BOTTOM LINE
Regular, but Explosive!
OUR RATING
2.75/5
CENSOR
U/A, 2h 45m
What Is the Film About?
A masked man hijacks a metro train and puts forward a demand to the government. His wish is fulfilled by Kaali Gaikwad (Vijay Sethupathi). Narmada (Nayantara) is the officer in charge, and she tries to find the guy.
The same ransom incident is repeated, but Vikram Rathod’s (Shah Rukh Khan) name comes out in public a second time. Who is Vikram Rathod? What is his connection with Kaali? Did Narmada catch the guy and a few other subplots form the bigger story.
Performances
Shah Rukh Khan is in his element playing the two characters. He turned into an out-and-out messy action hero with Pathaan and continues the same form here.
The roles offer Shah Rukh Khan enough crowd-pleasing moments and dramatic scenes to make the masses cheer for him. The action is also done well, using his physicality to the best. Nothing is memorable here for him as an actor, but he delivers another fan-pleasing outing as a star.
Nayantara and Deepika Padukone are the female leads. Among the two, the former has more screen time and meat. Right from the first frame, she oozes confidence and is stylishly presented. In a couple of emotional scenes, she delivers as expected.
Deepika Padukone has a more minor, straightforward and predictable role. She covers those aspects with her magnificent screen presence. However, that’s it there to the part.
Analysis
Atlee directs Jawaan. The director has created a brand of sorts in the past few years with his grandly executed larger-than-life mass movies. Jawaan is no different from them in any way. It is like his usual Southern stuff but made for a Pan-Indian audience.
Atlee shows his extraordinary execution skills with the opening block itself. The hero introduction is terrific, displaying his prowess over emotion and visuals. It is sure to meet with ecstatic responses from fans, especially the Hindi audience who are not used to his style.
The hero introduction is followed by another excellent block that ends with an unexpected twist. Until now, things are fresh and exciting, with the director getting it right.
However, the place slackens when the personal thread and entertainment commences. It is okay variety and takes the narrative forward without harming much.
The good thing is the narrative stays strong. It is racy, which is both positive and negative. The pace doesn’t make one bored, but it also doesn’t allow one to connect emotionally to the proceedings.
The individual action blocks also give us a feeling of a movie within a movie. It is like a series of mini-movies packed together, with each tackling an issue from the system.
The whole thing leads to a highly predictable and entertaining interval block due to the massy vibe and background score.
The second half, unfortunately, takes a predictable route or appears more that way as all the cards are put out in the open.
What is left with during the second half are the vast cast and neatly planned action blocks. The presence of big names like Deepika Padukone, Priyamani, and others comes in handy here. Also, Vijay Sethupathi, who has been in the background in the first half, gets screentime.
The face-off of Vijay Sethupati with Shah Rukh Khan and mass moments from time to time keep things ticking despite the utter predictability story-wise. The lack of subtlety also forms an issue.
The climax featuring the payoff involving the protagonist and antagonist gets elevated due to Vijay Sethupathi’s timing. The whole thing ends on a satisfactory note despite the issues.
Overall, Jawaan is a typical Atlee-style larger-than-life action drama. An in-form star and villain and grandeur cover the routineness and make it a time pass watch. Watch it if you love mass movies.
Performances by Others Actors
The movie is filled with a vast and eclectic cast from the length and breadth of the Indian film industry. Vijay Sethupathi shines playing the antagonist Kaali. It is a routine role made entertaining due to the actor’s unique body language and mannerisms. However, it isn’t in the Vikram category.
The girl’s gang (Priyamani, Sanya Malhotra, Riddhi Dogra, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, Girija Oak, Lehar Khan, etc.) get equal footage and everyone does well in the emotional scenes. Sunil Grower is okay, whereas the rest are alright in small bits and pieces roles. Yogibabu, making a special appearance, does his usual and registers among the crowd.
Music and Other Departments?
Anirudh’s songs are okay. They aren’t the chartbuster variety and act as minor breaks in the narrative. The background score is better, especially the King Khan rap and Jawaan theme. However, even on this front, the rest of the work is okay, barring a few bits here and there.
Technically, the movie is super slick, with excellent cinematography by GK Vishnu. The editing is smooth, and there is hardly any lag despite the run time. The writing is okay for the mass outing.
Highlights?
Shah Rukh Khan In Mass Outing
Action Blocks
Vijay Sethupathi
Crowd-Pleasing Moments
Drawbacks?
Routine Story
Not Many Surprises
Predictability After A Point
Too Many Messages
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, For Mass Movie Lovers
Jawan Movie Review by M9
