'80's - '90s Bollywood ka masalaUss par South cinema ka tadka. That sums up Shah Rukh Khan (SRK)'s latest blockbuster Jawan. In fact, it seems like a Tamil movie in which SRK tries to do a Rajinikanth!! No kidding ya, he even flips a cigarette to match the famous 'Thalaivar' swag. The end result is an over the top action drama, which entertains aplenty!! Truly, after the independence weekend blockbuster Gadar 2, which raked in some five hundred plus crores at the domestic box office, Jawan has all the ingredients to take it forward from here. It's massy. Its fun. Its pure unadulterated entertainment. There's also a social message thrown in through SRK's brilliant monologue where he directly converses with the audience... wow!! Admittedly, the plot is oft repeated and seen before type!! Without giving away spoilers, Jawan is a frothy mix of multiple masala movies rooted in the '90s. The vigilante against corruption angle is liberally borrowed from Kamal Haasan's Indian (1996) (Hindustani in Hindi) as well as Akshay Kumar's more recent Gabbar is Back (2015). There is also an added dash of Mammootty's Bollywood turnip called Dhartiputra (1993). In fact, the entire jail sequences of the mother (Deepika Padukone) and her infant son are a direct lift from this Iqbal Durrani directed disaster. Also, let me put those rumours of Jawan being a modern day remake of Amitabh Bachchan's Aakhree Raasta (1986) to rest. Nope, Aakhree Raasta it ain't!! Having said that, the mass masala works big time and makes for a satisfying watch even at close to three hours of run time. Inspite its evident South cinema hangover, the action and song choreography are imminently catchy. The production values are expectedly avant-garde. On the flipside, Anirudh's songs (except the 'Zinda Banda' number) don't meet the humongous expectations though his background score for most parts is striking. The cast deserves full marks. Nayanthara in her Bollywood debut, looks super gorgeous and conjures a great chemistry with SRK. Deepika Padukone leaves a mighty impression even in a special appearance. Sunil Grover is noteworthy. Vijay Sethupathi playing the main antagonist named Kaali, is simply super duper. Note his scene with Deepika in jail. Awesome!! Finally, Jawan is an out and out SRK film and the Bollywood superstar sinks his teeth in to the dual role emerging the clear winner. Donning multiple avatars and juggling between a complex father and son character, he is just outstanding. From the TV series Fauji (1989) to Jawan, SRK has indeed come full circle as an actor and a self made superstar. The last decade was harsh on him mainly due to his choice of films. With Pathaan and now Jawaan, it is safe to say that SRK is back and here to stay. I betcha!! Ratings on some key aspects* : 1. Acting : 5/5 (SRK)2. Direction : 3.5/53. Music : 2.5/5 4. Story, Screenplay and Dialogue : 3/55. Cinematography : 4/56. Editing : 4/5 7. Costume Design : 4/58. Special Effects and VFX : 4/59. Action : 4.5/510. Production Quality : 4.5/5 #SNRating for #Jawan : 3 & 1/2 stars out of 5. - Sumeet Nadkarni * - The overall film rating is not a simple average of all ratings on key aspects but a weighted average of the ratings where some crucial aspects (like direction, acting, story and screenplay etc) are assigned more weightage than others. #Jawan #ActionThriller #HindiMovie #BollywoodFilm #SRK #Atlee #Nayanthara #DeepikaPadukone #VijaySethupathi #BollywoodReview #Filmreview #TheatricalRelease #OTTRelease #Netflix #SNRatings #SNRatings barometer:1 star = Poor1 & 1/2 star = Below average/ Avoidable2 stars = Average2 & 1/2 stars = Above average/ Risk it3 stars = Good enough/ Watchable 3 & 1/2 stars = Definitely worth a theatrical watch4 stars = Very good5 stars = Masterpiece/ Outstanding.
