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 from Kaml
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DRUGS, LIES AND BOLLYWOOD

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DRUGS, LIES AND BOLLYWOOD

After the suspicious death of a celebrated young star, a Pandora’s box got opened reluctantly though. Drugs turned out to be the most abused word found circulating on media channels. While some blame Bollywood there were others who preferred shielding the image by claiming Thali mein chhed karte ho blah blah blah. 

Though eminent film stars turned politicians Jaya Bhaduri and Ravi Kissen were at loggerheads over the issue with the former claiming there is no drug nexus in Bollywood and the latter defending that there was no drug issue earlier and it’s only started now. I disagree with both. Bollywood has been dirtied by the drug invasion long ago, most specifically would be 70’s. There’s no record prior to that. If you read the late Protima Bedi’s tell all autobiography she’s boldly mentioned how she along with her then husband Kabir Bedi and a bunch of friends including Bollywood stars would go to their shack on the Juhu beach and smoke weed. 

In 1982 young and upcoming Sanjay Dutt was arrested for possession and proven consumption of drugs. There was an unconfirmed report that Dimple Kapadia’s sister Reem had died in 1991 due to an apparent drug overdose. So it’s been there from 70’s through 80’s and 90’s, so why talk in hushed tones ? Isn’t Jaya ji aware of all these incidents ? These are printed in media, circulated and one can even google it online. It required an unknown starlet like Rhea Chakraborty to be arrested and called out for the drug nexus, is it like no film star had peddled for or consumed drugs before that ? 

Circa 2001, young and upcoming Fardeen Khan, more famous as Feroz Khan’s son was arrested at Mumbai for procuring drugs from a dealer past midnight. It’s another story that the poor boy was at the right place at the wrong time, as the tip given by a source was to nab a drug addict Male playback singer and his lover a much married nymphomaniac who was daughter-in-law of a powerful political party. Somehow the duo backed out and an unsuspecting Fardeen got caught. 

So almost five decades and drugs, lies have been existing in clean and Pavitra Bollywood and its famous stars and wives of superstars who are blindfolded by their regressive devotion to the industry. It’s like even if the dirt exists, turn a blind eye, defend the industry, no matter what, it never existed as simple as that. 

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