Jawan (Hindi) When the TV serial “Fauji” came out in 1989 on Doordarshan, little did I know that this 23-year-old boy called Shah Rukh Khan, who portrayed the role of Commando Abhimanyu Rai with an immense boyish charm, would garner everyone’s attention and later on become one of the most beloved actors in India and, to an extent, the world. SRK was supposed to have been the second lead in “Fauji,” but the director, Lt. Col. Raj Kumar Kapoor, said in an interview that “the camera “loved him so much” that they had to change the script to prop up Khan as the lead.” He never lost that charm, all throughout his best and worst times as an actor and superstar. A gentleman of epic proportions, he is a persona Indians have always been proud of. That same year, he did another serial called Circus. But many don’t know that in 1989 he also made a guest appearance on the popular sitcom “Wagle Ki Duniya” as a spoilt brat, as well as in the 1992 miniseries “Idiot.”

 Over the years, he has entertained us with memorable characters. Though he signed for Hema Malini’s “Dil Aashna Hai,” some delays resulted in “Deewana” being his debut movie, for which he received the Filmfare Male Debut Award. Then onward, he went on to do many movies. as the most hated or feared villain in Baazigar, Darr, Anjaam, and some negative shades in Ram Jaane as well. as the most loved romantic hero in Deewana, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, DDLJ, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Yes Boss, Mohabbatein, Kal Ho Na Ho, Veer Zaara, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, and many others that had both romance and action like Karan Arjun, Koyla, Duplicate, etc. and some memorable characters and strong performances in Paheli, Swades, My Name is Khan, Chak De India, Dear Zindagi, etc. DDLJ bestowed upon him the title “King of Romance,” and people just wanted to watch SRK romancing on screen. Slowly, he earned another name: Badshah of Bollywood, or King of Bollywood. His fans aren’t just centered in India alone. They spread to many parts of the world, like Germany, the USA, France, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, almost all of the Middle East, Pakistan, etc. Fun fact: He is well known and even more popular than Tom Cruise in certain countries.

 SRK always maintained his stance that he preferred anti-hero roles, as traditional hero characters were boring and uninteresting. And he always wanted to do out-and-out action movies, right from the beginning of his career. He even wanted Aditya Chopra to give him an action movie back then, but instead he got DDLJ, and he was destined to swoon women all over the world. The shift to action wasn’t sudden. Most of his movies had little or some action in them, including Baazigar, Darr, Karan Arjun, Koyla, Duplicate, etc. Even DDLJ had an action scene towards the climax, and the idea to include that scene didn’t come from the director. It was SRK’s idea. As the years passed by, apart from a few action scenes in Don, Don 2, Fan, and Raaes, he never got to do an out-and-out mass action movie where he was the mass hero. Many of his contemporaries were doing it with South American remakes.

 After a few unsuccessful movies from around 2017, some of which I have enjoyed, he made his biggest comeback after a 3–4 year hiatus and lit the screens on fire with “Pathaan,” a slick spy action thriller by Sidharth Anand. Though the VFX didn’t do justice, the movie was a thrill ride. And the King was back with a bang! He needed it and little did we know that we needed it too! Pathaan went on to make 1000 crores plus at the box office!

 “Jawan,” the epic, entertaining action thriller helmed by Tamil director Atlee, hit the screens on September 7th. The movie is also the debut of Atlee in the Hindi film industry, as well as of the ever-popular South Indian music composer Anirudh. It’s an unstoppable force unleashed by Atlee on an unassuming audience, believing that they’ve seen it all. Have they? Well, it appears that they haven’t! Yes, the South Indians must have, for sure, but definitely not Bollywood. SRK proves once again why he is called the King of Bollywood.

 “Jawan” is quite an exciting and stylish film, with Shahrukh Khan delivering a superlatively engaging performance. It is equally hard-hitting and thought-provoking, with an abundance of over-the-top moments. The amalgamation of cultures has worked well, as Jawan packs a wallop! It has a strong emotional core. big and, at times, physics-defying Action extravaganzas, thrills, patriotism, amazingly shot song and dance sequences, grand set pieces, a superb blend of practical effects and VFX, a gripping storyline, and larger-than-life stars. All of which are a winning combination for Bollywood fans. It is everything popular Indian movies are made of. “Jawan” is on par with the spy thriller “Pathaan,” but with double the intensity and entertainment. Fans of SRK and the genre will have something amazing to look forward to, for sure! And judging by the way it’s performing, this was a sure-shot winner from the time Atlee thought about this story and decided to showcase SRK in a completely new avatar!

 There is no stopping SRK here, or rather “SRKs,” as there are two of them playing both father and son. The father is Captain Vikram Rathore, a commando in the Special Ops unit of the Indian Army who is a badass veteran, and the son is Azad, a jailer in a women’s prison in Mumbai. So one can say it’s double the fun, double the intensity, and double the mass! Atlee almost manages to use SRK’s character and star power to convey a lot of important political messages to the public, which is a trait he has been following for a long time. Influences from his guru, Director Sankar, can be seen as well. Hence the vigilante hero theme, which results in extreme mass entertainment with a forefinger pointing at the audience all throughout the runtime and a powerful finale monologue by SRK that deserves thought and applause. Basically, he tells us, “Ask Questions Before Voting!” It’s a WOW moment in the movie! reminds one of the Hollywood movie “V for Vendetta” and its messaging. SRK delivers an exceptional performance, looks dazzling on screen, and is in his element. Jawan rides on his capable and experienced shoulders, and hence he leaves a lasting impact in both roles. The movie has many whistle-worthy and captivating dialogues like “Jab main VILLAIN banta hun na toh mere saamne koi bhi HERO tik nahi sakta,” “Bete ko hath lagaane se pehle BAAP se baat kar,” “Panch ghante chalne wali mosquito coil ke liye kitne sawaal karte ho…lekin panch saal tak apni SARKAAR chunte waqt ek SAWAAL nahi karte, kuch nahi poochte,” etc. I won’t say more!

