'Jawan': An Atlee-SRK masterclass on socio-political commentary in India
What's the story
Shah Rukh Khan, the quintessential romantic hero of the '90s has finally shed his chocolaty lover-boy image and transformed into this older jaded action hero!
With over three decades of experience and charisma, the actor has been reinvented by the adept Atlee in the recently released action thriller Jawan.
Let's dissect why this film's release has turned into a celebration across socio-economic strata.
Image
SRK creates impact by shedding 'the typical SRK' image
Whenever Khan has shed his typical image and mannerisms, he has made an indelible mark among people. From Swades to Chak De! India to My Name is Khan, the actor's most memorable roles are the ones where he has walked out of his own shadow.
In a politically erratic India, Atlee-Khan, thus, deliver a socio-political drama infused with commercial packaging of the highest order.
Trivia
Why is the angry young man genre making a return?
Jawan is reminiscent of the angry young man genre which saw its rise in the 1970s when India was embroiled in severe unemployment and socio-economic issues.
Since 2014, per CMIE, India's unemployment rate has risen from 5.44% (2014) to 7.95% (2023). The masses are connecting with anti-hero films (Pushpa, KGF) and deriving a certain sense of hope.
Atlee's directorial addresses many such socio-economic issues.
#1
Addressing the never-ending farmers' issues in India
India has been an agricultural country and from Lal Bahadur Shastri's "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" to the predominant rise of farmer suicides, the country's farming laws have not been amended in the needed way.
India saw the historic farmers' protests—an agitation against the then-proposed farming laws.
Jawan addresses farmers' issues from droughts to debts and sheds light on the disparity of banking laws.
#2
Healthcare: A vicious cycle of scams
Healthcare sector scams have been a prevalent issue in India. Over the years, several health-related disasters have occurred and the movie seeks accountability.
The movie's subplot is based on the 2017 Gorakhpur Hospital Tragedy and the oxygen cylinder crisis during the second wave of COVID-19.
Atlee points his fingers at the administrators and their inefficiency with his trademark mass masala!
#3
Crony capitalism: The root cause of all issues
The action thriller focuses on other important issues—defense scams, environment-unfriendly projects, and most importantly, crony capitalism.
The basis of all these problems is hyper-capitalism and how a few sets of businessmen are busy minting money as the majority faces the wrath.
The Khan starrer cheekily throws light on how a set of businessmen influence an entire country's governance.
Monologue
Channelizing Khan's pluralism values in the monologue
In real life, Khan's life choices can be said to be based on Nehruvian values of pluralism. The actor channelizes the same in the famous monologue in Jawan.
Khan's character urges the citizens to ask questions to the politicians and be assertive about their demands. He speaks about the importance of elections and how the right to vote should be properly exercised.
Reality
A brave choice of film by Khan
In a politically volatile India, where films have seen the wrath of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in the last decade, it takes a lot of courage to do one of the most political films just before the impending general elections in 2024.
Interestingly, Khan's character Azad is a metaphorical nod to freedom from wrongdoings in society.
Art
Mass and sass: Atlee projecting SRK 3.0 in new dimension
Jawan is a masterclass by Atlee on how a socio-political drama can reach out to the masses in the most entertaining way. A commercial packaging with a strong social commentary is the perfect blend of the two cinematic worlds.
As SRK 3.0 is about breaking the three-decade-old mold with each film, we as cinephiles can hope for the ultimate Marana Mass (The superstar swag!).