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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Trouble in the Middle East: Dishoom

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Dishoom (2016)

"Dishoom" is yet another comedy meets action meets thriller drama which heads nowhere and relies entirely on Style and zero Substance!

Directed by: Rohit Dhawan

Cast: Varun Dhawan, John Abraham, Akshaye Khanna, Jacqueline Fernandes, Tarun Chopra, Vijay Raaz, Rahul Dev, Saqeeb Salim, Mona Ambegaonkar, Nargis Fakhri, Rashmi Nigam.

There is super trouble "somewhere in the Middle East" when an Indian Cricket Player(Saqeeb Salim) is kidnapped hours before a highly publicised and eagerly awaited match between India and Pakistan. India sends a no nonsense attitude tough Cop ( Abraham) who is joined by an over enthusiastic funny Cop  (Dhawan) there so that he can assist in cracking the mystery. Throughout the chase the Cop Buddies meet various characters that keep popping like pop corns and giving leads.

Rohit Dhawan who has earlier directed the Comedy Desi Boyz is totally directionless in this venture "Dishoom" which starts off as a serious kidnap drama and later mercilessly follows a tried and tested action comedy formula. In fact the camaraderie between the lead actors is very similar to Akshay Kumar & Saif Ali Khan from their 90s forgotten flicks like Main Khiladi Tu Anari & Tu Chor Main Sipahee. The director relies completely on style and fails to add any substance. The action sequences in "Dishoom" are impressive but can't salvage a sinking ship like this that easily.

On the acting front baby brother Varun Dhawan gets the best role and some funny one liners. To give him due credit he does a fantastic job and proves he's got the funny bone shining in him. John Abraham is wooden and emotionless & disappoints with his grump and tasteless acting. Poor Jacqueline Fernandes is wasted and has to only swoon over the lead actor and appear sexy and desirable.

Tarun Chopra and Saqeeb Salim are good in their small yet important roles. It's surprising to watch Akshaye Khanna return to Bollywood after a 5 year mysterious sabbatical and this time minus the corny wig & pretentious attitude. Khanna lacks the menacing look that is required for his cold blooded character, though he does look sincere in his attempts to portray the grey shades on screen yet there is something amiss. Rahul Dev has a poorly characterised henchman to play and he looks disinterested. Glamorous Nargis Fakhri plays the Dumb Bimbette yet again and will soon be honored with a Masters Degree in her act of pouting and appearing Hare brained to perfection.

Inspite of so many artistes and several cameos it's Akshay Kumar who  adds Grace & hilarity to his special appearance in "Dishoom" with "gay" abandon.

The Music of "Dishoom" is passable and thankfully the item number featuring a completely malnourished and wager thin Parineeti Chopra appears right at the end and you can easily skip it.

Overall the movie "Dishoom" does have its finer upper selling points like the edge of the seat chase sequences which range from deserts to highways and even in the air. The climax sequence shot on a helicopter chasing the villain in his car is quite well sequenced. But ultimately the director who's the captain of the ship fails to hold all the strings together.

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