Jawan - A Subpar Superhit
649 words, 4 minsJawan - probably SRK’s most anticipated movie and not for no reason. Any movie with Shah Rukh Khan is bound to be a hit film before it even releases. You could probably make a SRK film and spend almost nothing on marketing; just that name is enough to make your film a box office monster.
The teaser¹, released almost 1.5 years before the actual movie, did much to boost the excitement around the movie. Many claimed that it would finally break Bollywood’s streak of bad movies. Skip to release day, Jawan sweeps the box office, collecting 75 crore on the first day itself. In just 21 days, Jawan has become the 6th highest grossing Indian film².
I never believed that Jawan would be any different from the recent Bollywood movies - attempts at copying Hollywood and losing what made Bollywood different. So, it was with reluctance that I agreed to accompany my friend for a late night showing of Jawan. The theater was brimming with enthusiasm. The movie started. Every time Shah Rukh Khan appeared on the screen, he was greeted with whistles, cheers, and applause from the audience. The movie ended. I got out of the theater. I must accept, I was wrong. This movie was truly something revolutiona- I’m kidding. I’ve never walked out of a theater so dissatisfied. I was going in with extremely low expectations and Jawan still somehow found a way to disappoint me.
The entirety of the 2 hours and 45 minutes felt like a MrBeast video. The pacing of the movie was so fast that it was borderline demanding to keep up with the plot (not in a good way). It came across to me as if Atlee (the director) had too many ideas and wanted to include all of them in the movie. At one point in the movie, Azaad (SRK) meets Narmada (Nayanthara) and within 3 minutes, they’re getting engaged. This is a recurring theme throughout the movie. None of the ideas are ever given time to develop or form an impact on the audience. Not for one bit did I feel like the movie wanted to make a serious point.
Talking about points, let’s discuss the movie’s takeaway: question candidates before you vote for them. Let that sink in. A movie with a 36 million dollar budget couldn’t come up with a better message. And do you really need to send a message to the audience if all you’re aiming to do is make an action movie or a thriller? There’s enough movies who boldly embrace the fact that they’re action movies purely made to entertain. And if you decide you want to have a message, make sure it’s impactful.
Moving onto acting. The acting was only decent. And I don’t think the cast was at fault. They had one of the best actors in Bollywood. Shah Rukh’s acting ability was always amazing. His capacity to portray emotions is truly commendable. Just watch Swades or Kal Ho Naa Ho. If he wanted, he could make the country cry (which he has done, on countless occasions). The director had the opportunity to tap into such potential but just decided not to.
This movie summarizes the Hollywood-ification of Bollywood perfectly. In an attempt to copy Hollywood’s striking sets and thrilling action scenes, Bollywood is slowly losing the factor that made a Bollywood movie a Bollywood movie - the heartfelt emotions and plots. In place of these making movies with beautiful stories, they’ve decided to turn to make movies that feel like mindless action with a bit of illogical plot thrown in between. Accept the feel-good vibes of the old Bollywood era, it’s what differentiated Bollywood from others. I’d give anything for a new movie like Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi or Jab We Met or Hum Tum.
When the movies from the past few years have been terrible, even a mediocre film feels like a great one. And I think that’s exactly the case with Jawan.
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