# Jawan (2023) Review: Shah Rukh Khan's Populist Blockbuster > Jawan is Atlee's maximalist Hindi vigilante thriller, a Shah Rukh Khan showcase that is uneven as drama but hard to resist as crowd-pleasing spectacle. Canonical: https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/jawan-2023-review/ Published: 2026-07-20 Last updated: 2026-09-24 Author: Kaiser Khan — Founder & Editor Language: English Review basis: direct-viewing Spoilers: none Rating: 3.5/5 ## Verdict Yes, with reservations. Watch it for the set pieces and Shah Rukh Khan at full wattage; skip it if you want tight plotting or subtle politics. ## Is Jawan worth watching? **Yes, with reservations. Jawan is loud, overstuffed and politically blunt, but as a showcase for Shah Rukh Khan's star power it is often irresistible.** Director Atlee brings the grammar of the Tamil mass blockbuster to Hindi cinema, and the result is a vigilante fantasy with big set pieces, big songs and a clear, crowd-rousing grievance at its heart. What it lacks is discipline: the plot piles cause on cause until the storytelling runs on mood rather than logic. ## What is Jawan about? [Jawan](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/jawan-2023/) is set in motion by a brazen hijacking staged by a masked vigilante and his all-female crew, whose demands expose the corruption running through the institutions that are supposed to protect ordinary Indians. From there the film builds a crusade that takes aim at everything from crushing farm debt to failing public hospitals and crooked arms deals, with a prison warden at the centre of the story. [Shah Rukh Khan](https://celluloidscore.com/stars/asia/india/shah-rukh-khan/) stars, in a performance that splits across more than one identity. [Nayanthara](https://celluloidscore.com/stars/asia/india/nayanthara/) plays the officer tasked with bringing the vigilante in, Vijay Sethupathi is a ruthless arms dealer, and Deepika Padukone appears in a smaller but pivotal role. Atlee directs. It is an Indian production in Hindi and runs 169 minutes. ## Shah Rukh Khan at full wattage Jawan was designed around its star, and he rises to it. Khan plays different sides of the story with distinct energies: one wry, theatrical and clearly enjoying himself, another harder and more weathered. Much of the fun comes from watching him toy with his own image, from the romantic hero of his past to the action lead he became in the 2020s. His Filmfare Award for Best Actor recognised a performance that is as much about star persona as characterisation, and it works because he commits to the absurd and the sincere with equal conviction. Nayanthara, a major star in Tamil cinema, brings poise and steel to her officer, though the screenplay gives her less than she deserves once the second half gathers pace. Vijay Sethupathi plays his villain with a louche, almost comic menace, and the film is often most alive when he and Khan square off. ## Atlee's maximalism, for better and worse Atlee's style is all-in: swooping cameras, slow-motion entrances, montages of injustice set to thunderous music, and set pieces that escalate from a hijack to full-blown battles. Anirudh Ravichander's score drives the action relentlessly. For audiences who enjoy mass cinema, this is the pleasure of the form, and the film stages several sequences with real flair. The politics are where the maximalism shows its limits. Jawan wants to be a crowd-pleaser and a civic sermon at once, and it addresses farmers' suicides, hospital neglect and voter responsibility with admirable anger but little nuance. Its most direct appeals to the audience will feel stirring or preachy depending on your temperament. The moral outrage is sincere; the reasoning is more slogan than argument. ## Where the story buckles At 169 minutes, the film stacks subplots, flashbacks and revelations until cause and effect blur. Characters appear and disappear as the plot requires, the women of the vigilante crew are underused after a strong introduction, and several twists rely on coincidence. None of this will bother viewers there for spectacle, but anyone hoping for a coherent thriller will notice the strain. ## Who should watch Jawan? It is ideal for Shah Rukh Khan fans, for anyone who enjoys South Indian-style mass entertainment, and for viewers who like their action with a political charge. Set aside close to three hours. The violence is frequent but largely stylised, and the film deals with suicide, medical negligence and corruption in broad, emotional terms. If it works for you: - [Pathaan](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/pathaan-2023-review/), Khan's other 2023 blockbuster, a slicker spy action film with less on its mind. - [Mersal](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/mersal-2017-review/), Atlee's Tamil hit, which blends a star in multiple roles with anger at a corrupt medical system. ## The verdict Jawan is an exuberant, often ridiculous and occasionally rousing blockbuster that uses Shah Rukh Khan's charisma to sell a message about accountability. The overcrowded plot and sledgehammer politics are hard to ignore, but as a piece of mass entertainment built around a star enjoying himself, it largely delivers. **Rating: 3.5/5** ## Related title - [Jawan (2023)](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/jawan-2023/) ## Editorial - [Editorial standards](https://celluloidscore.com/about/editorial-policy/) - [Report a correction](https://celluloidscore.com/about/corrections/)