After delivering the biggest hit of his storied career with the spy film Pathaan earlier this year, Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan is looking to cement his action hero status with the upcoming thriller Jawan. The mysterious new movie debuted a first trailer today, revealing the multiple looks that SRK will be seen in, and also teasing the stacked supporting cast. The film has been described as a “high-octane action thriller which outlines the emotional journey of a man who is set to rectify the wrongs in society.”
Jawan, at least at first glance, looks to combine the bombastic visuals of South Indian movies with the trademark charm that SRK has brought to his Bollywood blockbusters for over three decades. Little, however, is revealed about the plot. The trailer opens with an ominous voiceover, in which SRK’s mysterious character says in Hindi, “Who am I? What am I? I do not know… A promise made to a mother, or a purpose unfinished. Am I good, or bad; a blessing, or a curse? Ask yourself. Because I am you, for better or for worse.” The visuals that unfold against this voiceover suggest that SRK’s character, Jawan, was born in a prison, and later served in the police and the army, before seemingly going rogue and becoming a vigilante. We also see a horde of people stampeding through a subway station, wearing masks similar to the one Jawan is shown in later, which seems to suggest that the movie might be borrowing (at least in part) from Todd Phillips’ Joker.
Jawan, a title that is used to refer to soldiers in Hindi, is seen in at least three over-the-top get-ups. The first seems to be inspired by the villainous Safin, from the James Bond film No Time to Die; the second basically looks like a mummy wielding some kind of spear (or, more accurately, Moon Knight); and the third might actually be the most surprising of the bunch. It’s SRK wearing a bald cap on his head and a beard on his face. In between all this, we’re shown glimpses of a supporting cast that includes Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, and Deepika Padukone in a “special appearance.” The trailer also teases that Jawan is waging some kind of moralistic war, and is accompanied by an army of female soldiers. All of this, it should be pointed out, plays out with a thumping new original track composed by Anirudh Ravichander blasting in the background.
Image via Red Chillies Entertainment
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Is Jawan a Bollywood Movie?
Directed by Atlee, who is best known for his work in Tamil-language cinema, Jawan appears to be a melding of cultures and aesthetics. India has several regional language film industries that operate mostly independently of each other. SRK is a Bollywood star, who works predominantly in the Hindi-language film industry, which is based in the coastal city of Mumbai. Atlee works in the mainstream Tamil industry, which is based in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Last year’s smash hit film RRR, for instance, was a Telugu-language movie. Jawan can comfortably be defined as a “pan-Indian movie,” a label that is used for films designed to cross state boundaries. To this end, Jawan will be released in multiple languages across India, simultaneously.
SRK spent nearly five years on a sabbatical after his 2018 film Zero flopped both critically and commercially, but returned in grand fashion this year with Pathaan. Jawan was recently delayed from its original June release date and has now been pushed to September 7. SRK has one more release lined up for this year — hit-maker Rajkumar Hirani’s comedy-drama Dunki, which is set to be released during Christmastime.
You can watch the Jawan “prevue” here, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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