat to watch and the richness is seen in each and every frame. The production values are massive. Atlee did not experiment much and does what he knows best. He readied a script that is an amalgamation of many South Indian flicks and presented it wonderfully by catering to the star image and included some top-class action scenes. His screenplay is racy and his flashback works as always which helped in connecting with the story. He delivered what is expected from him and did not try to step out of his comfort zone. It is safe if you don't expect a lot of freshness from Atlee in 'Jawan'.

Verdict: Jawan – A Proper South Masala Film With Shah Rukh!

Rating: 2.75/5