Jawan

Jawan sees Khan teaming up with Tamil writer and director Atlee in a gloriously convoluted story of family, activism, and revenge. It’s violent, it’s insane, and it’s an absolute rollercoaster.

“Jawan” will probably delight Khan’s established fans, and maybe uninitiated viewers, too, if only because he’s comfortably playing the hits, now with somewhat greater conviction and a little more polish.

Fashioned as an unabashed massy entertainer, Jawan slips in strong political messaging at every opportunity, making it a film which is very much of the moment.

Jawan will prove no more enduring than Pathaan in the Khan pantheon, but it’s a semi-fascinating display of star power, and a rollicking (if bumpy) Friday-night ride.

Jawaan runs for a 170 minutes and the incessant sound and fury becomes exhausting. But Shah Rukh, especially the older version, keeps the film from becoming a slog. With greying hair and a cigar, he summons a formidable swagger.

At almost 170 minutes, the film is long, and the fact that the director can have our full attention for every second of it says a lot.

Director Atlee and superstar Khan team up to deliver a high stakes, fast-paced action film that packs a punch. Already well established in the Tamil film industry, Jawan marks the director's first foray into mainstream Bollywood, and he nails it.

“Jawan” is such a wild ride, playfully blending genres while also making serious statements on government corruption, greed, class discrimination, and healthcare scandals among other things. It has a little bit of something for everyone.

At times this sandy earth subsumes the peculiar nature of edgy stories, at other times its languid, unornamented baseline allows characters to hold onto something raw.

Shah Rukh Khan is the whole show in Jawan, his second blockbuster adventure in less than a year.