In the late 1990s, somewhere inNortheast India, a man is thrown off a plane into a river. The man is found unconscious by a tribal group, whose leader takes him in and cares for him for several months. When the tribe is attacked, the man wakes up and saves them. He becomes the tribe'smessiah but is revealed to have lost his memory. A boy in the tribe promises that he will one day find out the man's identity.
Years later inMumbai, 2023, Azad, aIPS officer who is thejailer of Belamvada women's prison, hijacks aMumbai Metro train with a group of six inmates: Lakshmi, Eeram, Iskra, Kalki, Helana, and Janvi, holding the passengers hostage. When a police officer captures one of the group, Azad ties him up but doesn't hurt him. Azad also shoots a female hostage. He negotiates withForce One officer Narmada Rai to ask theAgriculture Minister to send₹40,000 crores in exchange for the hostages' lives. During this time, he narrates to a passenger named Alia the tragedy behind the suicide of Kalki's father, a poor farmer, who was harassed by the bank over his inability to pay loans to the hostages. Kalee Gaikwad, a global arms dealer, learns that Alia, who is his daughter, is one of the captives and agrees to fund the deal. Azad plans to donate the money toward the loan waiver of 7,00,000 impoverished farmers in the country. It is also revealed that the hostage shot was secretly one of hijackers and is not wounded at all. Azad and his gang transfer the funds into the farmers'bank accounts and escape. Through Alia, Azad reveals his name as Vikram Rathore to Kalee.
Narmada's daughter, Suchi, has been searching for a husband for her mother and is impressed by Azad, who lives with his adopted mother, retired jailer Kaveri Amma. Upon her daughter's request, Narmada meets Azad. After sharing their views and understanding each other, they get engaged, although Narmada is unaware of his alter ego.
Azad and his gang kidnap theHealth Minister and demand better infrastructure at a dilapidatedgovernment hospital in exchange for the Health Minister's life. Azad reveals that Eeram, who was a doctor at that hospital, demandedoxygen cylinders for children suffering fromEncephalitis, but was denied the supply due to negligence and corruption by theHealth Secretary, who is forced to reveal that Eeram was never at fault. The infrastructure is immediately upgraded and Azad and his gang escape again.
After they get married, Narmada discovers Azad's alter ego, and Kalee's brother Manish also uncovers this secret, leading to the couple being captured and tortured. Azad is rescued by the real Vikram Rathore, who turns out to be hisdoppelgänger. Narmada confronts Azad's accomplices in the prison by disguising herself as an inmate, where she learns about Azad and Vikram's connection.
Past:Captain Vikram Rathore, acommando in theSpecial Ops unit of theIndian Army, is sent in 1993 on an operation in which his team faced casualties caused by malfunctioning weaponry. Vikram and his team filed a complaint against Kalee, who is the supplier of the weapons. On the same night, Kalee attacked Vikram and his wife Aishwarya, separated them, and shot Vikram off a plane. Aishwarya is sentenced to death for killing three cops on Kalee's payroll, who were threatening her. Vikram is declared anational traitor. Aishwarya's execution was postponed for five years when it's discovered that she's pregnant, with Azad, on the gallows. When Azad turns five, in her final words to him, Aishwarya asks him to prove Vikram's innocence and provide justice to the oppressed. Unknown to the world, Vikram survived Kalee's attack and has been living with the North Eastern tribe, but lost his memory.
Present: Back in 2023, the police officer from the train hijacking is revealed to be Juju, the boy who promised Vikram that he would find out who he is and reunites Azad and Vikram. Narmada's subordinate Irani is revealed to be on Kalee's payroll and tries to kill Azad's accomplices; Lakshmi is killed in the crossfire. Azad arrives at the prison, kills Irani and steals Kalee's trucks, with his team, Vikram, and Vikram's friends. The trucks contain money that will be used to boost Kalee's political ambitions in the upcomingelections, but during the heist, Vikram and his friends are captured by Kalee's henchmen. Azad releases a video to the public and stated that he has also stolenvoting machines and demanded the sealing of 53 factories in the country responsible for air pollution andwater pollution. The factories are sealed by the government. Kalee arrives at the prison after finding out that Vikram and Azad are two different people and that he never killed Vikram. A fight ensues, and Vikram finally recovers his memory after hearing a gun malfunction. He and Azad fight together to defeat Kalee and his men. Finally, they hang Kalee to death like Aishwarya was once hanged, thus avenging the injustice caused to Vikram and Aishwarya.
