Jawan Prevue First Thoughts: Shah Rukh Khan wears a bald cap and Deepika makes a special appearance
Months after his comeback Pathaan smashing box-office records, Shah Rukh Khan is back in his the official “prevue” of his other 2023 action flick Jawan. First of all, if you are wondering what a “prevue” is, it is just a fancy synonym for the word “preview”. So, the clip is just a good old preview teaser but with the French word that literally translates to “expected”.
Without giving away too much of the plot, the nearly 2-minute-long teaser boasts some spectacular action sequences that can be at par with Pathaan. As compared to Pathaan’s initial teasers and promos, Jawan is arguably less campy.
Shah Rukh wears a bald cap (and becomes mummified)
The production value seems top-notch, with some impressive car chase sequences and close combat scenes but it’s perhaps the makeup and hairstyling department that was low on budget. Just have a look at Shah Rukh’s bald cap towards the end of the clip.
Other than the notorious bald look, Khan is depicted as a bandage-wrapped figure as he fights in the dark. In another shot, he can also be seen wearing a mask covering half of his face, reminiscent of the depictions of Phantom of the Opera (or even the Tamil thriller Aparichit as some are pointing out online).
De-aging Shah Rukh Khan has become the norm in most of his recent movies and Jawan is no exception as some flashback sequences offer a glimpse of a younger Shah Rukh sans the battle scars.
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From Vijay Sethupathi to Deepika, who else is in Jawan?
Shah Rukh Khan’s name is introduced in big bold letters much like how a Ranjikanth feature starts off. Joining him is noted Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi who after a memorable Hindi debut in Prime Video’s Farzi, seems to be sinking his teeth into another tough guy role.
Jawan is clearly trying to appeal to a pan-Indian audience as Tamil-Telugu-Malayalam star Nayanthara also leads the star cast as a cop. South Indian actress Priyamani will also be a part of the cast, having previously shared screen space with Shah Rukh Khan for the Chennai Express song “1 2 3 4 Get on the Dance Floor”. Interestingly, Nayanthara was the initial choice to appear in this song.
Another Chennai Express star in Jawan is Shah Rukh’s frequent co-star and friend Deepika Padukone who is credited with a special appearance. Dressed in an ethnic outfit, she appears in a brief scene involving a mud-wrestling match in the rain.
Dangal star Sanya Malhotra who last appeared in Netflix’s Kathal also features in a few blink-and-miss moments. Her character seems like a hacker who is one of Shah Rukh’s hero’s allies.
What is Jawan about?
One of the initial frames also focuses on a newborn being raised inside a prison, in front of a multitude of inmates. This Lion King-style scene (or Shivagami holding a baby in Baahubali if you desire an Indian example) might indicate that Khan’s protagonist was born in jail. Again, if you want a Hindu mythology analogy, Lord Krishna was born in a jail.
As a younger Khan also walks among crowds of steel plate-clanging prisoners, it is also possible that he grew up in jail itself.
As the title hints at the lead’s military background, a few stills also point to his special-ops expertise. Much like Pathaan’s titular RAW operative, Jawan might have indulged in some high-profile military operations before turning into a one-man army.
The character’s moral greyness is hinted with a voiceover by the actor that describes him as both good and bad, leaving the decision to the viewers.
Who is directing Jawan?
Tamil director Atlee is venturing into Bollywood with Jawan. Having served as an assistant director on Rajinikanth’s sci-fi hit Enthiran (Robot in Hindi) and Nanban (the Tamil remake of 3 Idiots), Atlee began directing on his own in 2013 with the Nayanthara-led romantic comedy Raja Rani. He then went on to collaborate with Tamil superstar Vijay for three films: Theri, Mersal and Bigil.
An Anirudh Musical
Anirudh Ravichander is known primarily as a composer for Tamil films, having made his debut with Dhanush’s viral hit “Why This Kolaveri Di?”. Since then, Anirudh has been the first choice for many action hits including Kamal Haasan’s Vikram and Vijay’s Beast. His future projects include Rajinikanth’s Jailer and his full-fledged Hindi debut, Jawan.
As the norm in many Tamil movies goes, the entire film is described as a musical by the respective composer. So, when AR Rahman turned down Atlee’s offer to score Jawan, Anirudh got on board and now as the preview clip states, Jawan is “an Anirudh musical”.