Jawan Review : Jaunty Joyride with Jumbo dose of SRK charm

Jawan (Action Thriller / 2023/ Cinema Release)

Writer /Director – Atlee

Cast – Shahrukh Khan , Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi , Sanya Malhotra, Deepika Padukone

SRK does it again after Pathaan and the whole nation is abuzz , only much stronger this time! 

Box Office is jingling ,fandoms are dancing or debating depending which side they are on, forums and social media platforms are bursting with reviews and predictions. Even Sameer Wankhede couldn’t stay aloof and had to jump in with a cryptic note. 

A lot is being deciphered from the social commentary of the film. The anti right wing are rubbing their hands with glee. Modi baiters are busy making weird comparisons to the name Kali. Audiences who are out of the circle of SRK’s  influence are smirking and rolling their eyes at the hullabuloo.

Now that’s what you call entertainment , Onscreen and Offscreen !

Jawan is unapologetically massy. It’s over the top. It’s loud. It’s rhetorical. It has a message. It has action. It has humour . It has melodrama with a fair amount of romance thrown in.  Most important of all, it has SRK.  

In other words, all the boxes of a masala entertainer have been ticked .

That does not mean that it is a perfect film without flaws. It has silly loopholes; scenes purposely meant to make you feel disconcerting ;cinematic liberties are aplenty ; Some aspects make me go “tch tch” and certainly not in pity; some aspects made me scratch my head wanting to ask Atlee “ why on earth? ”. 

But then what is important is that the audience could go in , have 3 hrs of fun, whistle , clap, dance and just be happy.

The fact is, to be able to love Jawan thoroughly, you would need to have true love for massy cinema, the indulgent love that implores you to take things in your stride.  Or else you need to love SRK enough , such that seeing him onscreen compensates for all the shortfalls of the film.

The deafening applause when he makes the killer entry off the cliff, or when he swings his metal belt, or when he strikes that arrow right through the bad guy, is so invigorating that this euphoria enough makes it worth your while. His goofy charms still draw whistles and smiles from audience. Whether you love the senior version of him  (whom I found more appealing ) or the junior version( who I found too prosthetic-y) , whether you love him or you don’t , no denying that he is called King for a reason.

The music is disappointingly sub par. The fact that romance and song sequences were all very abrupt didn’t help either. They are just about passable. But I guess if we are loving the songs, it has to be a lot to do with the star who is the face of it, no credit to the music for sure. Also , their make up department went over board with painting the faces where a little subtlety would have been better. Camera’s are getting better folks, go slow on the layers you paint and for Good’s sake see where the character is placed in the scene before going whole hog. 

Amongst the cast , besides King Khan of course, I found Nayanthara , the most impressive.

She looks fabulous and her screen presence has a gravitas.

And the least impressive was Vijay Sethupathi. Even at the risk of drawing flak, I must mention that his hindi delivery seems stressed and  his performance a tad monotonous ( part of the blame might go to Atlee but I found similar problem with his performance in Farzi). Also I feel he needs to be using a bit of physical agility in his body language. Don’t why he comes across as a bit stiff postured. Ouchh , here I catch the brickbats. 

Deepika makes a brief but emotionally impactful appearance. 

All the rest lend a fairly good support. But on the whole it’s an SRK vehicle through and through. He is the star. He runs it. 

The film’s story is pretty good. They have done a fair job with their special effects. The  action is impressive and is the highlight of the film. The action sequences are a joy to watch.The dialogues with the pun are entertaining.They have a message that is bound to strike a chord. The sub stories are sure to hit where it hurts. All this along with a double dose of SRK, makes for a good package over all. 

They keep you pretty much engrossed in a duration that can be considered lavish at 2hr50 min. 

Watch it or not ? Take your call depending upon the type of audience you are.

Score 3.5 / 5