During the post-credits scene,STF officer Madhavan Naik, who helped Azad in the completion of his missions, assigns him a new mission targetingSwiss banks.
In October 2019, it was reported thatShah Rukh Khan would collaborate withTamil film directorAtlee for his film afterZero (2018).[14]Harish Shankar, who was present at the promotion event forBigil, confirmed the collaboration between Atlee and Khan.[15] DuringCOVID-19 lockdown in India, Atlee narrated the story to Khan in 2020, throughZoom call.[16] In May 2021, it was reported that the filming would commence soon.[17] The film is produced byGauri Khan underRed Chillies Entertainment, while Gaurav Verma serves as a co-producer.[18] In September 2021, the film's title was speculated to beLion due to a permission letter from the film studio.[19] The company made a public announcement on 3 June 2022, confirming the project.[20] The film was made on a budget of₹300 crores.[21]
Atlee co-wrote the film's script along with S. Ramana Girivasan, in his fourth consecutive collaboration with the director.[22] Sumit Arora contributed the dialogues.[23] Atlee further retained most of his norm technicians including cinematographerG. K. Vishnu, editorRuben, art directorT. Muthuraj and stunt directorAnal Arasu.[24] Spiro Razatos,[25] Craig Macrae,[26] Yannick Ben,[27] Kecha Khamphakdee and Sunil Rodrigues were also hired as stunt directors.[28][29] Dance choreographers of the film includeFarah Khan,Vaibhavi Merchant,Shobi and Lalitha.[30]
Mukesh Chhabra was the casting director. Khan was reported to play a dual role, as father and son, and would be seen in six different looks.[31]Nayanthara was finalised as the female lead opposite Khan, thus marking herHindi cinema debut. Initially wasSamantha offered to be the female lead but declined the role.[32][33]Priyamani,Sunil Grover,Sanya Malhotra andYogi Babu later joined the cast. Reuniting with Khan after a decade, Babu last acted opposite Khan inChennai Express (2013);[34] however, he was only present in the Tamil version, while in the Hindi version, his role was played by Chhabra himself.[citation needed]Rana Daggubati was offered theantagonist role but declined citing health issues and thus the role went toVijay Sethupathi.[35]Deepika Padukone joined the cast in August 2022 inChennai to shoot her special appearance.[36] In September 2022,Vijay was reported to be making a cameo in the film,[37] but later Atlee denied the news clarifying that he himself was making a cameo.[38] In March 2023,Sanjay Dutt joined the cast to shoot for a cameo during an action scene.[39]Allu Arjun was approached to play a cameo but declined the role citing his commitments toPushpa 2 (2024)[40]
Principal photography commenced in September 2021 inPune.[41] Some scenes ofJawan were filmed at theSant Tukaram Nagar metro station in Pune from 30 August to 15 September 2021. The station also appeared in the film's poster where Khan appears to sit at the metro station.[42] It became the first film to be shot atPune Metro.[43] Additionally, a 135-foot dummy train was built and fabricated at a film studio inGoregaon where important train sequences were filmed.[44] Khan resumed the shoot in June 2022 inHyderabad.[45] Shah Rukh Khan and Nayanthara joined the 10–days shoot.[46] Nayanthara joined theMumbai schedule on 26 June 2022, after her marriage.[47] Some family sequences were shot during this schedule.[48]
