Jawan

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It's been a hot minute since I last posted: senior year has hit me like a truck! Therefore, in the next few hours I'll be reviewing three movies. The first? Jawan. 

Jawan [2023]

Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupati

Directed by Atlee Khan

Language: Hindi


I definitely had my preconceptions before going into this movie: I have not been a fan of Shah Rukh Khan's recent work (Pathaan especially), and it was only until multiple people told me to give this a watch that I actually went to go see it. I'll say this much: I was definitely relieved when I finished watching this: I feel as if Shah Rukh Khan's charming self has finally come back (even if not by a lot). 

I'm not one for action movies, especially in a Bollywood context. I despised Race, and more recent ones have are glaringly discriminatory to minority groups in India in an age of rising political and social nationalism in the country. But something about the direction made it all work: Bollywood had a phase in the 1980s where a common trope was using the idea of the 'angry young man' fighting for social justice, and this movie brought that trope to the 21st century in an exhilarating way. And what tied it together? The direction. This movie was the north and south Indian crossover we all needed. Atlee Kumar did what south Indian directors do best: craft arguably the most compelling storylines together. 

This movie did definitely pack an emotional punch (a perfect complement to the general storyline about bringing social justice): this may be the first time I have legitimately cried during a Bollywood movie. And I don't cry often. 

This movie, to me, was a reimagination of what Indian cinema can be if facets from different domestic film industries decide to integrate. Bollywood has the name, the scale of operation, and the budget to deliver movies. However, the industry has stagnated as nepo-babies have dominated the scene, and audiences have started to enjoy very surface-level content. South Indian cinema, however, has fresh, young talent as a developing industry, and experimental directors unafraid to stray from the norm.

 These elements of both north and south Indian cinema put together are what made this movie work so well. 

Case and point: Nayanthara. Primarily a South Indian actress, she really shone in this movie, and made a name for herself on a larger scale. I found her style of acting far more fresh than those of Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone, who dominate the Hindi-language film industry. 

The music in this movie? I didn't hate it (which is a compliment considering some of the recent music coming from Bollywood). 

This movie is definitely a move in the right direction: action just continues to be a genre that I can't really appreciate - we all have our preferences, I guess. 


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