Jawan is all about SRK as he shines in full glory amid a stellar ensemble cast

Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Deepika Padukone, Sanya Malhotra, Leher Khan, Sunil Grover, Priyamani, Riddhi Dogra

In a career spanning 30 years, Shah Rukh Khan has given his all in action, suspense, drama, and comedy blockbusters. It’s hard to imagine SRK’s already massive personality becoming bigger or his screen presence more daunting. However, he pulls that off in Jawan.

SRK glows like never before in Tamil movie director Atlee’s debut Hindi film. Jawan anchors on his big personality and stardom and pumps it up even more to make the entire movie about the star.

It doesn’t matter what his age is or whether his dialogues make any conversational sense, Jawan is an ode to SRK’s stardom and caters defiantly to his die-hard fans—for whom the movie comes as a neverending gift.

Atlee knows how to put Khan on a pedestal. He lets him have several entrances that may make a fan faint, glorifies his stunts with the help of six action directors, and lets him have calmer moments meant to come off as funny or romantic.

At its heart, Jawan is a commentary on India’s rising wealth disparity and crony capitalism that has led to unchecked industrial pollution, farmer suicides, and healthcare mismanagement.

In a Robinhood-esque style, SRK steals from the rich and gives it to the poor—all while dancing with hundreds of women. The film highlights the gravity of India’s economic strain and corruption and attempts to be a conversation starter for people to vote wisely, although the movie remains neutral and doesn’t brush with politics too much.

But does the story even matter here?

SRK is not just front-and-centre, but he is all the movie is about, even with a huge ensemble cast. He is portrayed as a mythic character who “is not in the mood to die” and can rouse up fans into a frenzy with just a close-up.

As SRK tries to be the hero disguised as an anti-hero, wanting to shake up the ‘system’ with his gang of Indian Charlie’s Angels, his villainy is not menacing and can come off as rather funny. He has acted better in earlier movies and doesn’t shy away from glycerine tears as it’s his stardom that shines brighter.

His looks, as always, are age-defying, but probably a little too much this time. He tries to be youthful but ends up reminding either of Michael Jackson or Madonna who also try to recapture their youth. Ironically, Shah Rukh Khan is 57 years old and still called “jawan”.

Then, there is the recurring problem of the huge age gap between the male and female leads. Both Nayanthara and Deepika Padukone are 20 years younger than SRK, and so is Riddhi Dogra, who essays the role of his guardian mother. Just because the actor doesn’t age doesn’t mean he’s not old. Questions will and need to be raised.

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From Sanya Malhotra to Leher Khan and Priyamani—the stellar line-up of female supporting roles gives flavour to the movie and helps put the spotlight on SRK. Nayanthara, too, gives her all in the rugged action sequences, while Padukone portrays a small yet pivotal role.

It’s the action sequences that stand out, all thanks to the team of six action directors—Spiro Razatos, Craig Macrae, Yannick Ben, Kecha Khamphakdee, Anl Arasu, and Sunil Rodrigues.

SRK has a Rambo-like presence when he takes out the gun or whips belts. Of course, no Indian action movie is complete without cars defying gravity, and Atlee ensured to flip a couple, at least. Even though Atlee is no Rohit Shetty, Jawan is not Fast & Furious either.

What really stands out are the VFX sequences. Indian cinema has really grown when it comes to graphics, and it shows. In Jawan, even the leopard looks real and menacing.

Also, Vijay Sethupathi really bites as a money-minded and vengeful businessman. He gets under your skin with his off-the-cuff orders to kill and his black-and-black view of the world. There are no shades in this antagonist.

In terms of production, Jawan creates mysterious and nearly mythical avatars for SRK—be it the prosthetic makeup that works well with his anti-hero image or the flashy, sometimes hardcore, costumes that go well with the thrill of the movie.

Though composer Anirudh Ravichander is attuned to the theme of the movie and understands the objective is to grandstand SRK, the score is pretty forgettable. In fact, the songs, other than Zinda Banda, where SRK grooves with a jail full of women, don’t really entertain or add to the story.

Overall, Jawan is a popcorn-munching thriller that plays almost entirely on SRK’s aura and massive stardom. While he may be narrating the same cliché story, Atlee’s direction puts him in a different light and stuns the viewers with his might and muscle. Jawan is a typical Bollywood movie that wants to entertain you no matter what and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Cinematically, the movie is average. However, it’s made for single-screen theatres that care more about escaping into SRK’s world. All said, the success of Bollywood movies is largely measured in terms of their selling point. Here, the selling point is SRK, and Jawan is a hit.

It wouldn’t work at all if not for SRK.

Rating: 2.5/5

(Feature image by Nihar Apte)