The best new Netflix movie is Shah Rukh Khan’s Bollywood thriller Jawan

The Shah Rukh Khan action thriller is one of the best new movies of the year

• With
  
  Pete Wolk
  

• on November 3, 2023 2:15 pm

You owe it to yourself to watch the best new movie on Netflix: the genre-defining Hindi thriller Jawan.

Starring global megastar Shah Rukh Khan, who made a triumphant return to Bollywood earlier in 2023 with the spy thriller Pathan, Jawan is an epic-scale action thriller that truly runs the gamut of cinematic spectacle. Cool action sequences? Control. Passionate romances? Control. Exciting revenge story? Control. Groovy dance sequences? Control. An inspirational ‘power to the people’ message? Check, check and check. It is a great example of a masala film, a style of Indian film that combines genres to create an experience that appeals to the widest possible audience.

Jawan‘s setup is perhaps best described as “Robin Hood meets Charlie’s Angels.” The film begins with a man (Khan) and a group of women robbing a metro train. Their request: money from the Minister of Agriculture, to pay the farmers affected by his policies. In most Hollywood movies, these would be the bad guys — it’s a classic “Their aims are noble, but they’re going too far!” condition. But to Jawanthere is no such compromise for anti-heroism — these people are undeniably the heroes of this story.

Image: Red Chillies Entertainment

Khan excels as the lead, showing the charm and swagger that made him so the biggest movie star in the world. The 58-year-old actor plays a man who looks 20 years younger with ease and conviction, weaving together the film’s many threads with his irresistible charisma. Vijay Sethupathi supports him as yet another classically despicable villain (joining his standout performances in Vikram, Mrand Petta), with strong supporting roles from Nayanthara (Yeast, Annaatthe) as a police officer who hunts down Khan’s character and his partners in crime, each of whom has a distinct reason for taking drastic action. of Khan Pathan Co-star Deepika Padukone also appears for a brief but deeply powerful role as a mother in an impossible position.

Jawan takes a holistic look at the damage done to the people of a country when business interests infect their government. In the film, the collaboration of capital and government endangers India’s healthcare, agriculture, military and environment. Jawan Director Atlee has touched on this subject before – his film Mersal (also on Netflix) is a great thriller about the evils of for-profit healthcare. But to Jawantakes a more comprehensive view of the many ways in which corporate interests conflict with people’s interests.

It’s an impressive feat for a film with so much on its mind to also be so fun and entertaining, but that’s part of what it did Jawan such a huge hit. It’s the The highest grossing Indian release of the year and second highest grossing Hindi film always. Now that it’s on Netflix, don’t miss it.

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