The character Azad Rathore talks about asking questions to those who come for asking votes.
For almost a week, Shah Rukh Khan and all the keywords to his now-released movie Jawan were trending on top on most social media platforms, especially on Twitter. There were obvious reasons for this. After all, it”s Shah Rukh Khan, and there is no better marketer than him in the Indian film industry right now.
The actor, who returned to the screens after a four-year hiatus with his blockbuster spy thriller Pathaan, did nothing for his January release except for some #AskSRK sessions on Twitter. And you know how the Indian media reacts to such an event – all the media houses made headlines for each of the answers the superstar gave, and the media itself made sure that he got all the eyeballs.
In Jawan”s case, it was different. The action thriller, directed by the brilliant Tamil director Atlee, is his own home production, and he made sure that he got better attention and coverage before the release of the film. He visited Chennai and did a never-before-seen event that trended on Twitter for two days straight. In other words, the man who was on a mission like his character in the film, Vikram Rathore, confirmed the extra seat occupancy from Tamil Nadu, even though the film also stars Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, and Yogi Babu in its Tamil version.
Then he made a stop in Dubai as part of the trailer release. Not only that, he met his fans there, and as usual, his trailer was played on the Burj Khalifa, the world”s tallest skyscraper. He didn”t stop there; his next destination was Tirupati, where he went with his daughter Suhana and manager Puja Dadlani. On both occasions, the names Shah Rukh Khan and Jawan remained at the top of the social media trending lists.
Finally, the D-day has arrived, and the film is flying high with decent seat occupancy and record-breaking advance booking. It is expected to break the opening day collection record of any film in India.
From early morning, the hashtags Jawan, Jawan Review, Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Atlee, Vikram Rathore, and several others to the movie have been trending globally on Twitter. This is not surprising, as “King Khan” has one of the most committed fan followings in India. The many celebration videos that have been posted online are proof of this.
(Spoiler alert) One of the most discussed aspects of the film is the issues that it raises. In addition to the main plot of Vikram Rathore and Azad Rathore, the film also tells the stories of six women who are Azad Rathore”s associates. The main plot is about an arms dealer and how his misdeeds destroy the Rathore family. However, the subplots also discuss farmer distress, corruption in the health sector, and how the nexus of businessmen and politicians ruin people”s lives.
At the end of the film, after defeating the villain, Shah Rukh Khan delivers a monologue about the importance of voting and the need to elect candidates who are not prejudiced against caste, religion, or race. The character Azad Rathore talks about asking questions to those who come for asking votes. This monologue has been the subject of much discussion on social media, with some people connecting it to Shah Rukh Khan”s own political views. This is relevant, as the actor has had a complicated relationship with the political establishment in India.
A solid 2-3 minute monologue by King on the power of voting 🔥 he’s spoken for farmers, he’s spoken against so many injustices and against corrupt businessmen! And he’s given a warning too.. talk to the father before going for the kids #jawan
— Vivek (@ivivek_nambiar) September 7, 2023
Indian Express”s Shubhra Gupta has commented that “fashioned as an unabashed massy entertainer, ‘Jawan’ slips in strong political messaging at every opportunity, making it a film which is very much of the moment.”
“To this end”, Ms Gupta added, “‘Jawan’ has a veritable list of those hapless Indians that the ‘system’ has trampled upon: poverty-stricken farmers who commit suicide, the sick who die in badly-run government hospitals, the soldiers who lose their lives because of faulty guns — the citizens who are powerless and helpless because those in power are corrupt and venal.”
Hero of #Jawan played by @iamsrk is taking on corrupt politicians, one ministry at a time! There is a monologue on how imp it is to vote & ask questions to those who ask for your votes. Massy Masala film, there is way too much happening on the screen at all times. #JawanReview pic.twitter.com/IzLLCOtsnd
— Rohit Khilnani (@rohitkhilnani) September 7, 2023
NDTV”s Saibal Chatterjee”s take was a bit different on the underlying political messaging of the movie: “It speaks up on behalf of the masses and touches upon issues that matter to people at the mercy of the politically and economically powerful.”
“Without naming names or specifying real-life parallels, Jawan weighs in on crony capitalism, bad loans, farmer suicides, neglected government hospitals, malfunctioning military weapons, election fraud and the plight of a citizenry stripped of access to resources that are rightfully theirs,” he adds.
Jawan may just be @iamsrk’s biggest contribution not just to Indian Cinema, but India itself. He sets the tone for the social/ political discourse for the coming years and years to come while telling us a compelling, classic hero vs villain story with pan Indian masala. Go watch!
— Vaibhav Vishal (@ofnosurnamefame) September 7, 2023
Timeline”s Subhajit Banerjee connected the whole narrative to the way Tamil movies handle politics and political leaders in their commercial hits. “However, the crowd joining the vigilante hero and justifying his or her actions, as shown in Jawan, has been a major winning formula in several movies in Tamil Nadu, such as Indian, Annyan, Mudhalvan, Shivaji, Mersal, and Vaathi. When it comes to presentation, the Tamil film industry has never shied away from questioning the power centres in the country, and most times, they have done it better than Hollywood movies. Atlee’s cue in this is his own industry, which is daring when it comes to portraying politicians.”
#Jawan tbh, felt like a personal message from Shah Rukh Khan to the system.
The monologue particularly. I was not expecting this, but it was beyond expectations.
Conclusion for the ‘system’ & the electoral part remained a mystery.
Full-on entertainment! 🤯🔥 #JawanReview pic.twitter.com/aoOJ6kkQ53
— aboyob bhuyan (@aboyobbhuyan) September 7, 2023
It is the liberty of the audience to read in between the lines of what Shah Rukh Khan is trying to convey; but there is always a greater chance that the monologue can be interpreted to what the makers didn”t want to imply (or may be they believed in the script and delivered a perfect take on the system).