In August, the next schedule started inChennai, where Deepika Padukone shot her cameo part. Later production moved toThiruporur, where some important sequences were shot.[49][50] Later Vijay Sethupathi joined the shoot. Some action sequences between Khan and Sethupathi were taken in this schedule.[51][52] The song "Zinda Banda" was shot during this schedule, in jail.[53] The song, which shot for 5 days included 1000 dancers, and was choreographed byShobi Paulraj. Shooting later took place inGurgaon andAhmedabad.[54] The song was also reshot for the Tamil version as "Vandha Edam".[55] A month-long Chennai schedule was wrapped on 7 October.[56][57]
Post-production for the film began in January 2023 and went on for six months as the film involves extensivecomputer graphics and visual effects.[68] Editing was handled byRuben.[69] The VFX work of the film is done byRed Chillies VFX.[70] Harry Hingorani served as thevisual effects supervisor with Keitan Yadav as the VFX producer of the film.[71] In April, the company hired visual effects technicians to the team.[72] Ken Metzker of Red Chillies Color did thecolouring for the film.[73] Kunal Rajan served as thesound designer.[74]
Deepa Venkat dubbed for Nayanthara for the Tamil and Telugu versions of the film.[75]Raveena Ravi dubbed for Deepika Padukone for the Tamil and Telugu versions of the film.[76]
Dr. Eeram, who is one of the key characters in the film, is inspired by real-life events and individuals.Dr. Kafeel Khan, who hails fromGorakhpur,Uttar Pradesh, serves as the inspiration for this character. Dr. Khan became widely known for his involvement in the2017 Gorakhpur hospital deaths. Dr. Khan was arrested and faced legal troubles related to the incident, which brought attention to systemic issues within the healthcare system. In the film, Dr. Eeram's character likely explores themes of medical ethics, responsibility, and the challenges faced by healthcare professionals.[83] The film also explores factors contributing tofarmers' suicides in India.[84]
A scene featuring Vikram Rathore and Kalee Gaikwad draws inspiration from theBofors scandal, which was a major political and financial controversy in India related to the purchase ofBofors Howitzer for theIndian army. The scandal revolved around allegations of corruption and kickbacks in the arms deal, which had a significant impact on Indian politics and defence procurement. In the film, this scene sheds light on issues of corruption, political intrigue, and the consequences of unethical decisions made in high-stakes situations. The character Kalee is referred to asAB Bofors, which likely signifies a symbolic representation of the scandal, emphasising the role of individuals and entities in larger scandals and controversies. Kalee's character serves as ametaphorical link to the scandal, exploring the themes of accountability, responsibility, and the impact of corruption in society.[85]
The soundtrack is composed byAnirudh Ravichander, working with Shah Rukh Khan and Atlee for the first time; this would also mark his debut as a solo composer in Bollywood, previously having composed a song forDavid and thebackground score forJersey.[86][87] Initially,A. R. Rahman was reportedly approached by Atlee to compose for the film.[88] Rahman subsequently declined the offer for reasons unknown, and Anirudh was chosen to compose for the film.[89] The music rights were bagged byT-Series for₹36 crore,[90] which was a record price for a Hindi album.[91]
The soundtrack consists of seven original songs composed by Anirudh, namely, "Zinda Banda", "Chaleya", "Not Ramaiya Vastavaiya", "Aararaari Raaro", "Jawan Title Track", "Faraatta" and "Chaleya" (Arabic). Lyrics are written byIrshad Kamil andKumaar.
On 3 June 2022, the film's title and release date were unveiled through a teaser video featuring Khan in a suspicious character, wounded and swathed in bandages, foreshadowing an intriguing tale of revenge.[92] Later the film got postponed and a new release date was announced through a motion poster released on 6 May 2023.[93] Ateaser trailer, titled "Jawan Prevue" was released on 10 July 2023.[94] It became the most watched Indian teaser in 24 hours with over 112 million views.[95] Subsequently, the teaser was attached to the prints ofMission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,Jailer andGadar 2 for theatrical screenings.[96][97]
In July 2023, when the song "Zinda Banda" was unveiled, the hook step, choreographed byShobi Paulraj and performed by Khan in the music video, quickly went viral, adding to the song's popularity and becoming a social media sensation.[98] Many people have recreated the hook step (signature step) by recording their own dance performances to the song and sharing these videos across social media platforms.[99]
As a part of the film's promotion, the marketing team designed the film's posters at theMumbai Metro andKolkata Metro.[100] The official merchandise ofJawan was launched by Fully Filmy on 25 August 2023.[101]
The official trailer of the film was unveiled on 31 August 2023.[104] On the same day, Khan arrived inDubai to celebrate the release of the trailer with the fans and showcased it on theBurj Khalifa.[105][106] Following the film's release,Google introduced an interactivedoodle dedicated to the film, allowing users to engage with and explore the film's theme in a creative and fun way.[107][108]
Jawan was theatrically released on 7 September 2023 in standard,IMAX,4DX and other premium formats inHindi along with dubbed versions ofTamil andTelugu languages.[109][110] Initially, the film was slated for release on 2 June 2023. However, in May 2023, it was reported that the film was delayed to August 2023.[111][112][113] Additionally, reports were indicating that the film might still be released on its originally scheduled date.[114] However, later it was confirmed that the film will release on 7 September 2023.[115]Jawan is the first Indian film to release in theIMAX Leonberg, the largest IMAX theatre in the world.[116] It is also the first Indian film to release inBangladesh on the same day as its worldwide release, just like in other major countries.[117]
Jawan premiered on over 10,000 screens worldwide, the highest for a Hindi film and one of the highest for an Indian film.[118] In India it released on over 5500 screens and 4500 screens in international markets.[119] InTamil Nadu it was reported to showcase on over 650 screens and inKerala version on over 350 screens, highest for a Hindi film in the regions.[120] The early morning shows, were held at 2:15 am across Bengal.[121]
Jawan set the record for the largest bookings in Hindi cinema, surpassing the record previously held by Khan's film,Pathaan, released earlier in the year. This record was achieved in both single-screen theatres and multiplex chains.[122] Booking sites of multiplex players crashed down due to high traffic.[123][124] The film was screened at the Himalayan Film Festival inLeh on 30 September 2023.[125] The film is scheduled to release inJapan on 29 November 2024.[126][127]
The overseas theatrical rights were sold toYash Raj Films.[134] Home Screen Entertainment bought theSingapore distribution rights of the film,[135] while Lighthouse Distribution acquired the distribution rights forSpain.[136] Action Cut Entertainment together with Rongdhonu Group distributed the film in Bangladesh.[137] Friday Entertainment distributed the film inFrance.[138]
Sethupathi, Khan, Atlee and Padukone (l-r) at an event, celebrating the box-office success of the film
As of 10 November 2023[update],Jawan has grossed over₹761.98 crore (US$90 million) in India and₹386.34 crore (US$46 million) in overseas for a worldwide total of over₹1,148.32 crore (US$140 million).[4]
On its first day of release, the film's Hindi versionnetted a record-breaking₹51.35 crore (US$6.1 million) in India, with a further₹24.05 crore (US$2.8 million) from its dubbed Tamil and Telugu versions, for a net total of₹75.4 crore (US$8.9 million).[143] Worldwide, all versions grossed₹131.5 crore (US$16 million) on the opening day.[4] It overtook Khan's previous releasePathaan to set several opening day records for a Hindi as well as an Indian film.[144] In Australia, it became the first Indian film to top the box office, earning AU$301k on its first day.[145] On its second day, the Hindi version netted₹45 crore in India for a total net collection of₹112.5 crore.[146] It became the first Hindi film to net over₹200 crore in 3 days domestically, overtakingPathaan.[147] It also became the fastest Hindi film to net over₹300 crore in 5 days in India.[148] It also became the first Hindi film to net over₹400 crore in 9 days,[149] and over₹500 crore net in 13 days domestically.[150] On the 17th day of its release, it became thehighest net grossing Hindi film in India crossing his ownPathaan.[151][152] On the 18th day of its release,Jawan became the sixth Indian film to gross over₹1000 crore worldwide and only the third Hindi film to do so, also the fastest Hindi film to do so.[153][154] It is also the highest grossing Hindi film in India.[155] It has become the highest 4th weekend grosser of all time.[156] It became the first Hindi film to net over₹600 crore in India.[157]
Outside India,Jawan's opening-weekend overseas gross totalled US$32.62 million. By 12 September, it collected US$8.64 million from theMiddle East andNorth Africa (MENA regions), and a further US$8.22 million from the UK and European markets.[158]Jawan become highest grossing Hindi film in South Indian market grossed a record over₹73.1 crore (US$8.6 million) broke the record Khan's own previous filmPathaan which was collect₹21.75 crore (US$2.6 million).[159] It has also become the only Hindi film to have crossed₹50 crore mark in its dubbed versions.[160] On 4 October, it became the first Indian film to gross over US$16 million at the Middle East box office.[161] FinallyJawan registered total 35.5 million + footfalls which is one of the highest in the history of Indian Cinema and second highest in Khan's career.[162]
Jawan received acclaim from critics who praised its cast performances, direction, action sequences, musical score, screenplay, and cinematography.[9][163] On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 89% of 38 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Packed with plot twists and breathtaking action,Jawan manages its convoluted plot and imposing length with high-octane panache."[164]
Sukanya Verma ofRediff.com gave 4/5 stars and commendedJawan's political storytelling, writing that it "boldly and directly points fingers at the ineffective government and appeals to recognise the power of the finger and vote".[165]Shubhra Gupta ofThe Indian Express gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote that the film delivered a timely political message despite being "fashioned as an unabashed massy entertainer".[166] Monika Rawal Kukreja ofHindustan Times termed it a "massy, meaningful actioner".[167] Nandini Ramnath ofScroll.in believed that the film worked primarily due to Khan, writing that his "screen image – expansive, suffused with love, heroic in an old-fashioned way without being aggressively macho, irreverent but also sincere – helps sell a conceit that might have crashed with any other actor".[168] Tushar Joshi ofIndia Today gave 3.5/5 stars and believed that Khan's performance and Atlee's direction had improved upon a typical,Robin Hood-esque story.[169]
Sonil Dedhia ofNews18 gave 4/5 stars and labelled it amasala film, adding that it is an "ambitious vigilante action thriller that plays to the gallery and lives up to the hype. Far-fetched in writing but high on star power and style".[170] Renuka Vyavahare ofThe Times of India gave 3.5/5 believed thatJawan had more of a story and purpose than Khan's previous releasePathaan.[171]Taran Adarsh ofBollywood Hungama awarded the film 4.5/5 stars and wrote "Jawan is a mass entertainer at its best with superlative performances, thrilling and clap worthy moments, larger-than-life action sequences, and a never-before-seen avatar of Shah Rukh Khan. At the box office, it will emerge as a blockbuster of epic proportions, setting new records and rewriting existing ones."[172] Devesh Sharma ofFilmfare gave 4/5 stars and noted that the action choreography was "on par with any high grade Hollywood film".[173]Saibal Chatterjee ofNDTV gave 3.5/5 stars and concluded, "Packed with all the ingredients that you would expect in a high-octane action film,Jawan is a strikingly meta vehicle in which a star communicates directly with his fan base and holds forth on themes that are crying out to be addressed."[174] Uday Bhatia ofMint Lounge termedJawan a "chaotic mess", writing that the film's story did not cohere despite Khan's best efforts.[175]
Internationally, Manjusha Radhakrishnan ofGulf News gave 3.5/5 stars and compared an ageing Khan toGeorge Clooney, praising the star power of Khan and Nayanthara and the chemistry between Khan and Padukone.[176] Mike McCahill ofThe Guardian gave 3/5 stars also commended Khan's star power and opined, "Jawan covers a lot of ground in surprising fashion at full throttle – but that's also a polite way of admitting it's utterly all over the place."[177] Proma Khosla ofIndieWire praised Atlee's work, Anirudh's music and acting performances of lead actors. She felt that the film "must be experienced on a massive screen with a massive crowd".[178] Alan Ng ofFilm Threat commented "Jawan is a reminder of what action movies used to be".[179] Pete Volk ofPolygon described the film as "Robin Hood meetsCharlie's Angels."[180] Simon Abrams ofRogerEbert stated, Khan "looks especially comfortable in undemanding musical numbers".[181]
It was reported that the film would have a sequel.[187][188] Owing to the film's success, Shah Rukh Khan asserted the possibility of the sequel.[189] During an interview withPinkvilla, Atlee officially confirmed that the film would indeed have a sequel and also revealed plans to create a spin-off film centered around the character of Vikram Rathore.[190][191] Later in September 2023, it was reported that Atlee had started work on the script for the sequel.[192]
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