Jawan: How SRK plays it like Rajinikanth in a South potboiler

Shah Rukh Khan’s bond with the South film industry goes back to the time master filmmaker Mani Ratnam gave him Dil Se in 1998. (The film completed 25 years this August) The actor played the role of a romantic lover yearning to win the heart of a mysterious girl, who remains elusive and out of reach for him.

The woman, played by Manisha Koirala, is battling her own demons, but Shah Rukh’s AIR reporter character is not about to give up on his love. The film was not a huge box-office hit, but it won critical acclaim, especially for Ratnam's attempts to give a sympathetic backstory to a terrorist, its music, and cinematography. And, Shah Rukh danced in step with a sinuous Malaika Arora on top of a train in one of his most popular dance numbers, 'Chaiya Chaiya'.

Decades later, after donning a lungi in a tongue-in-cheek fashion for Chennai Express and being accused of poking fun at South films, in action thriller Jawan, Shah Rukh seems to have given himself completely to director Atlee (known for blockbusters such as Mersal and Bigil). In the process, he has also fallen back on the South film industry to prop him up as a bankable action star, he so wants to be now. At the age of 57. And, what better than South cinema to create hoary, eyeball-popping, gravity-defying action sequences in slow motions to bring on whistles and hoots? 

To bring on also a larger-than-life figure on screen - a Baahubali.

Incidentally, in Jawan, there is a similar scene to the one in Baahubali, when a just-born baby (who grows up to be Shah Rukh) is lifted up with pride (like Simba) before a large group of women fighting against injustice. They look up at the baby, seeing him as a saviour. He grows up to be the 'invincible' Vikram Thakore, a vigilante, who is hell-bent on locking horns with a corrupt system. 

Like most South potboilers, Jawan too is full of over-the-top dramatic visuals with Shah Rukh, wrapped up like a mummy (yes,that is how this story unravels) framed against a lightning night sky pouncing on trigger-happy terrorists.

To give the Bollywood superstar (on a binge) his due, he doesn’t lose a hair while doing these action sequences. When he is poised mid-air, on top of vehicles, or attacking the bad guys with mean slasher weapons, he does it with aplomb, with a touch of savoir-faire. Almost as quick as Jackie Chan. But, what is the icing on the cake is Shah Rukh copying Rajinikanth-like iconic moves by popping a burning cigar into his mouth only to coolly bring it out without a twitch. Or, nonchalantly dropping the burning cigar stub into the fuel tank of a motorcycle and walking away.

But, what seals this as a South masala entertainer is the fact that Jawan is loaded with political messages. It deals with issues like farmer suicides and lack of critical oxygen cylinders in government hospitals, and Shah Rukh is the country's new messiah in the film. In just five hours, he holds the government to ransom to get them to stock up hospitals with much-needed infrastructure. You may be wonderstruck about the logic or lack of it, but in Jawan, it looks possible because the situation warrants it.

Yes, we see shades of Shankar’s 1999 flick Mudhalvan, when Arjun Sarja's character, a TV reporter, who becomes a Chief Minister for a day goes about bringing changes to the system in that one day. Or, the crafty vigilante in 'Indian'?

However, notably in Jawan, Shah Rukh gives a five-minute lecture to the Indian voter on the importance of being vigilant while voting. He urges them to ask questions before pressing the EVM button. It’s quite a heartfelt speech and had it been any other South actor, tongues would have been wagging about the actor's (political) intentions.

Wait, there is more emotional drama -- and political shades.

A farmer being tortured by a loan retriever leading to his suicide or a death row mother wresting a promise from her  five-year-old son born in jail to fight for justice ('KGF' overtones here) are all there in the film to whip up emotions. And, true to form, there’s this all-menacing antagonist, Vijay Sethupathy, a weapons dealer. His bizarre, strong-arm tactics include instantly bumping off victims with a red tablet. He strolls into a government officer’s house and kills him with his deadly red tablet, while he pops a blue tablet to calm his nerves.

The peculiar traits of villains in South films are usually meant to scare, but Sethupathi seemed meaner in Vikram Vedha. In Jawan, Sethupathi wearing shoddy wigs is nothing but an ineffective baddie. (due to the poor writing, of course).

With Shah Rukh opting to romance a South heroine, Nayanthara gets a downsized role than her male counterpart. She manages to shine in some action sequences but slowly fades into the background.

All aside, Shah Rukh brings on his quintessential, humorous one-liners in emotional moments and breaks into old Hindi songs that remind of Bollywood's 'Rahul, naam tho suna hoga' charming persona. And, Deepika Padukone, who appears in a longish cameo role, is engaging and adds the Bollywood style quotient.

Overall, Jawan is an all-out South potboiler, a jaunty ride for Shah Rukh to keep the box-office swaying to his steps...

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