While most Bollywood actors prefer to do remakes of Southern films, Shah Rukh Khan chose a top Tamil director to work with under his production company Red Chillies Entertainment.
Jawan, released worldwide on Thursday, also features Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi, who are big names in Tamil and South Indian films.
Sacnilk.com and film trade analyst Manobala Vijayabalan reported that Jawan sold more than 700,000 tickets in India on the opening day – a record for Hindi movies.
Vijayabalan posted on X: “Jawan Day 1 advance sales crosses Rs20 crore ($3 million) gross mark across all theatres in India. National Multiplexes alone sell more than 300,000 tickets.”
Jawan was released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.
Ruban Mathivanan of Chennai’s GK Cinemas said Jawan is seen as a Tamil film in Tamil Nadu. “If the content clicks, there will be no stopping Jawan in Tamil Nadu. It might become another RRR or KGF.”
He added that “Jawan can also emerge as the biggest Hindi film” and it will not face competition from local Tamil releases this week. “Some small films are releasing on Sept 8. They won’t pose a competition to Jawan.”
Vishek Chauhan, owner of Bihar’s Roopbani Cinema, observed that Jawan is a Tamil film with a Northern superstar. “The director and significant actors are from down South,” he said. “I won’t be surprised if it does Rs10 crores on Day 1 in Tamil.”
Shah Rukh is scoring a hit with Jawan, which also stars Sanya Malhotra, Sunil Grover, Ridhi Dogra and Yogi Babu in key roles. After making a comeback with Pathaan earlier this year, Jawan is his most South film as he taps a market other than Bollywood.
Shah Rukh has a fanbase in the South thanks to his efforts in Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se and A.R. Rahman’s foot-tapping Chaiyya Chaiyya (Thaiyya Thaiyya in Tamil). In 2000, he was also cast in Kamal Haasan’s iconic Hey Ram, in which he played Amjad Ali Khan.
Shah Rukh did a dance number for Rajinikanth’s Ra One in 2011 and Lungi Dance in Chennai Express in 2013. Both became hits despite criticisms for stereotyping Tamils.
Others from the Tamil film industry, such as composer Anirudh Ravichander, editor Ruben, cinematographer GK Vishnu, choreographer Shobi and art director Muthuraj, are setting foot in Bollywood for the first time with Jawan.
Jawan is an action thriller with Shah Rukh playing two roles – one hijacks the Mumbai Metro with a squad of six women while the other is a police officer hot on the heels of notorious arms dealer Kalee, played by Sethupathi.
“Of justice and a jawan. Of women and their vengeance. Of a mother and a son. And of course, a lot of fun,” Shah Rukh had said about the film on social media.
There’s a cameo by Deepika Padukone, who starred opposite Shah Rukh in Pathaan, and Nayanthara plays a police officer tasked with nabbing Shah Rukh and his gang.
Singer Aaliyah Qureishi, who is making her Bollywood debut with Jawan, told The National that fans can look forward to “Director Atlee Kumar’s visionary flair with all of Shah Rukh Khan’s charisma and style”.
“You can look forward to a really fun and exciting film, which also has a great message at its heart. You can also look forward to seeing us girls beat up some very big guys,” she said.
Indo-Asian News Service
