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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Back in time: Mohenjodaro

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Mohenjo Daro  [2016]

Travel back in time with Ashutosh Gowarikar's latest period drama Mohenjo Daro that boasts of a huge budget & stellar star cast.

Directed by: Ashutosh Gowarikar

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pooja Hegde, Kabir Bedi, Nitish Bharadwaj, Arunoday Singh, Manish Chaudhari, Sharad Kelkar, Narendra Jha, Suhasini Mulay, Kishori Shahane, Jividha Sharma, Digant Hazarika.

Mohenjo Daro is set in 2016 B.C. [ no pun intended] in the Indus Valley Civilization where a small time farmer from a farming village visits the endearing and populated big city Mohenjo Daro & falls hopelessly in love with a Priest's beautiful daughter, this liaison sparks enmity with the influential Doyen of the city & his son who is engaged with the girl. Rest of the film is about some past secrets revealed & how the ambitious protagonist challenges & eventually dethrons the evil villain from his dominating position.

Gowarikar is obsessed with period dramas and has a special liking for History. Then he tries to glamorise the same & the final presentation can either be supremely likeable [ Lagaan & Jodha Akbar] or dismissed as trash[ What's your Raashee & Kheley Hum Jee Jaan Se]. Mohenjo Daro is a "big" film considering the huge budget and the expensive lead actor but it lacks in the technical department. The special effects are tacky to say the least; the computerised crocodile and the unicorn look straight out of a low budget children's tv show. The sets are unimpressive and recreation of the period fails miserably.

Hrithik Roshan performs in his usual "I am the Star" manner & looks nothing like a poor farmer, he's much more convincing in the second half when his parentage is revealed. The Director hasn't used Roshan's dancing or action skills to the fullest. Kabir Bedi as the antagonist exudes elegance and sophistication & slips into the evil act easily. Arunoday Singh has wooden written all over his expressionless face, Digant Hazarika is better off in a smaller but impressive act.

Debutante Pooja Hegde is pretty and has an electrifying smile that can melt a million hearts but why on earth did Gowarikar make her wear leftovers from Sridevi's wardrobe of the 1980s? Unfortunately her chemistry with Roshan lacks the spark required in those romantic scenes.

The music of Mohenjo Daro could have been the highlight but A R Rahman has composed "We have heard these songs before" kind of music in his signature style. The choreography looks like a fancy dress competition organised in a primary school & the action sequences could have been much more hard hitting. There is no hint of any comedy track & the lack of humour as well as a half baked love angle make you yearn for that "extra something" required in a big budget film like Mohenjo Daro.

Gowarikar has failed to recreate the magic required in this period film Mohenjo Daro and his biggest failure is in a film that has a running time of 155 minutes it's only the last 13 minutes that make you hold your breath & enjoy the onscreen proceedings.

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