Film: Jaat
Cast: Sunny Deol, Sayami Kher
Directed by: Gopichand Malineni
Duration: 2 hours 33 minutes
Rating: * *
Jaat marks the directorial debut of Gopichand Malineni, who has primarily worked in Telugu cinema, blending the characteristics of a North Indian hero with southern elements. In this action film, Sunny Deol portrays an angry old man capable of single-handedly confronting and defeating an army of villains. It has been nearly 25 years since he famously uprooted a hand pump to vanquish his foes; this time, he utilises a ceiling fan, a wooden column, and other unconventional objects as weapons. At one point, he proclaims, "Yeh dhai kilo haath ka awaaz North sun chukka hain, ab South sunega" (The sound of these two-and-a-half-kilo hands has been heard in the North; now the South will hear it)
This film is a quintessential action movie that could be classified as a 'masala film'; however, the ?masala genre typically does not include scenes of decapitation. In some instances, heads are tossed into someone's hands, while in others, headless bodies are seen moving about-raising questions about the medical plausibility of such scenarios, where men walk akin to a headless chicken. Many acclaimed action films, such as Pulp Fiction, feature blood and gore but often with stylised action choreography. In contrast, this film relies heavily on sickles and swords to sever body parts, to the extent that the censor board had to pixelate several graphic scenes.
The catalyst for the conflict is a plate of idlis, which I will address shortly. The film begins in Sri Lanka during the civil war, where a group of men unearth buried gold and escape to India by boat. Years later, the leader of this group, Ranatunga (Randeep Hooda), has become a local gang leader in a village in Andhra Pradesh, instilling fear in the villagers who dare not oppose him. Upon discovering evidence of his crimes, a group of female police officers, led by Vijaylakshmi (Saiyami Kher), attempts to apprehend him, only to find themselves
captured instead.
At the same time, a train from Andhra Pradesh is en route to Ayodhya, carrying devotees of Lord Ram. Among the passengers is our protagonist, who, unlike the others dressed in saffron, stands out as a man without a name in the Indian wild wild west. He identifies himself as a 'Kisan' and 'Jaat', and we eventually discover that he is Brigadier Baldev Pratap Singh (Sunny Deol), also known as the Bulldozer of the Indian Army. The last time I encountered a Brigadier exuding such confidence was Raj Kumar's portrayal of Brigadier Suryadev Singh in
Tirangaa (1993).
However, before delving into the military and bulldozer aspects of this character, we must first address the significant moment involving idli. While enjoying a plate of idlis, some thugs accidentally knock it from his hands. Although visibly upset, all he desires is an apology. When they refuse to apologise, they face severe consequences. Our formidable hero even stops a large vehicle with his bare hands. He then embarks on a mission to confront their leader, driven by the need for an apology. In a one scene, he dismantles a ceiling fan and confronts Somulu (Vineet Kumar Singh), the feared brother of Ranatunga.
Ultimately, he arrives at the home of Ranatunga and his cunning wife (Regina Cassandra), only to uncover a web of suspicious activities taking place within. While the female officers are depicted as courageous, boldly venturing where no man has gone before, they still require a man to step in as their saviour and extricate them.
The latter portion of the film goes downhill as the Brigadier's military background is revealed through flashbacks and other clichéd scenes. Jagapathi Babu portrays a CBI officer who has been personally assigned by the President of India to assist a young girl who has reached out for help through a letter. The narrative seeks to highlight the issue of land acquisition from villagers by corporations, with the scheme being orchestrated in Davos, Switzerland, in collusion with local politicians and the mafia; however, the execution feels overly dramatic. Nonetheless, it must be acknowledged that Sunny Deol effectively carries the film, primarily through his action sequences against the antagonists. But there is only so much of the 'dhai kilo ka haath' and severed heads that one can take.