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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PUSHPAK (1987) REVISITED

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PUSHPAK (1987) revisited

Directed by: Singeetham Srinivasa Rao 

Cast: Kamal Hasan, Amala Mukherjee, Sameer Khakkar, Tinnu Anand, Vasant Kamat, Farida Jalal, K S Ramesh, Loknath, Pratap Pothhen, P L Narayanan. 

“Silence is golden” they say, and a silent film like this can convey so much more than a loud violent film, agree? Way back in the 80s it must’ve been a true big experiment to make a silent film in mainstream cinema, I watched it in the mid 90s and loved it immensely, I rewatched it and loved it all the more now. 

A simple uncomplicated plot centred around a young unemployed graduate who has a “chance encounter” when he spots a “filthy”(quite literally) wealthy man in an inebriated state. He switches places with the rich man and assuming his identity starts living in a posh hotel called “Pushpak” where he finds comfort, respect, happiness, food, and an unexpected romantic liaison as well. There is also a “cold blooded” contract killer on the prowl targeting the young man due to the switched identity confusion. 

Difficult to find a single sequence “over the top” in this delightfully hilarious comedy. There is also the thrilling suspense angle and chirpy romance to enhance the overall entertainment quotient. Rao as a veteran director did a splendid job, today it’s unheard of and quite unlikely to even think of making an experimental film like this and these geniuses made it possible 33 years ago! Kudos to them. 

The supremely talented Hasan plays the young unemployed youth with pure sincerity, making the viewers laugh with a straight face and no dialogues is no easy task, Tinnu Anand plays his part with a “killer instinct”. The lovely Amala looks cute as a button and sexy as hell with no skin show, how? She had a personality that spelt sex appeal. 

I was disappointed to know that my millennial friends weren’t aware of this gem, it’s sad so many have missed out on laughing out loud watching this crazy comedy, Ssssshhhhhh it’s a silent movie ! 

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