 We also have two amazing South Indian megastars gracing the screen. Nayanthara as Narmada, a no-nonsense cop who is also making her Bollywood debut, and Makkal Selvan (People’s Treasure) Vijay Sethupathi as the menacing villain Kalee also an extended, unforgettable cameo by Deepika Padukone.

 Nayanthara looked breathtaking in each frame, oozing charm and confidence as always, and she has amazing chemistry with SRK. They both looked great together on screen. Her jaw-dropping hand-to-hand combat scene with a masked SRK was mind-blowing. I have never seen her take so much action. and that too at this scale! I’m excited to see more of this new avatar. Her tagline justifies her character. “Ready or not, she’s got the glock!” My only criticism would be that she needed more screentime with SRK to cement that chemistry, which could make us more convinced of what transcends later on.

 Vijay Sethupathi, though menacing as I said before, brings grandeur with a funny bone that makes us chuckle at some of the most horrifying moments. I do not want to spoil some of his funny one-liners, which are gold!

 Deepika Padukone comes in at a crucial moment in the movie and leaves a lasting impression on the audience. She is beautiful as always, and she has an extended cameo with some superlative acting that tugs at the heartstrings and some great action as well. An akhada scene in the rain, wearing a red saree, and throwing SRK to the ground was awesome, to say the least.

 Sunil Grover, Priyamani, Sanya Malhotra, Ridhi Dogra, Lehar Khan, and Girija Oak were all competent in their respective roles, with Sanya as Dr. Eeeram getting some heartbreaking scenes to showcase how great an actor she is. Ridhi was cute as Kaveri Amma. Priyamani as Lakshmi was as good, and it was great to see her match steps with SRK in the Zinda Banda song. Something she did around 10 years ago with SRK in “Chennai Express” for the 1234 song Sunil Grover had a decent role as a cop, but I wish he was used more. His talent is yet to be explored to its maximum.

 The director, Atlee, is known for his commercial mass-produced movies with entertainment and messaging galore. Here he presents a new SRK: a class meets mass SRK. Atlee has co-written the script with S. Ramana Girivasan. Sumit Arora has contributed the dialogues. I never felt bored for even a second during the 2 hours and 45 minutes of runtime as Atlee masterfully spreads the right amount of masala throughout to satisfy the audience’s movie taste buds. The pure gold and adrenaline-rushing scenes of the movie were SRK’s intro scene (I didn’t care about the Moon Knight comparisons), the interval block, which could be the most massy scene ever, most of the action scenes, like the chase sequence, the prison sequence, and the climax monologue and action, where you get to see not one but two SRKs fighting the villain and his goons.

 Anirudh’s music and BGM elevate the movie and its scenes to another level. His collaboration with international star Rajakumari for the Jawan theme song, the Zinda Banda dance number, and the soothing romantic love track Chaleya with SRK and Nayanthara are all amazing. Chaleya is a favorite of mine now, and it’s a go-to when I feel low. I think Anirudh should do more movies in Bollywood, as his music is unique and instantly likable, and this one has been well received by all.

 The cinematography by GK Vishnu deserves a lot of praise, as every scene is beautiful to look at and has the power to lock and glue our eyes to the screen. Special effects are an important part of Jawan, and Red Chillies has done an astounding job in the VFX department. I would say 99% of the VFX were seamless, and some were on par with famous international movies that we have seen.

 Jawan’s action scenes are breathtaking. Right from the amazing gunfights and hand-to-hand combats to the heart-pounding chase scenes, they have all been choreographed excellently. Shah Rukh Khan is a sensation in the action scenes. He does it with so much style and commitment that one feels he is making up for what he missed all these years, and now he’s venting! Anal Arasu (Tamil), Spiro Razatos, Craig Macrae, Yannick Ben, Kecha Khamphakdee, and Sunil Rodrigues are the stunt directors. Spiro, Yannick, and Craig are Hollywood action choreographers.

 Jawan is a rollercoaster ride of entertainment. A high-octane action thriller with plenty to satisfy every moviegoer Yes, it has its negatives or “what did I just witness” scenes, but it has a whole lot of positives too. And for whatever “Wait! What!” we feel, Shah Rukh Khan single-handedly overtakes all that with one firm whiplash and gets us all pumped up again and again and again! SRK effortlessly dons all the characters that Atlee tailored for him, right from a commando to a jailer to a loving father to a hijacker to an aged veteran, thus proving again that the title of “King Khan” has been rightfully given to him. And it’s the badass father role of Vikram Rathore that is going to be loved by everyone!

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 I will leave you guys with SRK’s own words from the success meeting two days ago. He described the movie as an “emotion.” He said, “A lot is being said about Jawan, but for us, Jawan is a feeling that every Indian has.” Jawan is an emotion. Jawan is an Indian soldier, mother, girl, and vigilante, and you have to understand that Jawan is often very weak, as are all of us. Jawan is often wrong, but many times he is also very right. Jawan will sometimes live in the darkness, and sometimes he will be the one emanating the light. Every Indian who is upright is a Jawan. “Honestly, Jawan stands for goodness and love.”

 Catch Jawan at a theater near you. If you know exactly what you are getting into, then it’s going to be a blast. It’s Atlee’s Tamil style movie making elevated tenfolds for Bollywood but on a much larger scale and perfection. At the time of writing, Jawan has collected 736 crores at the worldwide box office and 400+ crores at the Indian Box-office! It seems Jawan is going to beat SRK’s own record-breaking movie Pathaan very soon! Which actually is another SRK vs SRK moment! Come fall in love with SRK all over again.