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 so Spooky Tale

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1920 London [2016]

Director: Tinu Dessai

Cast: Sherman Joshi & Meera Chopra

It's a big tragedy as to when the Bhatts would stop producing their Murder and 1920 Franchise as it's only getting worse with no sign of improvement.

Set in 1920, London ( as suggested by the title) a bewildered young woman faces the nightmare of her life when her husband is possessed by an evil spirit. She has to take help from her ex lover ( a Shepherd turned exorcist) who comes all the way from Rajasthan to London to help his first love.

The director fails in creating any chilling or spooky moments, the intended scary scenes end up appearing hilarious. Though certified "Strictly For Adults" this unintentional comedy can be viewed by a kindergarten kid. The Music is the weakest link except for the haunting Gumnaam remix. The special effects are of the cheapest standards, the only noteworthy aspect is the shocking twist at interval point.

Sad to see a gifted actor like Sherman Joshi playing an Exorcist in a B-Grade movie like this, he looks confused & unconvincing. Meera Chopra is beautiful and looks more like carbon copy of 90s sex symbol Mamta Kulkarni. Vishal Karwal has precious little to do expect flashing his dimples. Sushmita Mukherjee makes weird faces and keeps rolling her eyes. We also have a host of Zee Horror Show loyalists like Arun Bali, Gajendra Chauhan, Surender Pal and Siraj Mustafa appearing in inconsequential blink and miss cameos.

Absolutely no need to rewind back to 1920 as living in today's age it's foolish and orthodox to watch a movie promoting Black Magic & Exorcism. 🌟

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