It’s a blend that has worked to the financial advantage of the people who have made and bankrolled films like Allu Arjun’s Pushpa and Kamal Hassan’s Vikram.
Sign up a mega star but don’t rely solely on him. Add on a few more thrillers with star value. Vijay Sethupathi and Nayanthara work well for the Tamil and Telugu belts. But Deepika Padukone and Sanjay Dutt in brief cameos perk up the hardcore Hindi film audience.
With star power on board, Atlee who writes and directs, gets the southern masala right for the box-office booster. Action, emotion, a helping of humour and much song and dance.
Peel off and cast aside Hindi cinema’s tendency to take itself seriously with films that must come across as erudite celluloid discussions.
Atlee and SRK, with Sumit Arora and Ramanagirivasan co-manning the writing department, have no such pretenses. The vigilantism of desh bhakti works well, thank you. Make a film massy, go home Richie.
A man is found near the Bharat border, the tribe uses its herbs and cures, prayers and care. But when aggressors come on horses to slaughter the village, the stranger wakes up just in time to be a one-bandage army. Village saved, the bandages come off. What an entry for Shah Rukh Khan as Vikram Rathod, the patriotic captain who turns vigilante with his own band of girls to support his mission.
Action is delivered right from the start and it is non-stop. Making no claims to high-tech lingo or intellectual computer manipulations, Atlee’s action choreographers keep it earthy. Jumps, jabs, bullets and stabs connect and cater to a wider spectrum of viewers. A few punches at the government give an additional kick to the mix.
Without the uniform, the captain is a menace who also amuses. As hijacker, he’s the one who breaks into ‘Bekaraar karke hume…’ on the local train. And he’s all heart.
Soon, Atlee introduces police negotiator Narmada (Nayanthara) and jailer Azad (also played by SRK, this time without a surname).
Farmers’ loans, pathetic public hospitals and defective weapons supply to the army, are all on the agenda. But fighting a system needs a villain in flesh and blood who arrives as wicked Kaali Gaekwad (Vijay Sethupathi). A businessman who’ll murder an unobliging officer before his family while menacingly holding his infant. The devil incarnate who’ll strike any deal that subverts the country, even change the government if need be. A man so unpleasant, he delights in graphically describing to a woman just how she’s going to be hanged.
Emotions come with a flashback and the connection between Rathod and Azad brings in more bonds, leading to the winning line, “Bete ko haath lagane se pehle, baap se baat kar.”
Atlee makes a fleeting effort to appreciate women power with Rathod’s all-girl gang of Robin Hoods, a bit of feistiness from Aishwarya (Deepika Padukone in a flashback) and a single mother who has opted for baby over abortion and a man in her life. But they remain on the sidelines with Narmada showing no particular skills as a negotiator.
It is the father-son team of Rathod and Azad who do all the heavy lifting, throwing testosterone all over and dancing to Anirudh Ravichander’s album of songs – ‘Chaleya’, ‘Zinda banda’, ‘Faraatta’ et al and ‘Ramaiya Vastavaiya’ that combines ‘Chaiyya chhaiya’ with ‘Tha tha thaiya’ in the rolling credits.
Compliments to SRK for moving into south territory so effectively and owning it so effortlessly, the suaveness of a James Bondish introduction never at odds with the actions of a vigilante.
Since we’ve seen Vijay Sethupathi slay a slew of roles down south, Kaali is only about menace. And it’s a strange character – a surname from Maharashtra, an accent from the south, a penchant for calling himself “Santa” and spouting “gol gappa” for no reason.
With little to do, good names like Priyamani and Sanya Malhotra are wasted as members of Rathod’s female workforce.
Atlee is audience-friendly enough to provide the viewer with slots for short naps. Since the high-energy songs in this ‘Anirudh musical’ have temporary dance value and don’t contribute to the narration, catch twenty winks and nothing would be missed. Another sleep-inducer is the long, preachy lecture by Rathod on how to use your finger wisely – he means vote cautiously, of course. It may have been designed to be the descendant of SRK’s dressing room address in Chak De! India but the ancestor is still sterling.
So, is Jawan good cinema? Not by a long chalk. Is it a good entertainer? It is, most of the way. And as long as Shah Rukh has his star charisma, he’ll power the box-office effectively, as demanded by a Rs 300 crore budget.
Rating: 3/5
Watch Jawan Trailer: