JAWAAN (2023) : review

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And finally the much hyped, much awaited Jawaan saw light of the day ! Big stars, big budget( humongous budget actually), big music composer, everything super large. But does it meet the expectations of the average viewer? No it goes not. Read on.  A decorated jawan locks horns with a criminal called Kaali, this is in 1986 ( the year movies like Aakhri Raasta released, just for reference). Kaali gets him eliminated and send the pregnant wife to jail. The baby born in jail grows up to become the hero (look alike of the father) and decides to avenge the misdeeds done to his innocent patriotic parents. Well, isn’t it a masaaledaar full on Bollywood- Tollywood drama subject ?  And then the director Atlee also borrows ideas and references from various retro movies, some idea from Sholay (1975) as the hero assembled a gang of jailed Qaidis in order to form a team to nab the villain, then there’s an entire episode borrowed from Dhartiputra (1993), and the basic theme is copy pasted ...
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Not exactly a Sixer!

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AZHAR (2016)
Directed by: Tony D'souza

Cast: Emran Hashmi, Lara Dutta & Kunal Roy Kapur

This decade has seen quite a few biographies on screen ( Milkha Singh, Mary Com etc) which have been applauded by viewers and critics alike, this Balaji Pictures presentation chronicles the rise & fall of former Indian Cricket Captain Muhammed Azharuddin.

Born & raised in Hyderabad, India a small town boy reaches the zenith of success and popularity in the field of cricket & eventually gets entangled in a Web of controversies ranging from the infamous match fixing incident to a scandalous extra marital affair with a starlet. The movie is nothing more than a desperate attempt to prove the protagonist's innocence.

Director D'souza builds up an interesting factual series of events but it is the unbelievably fictional climax that leaves you dissatisfied. Music by Amaal Mallik is soothing & melodious.

Emran Hashmi plays a role of a lifetime & looks suitable for the part but isn't convincing on the field where he looks more like an actor posing with the bat. It is Kunal Roy Kapur hitting a sixer with his impressive performance as Azhar's lawyer, he is excellent in the Court room scenes (the dialogues are a top score). Senior actress Lara Dutta provides able support to Kapur with her balancing act as the opposing Lawyer.

Gautam Gulati reprising Ravi Shastri looks over dramatic, and Varun Badola is miscast as Kapil Dev. Manjot Singh looks most authentic playing the highly energetic Navjyot Singh Siddhu. Prachi Desai gets to cry a bucketful of tears. It must be a cakewalk for Nargis Fakhri to play yesteryear actress Sangeeta Bijlani as they have two traits in common- Zero acting talent & zilch expressions on their pretty faces. There are a host of character artists but only Kulbhushan Kharbanda stands out in a poignant and noticeable cameo.

Rajesh Sharma/ Rajit Kapur/ Shernaz Patel/ Shweta Kwatra/ Virender Saxena are wasted.

Overall the Director has managed to create an authentic and realistic cinematic presentation of a successful and popular Sportsman who got doomed into conspiracy and controversy, unfortunately the Climax fails the Director's not so sincere attempts.
🌟🌟

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