Minor spoilers ahead
Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide, death and violence
He finally came through in 2023. The man of the moment, the enigma himself – Shahrukh Khan. With an initial blockbuster that shook the Twitter #boycott gang, Shahrukh Khan’s recent release ‘Jawan,’ is as much a film with a big heart as the superstar himself. Let me set the record straight, this is not a review. Think of this as an essay where I appreciate the man himself and give you my two cents on the politics surrounding this film.
Directed by Atlee, ‘Jawan’ is your run of the mill Bollywood movie made on an altar of emotion, melodrama, action and comedy. The movie demands the audience to worship the hero. It’s like a cinematic pilgrimage where you’re expected to laud Shahrukh Khan on and off screen. We are fed patriotism along with anti-establishment commentary. The movie’s commentary is like that ever-present schoolteacher who just won’t quit, but surprisingly, it’s the one lecture you can’t help but enjoy! The general consensus around the film is that Sharukh Khan speaks. And speak he does.
The Vigilante Bollywood Hero of the 80s: Shahrukh Khan in ‘Jawan’
The movie with a runtime of 2 hours 45 minutes, packs in quite a punch to the apathy of the masses. Think of it as a guttural kick that demands you to wake up. Much like many of us, Shahrukh in the movie is frustrated, angry and ready to change the world. The words “system,” “corruption,” “nagrik” are sprinkled generously.
Shahrukh is the Robin Hood for the oppressed. He is a ‘terrorist’ who is hell bent on correcting the wrongs that the institution has perpetrated for aeons. The movie starts off with his impassioned demand for the rights of farmers and gradually touches upon aspects of oxygen cylinders, exploitation by industrialists and even the Bhopal gas tragedy.
Shahrukh is the Bollywood hero of the 80s. He is desirable but furious. He is funny but violent and even has a secret second life. Reminiscent of Bachchan sahab from ‘Zanjeer’ and ‘Deewar,’ the hero is a vigilante with his army of women fighting for justice. But don’t get me wrong. The film is not extraordinary. It is not something that has never been done before and also falls back on overused tropes and conventional storylines.
Grit, Gore And Exploitation?
In fact I found the cinematography exploitative with a heavy focus on violence for the sake of violence. I am a sucker for gore, but ‘Jawan’ travels an extra mile to shove tragedy down our throats. Farmer suicides are shown in close up shots, children gasping for breath and dying horrifying deaths are focused on for uncomfortably long minutes and disasters are milked to get a reaction out of the audience.
I don’t have a problem with movies making me uncomfortable. I loved ‘Requiem For A Dream’ which spoke beautifully about the harrowing impacts of addiction. I appreciate movies like ‘The Pianist’ which show the aftermath of massacres. But I do not want to witness gratuitous violence on screen because it shocks the audience. ‘Jawan’ relies heavily on the latter to get its point across. Well, rest assured, the audience didn’t miss the memo on that one!
Towards the end of the movie Shahrukh says “Bete ko hath lagane se pehle, baap se baat kar.” The theatre erupts in cheers, laughter, smiles and tears.
We are smart enough to draw the logical connection with Aryan Khan’s case and are happy to support our beloved superstar when he slaps the institution with this dialogue. But bear with me on this. Shahrukh in the movie becomes a mouthpiece for not just us activists in Delhi NCR but also for the domestic workers who walk in smiling and tell us how much they loved ‘Jawan.’
The movie feels cathartic for all of us fed up with the system. We are elated to see the King of Bollywood scream on our behalf when no one around us does so much as speak. In YouTube videos we see the audience find a glimmer of hope and acceptance on screen. They cheer for Shahrukh Khan but they also cheer for their own story being told to everyone. And to be honest so do I.
Don’t get me wrong, I know he is no revolutionary. I know Shahrukh is as much part of the problem with his congratulatory G20 tweets. He will continue to pose with the Prime Minister and be complacent in the large scale oppression that plagues the country. But I love him for what he did for me and millions of others on screen.
But What’s With the Social and Political Chatter
His guerilla warfare is celebrated where the institution is quick to throw tear gas against protestors on the street. The movie portrays an India that ‘Rang De Basanti’ set the stage for. As Shireen Azam rightfully points out, the movie even turns the table on what the ‘aam aadmi’ looks like. She writes, “The humanity of the metro compartment is invoked by a woman in burqa.” And I appreciate Atlee and Shahrukh for doing that.
I appreciate them for making a mainstream movie about rebelling against the oppressor. And I sincerely thank them for making Malcolm X massy with the general message of the movie being “We want justice by any means necessary.”
But their activism ends with ‘Not Ramaiya Vastavaiya.’ The credits roll and we are back to a world where Shahrukh will once again pose with the Prime Minister and not say a word about CAA-NRC. I also don’t think it’s wrong for us to expect more from him but we should know our hope-fuelled train will lead to nowhere.
When the Credits Roll, Shahrukh Khan’s Activism Takes a Coffee Break
Shahrukh Khan is not an activist. Atlee is not a revolutionary hero and Nayanthara or Deepika Padukone are not going to join the protests on the streets. In fact this irony is blatant in the movie’s product placement. Shahrukh Khan in the metro sermonises us about how banks give a lesser interest rate to a Mercedes buyer than a farmer who wants to buy a tractor. In the background we see an advertisement for Muthoot gold loan.
And most of us know that Shahrukh is not the real life hero we want him to be. But I am also content seeing him be that hero on screen. Towards the beginning of the movie he hijacks a metro full of people and shoots someone dead. After the negotiations are over and the money is transferred he asks, “Taaliya?” But no one claps.
Then, with a sly smirk, he reveals that the woman isn’t quite as dead as we thought and quips, “Ab toh banti hai taailya.” And the taaliya come from those in the metro as well as those sitting in the theatre. These taaliya strike a chord with the masses, signifying their embrace of his battle against the system. The very same mass which was fed narratives of the tukde tukde gang and told protestors from JNU are violent accept this defiance. And for that, I am grateful to Shahrukh Khan and Atlee.
The movie concludes with Shahrukh telling us to ask questions. Questions to the government in power and those we hope to elect. It is so preachy but I will only accept Shahrukh Khan as my preacher. I will continue to demand the release of political prisoners and take part in community care and collective action.
Yet, my admiration for a man who spoke for us, even if it was through a movie, remains unwavering. I appreciate the noise ‘Jawan’ made and I do not begrudge Shahrukh for not doing more. I begrudge institutions and my fight will continue to be anti-establishment. But I also want these intervals where rebellion is made cool through a man whose heart strings are intrinsically connected to ours.