Jawan teaser: SRK goes pan-India in Atlee’s action-packed thriller

Mumbai: Red Chillies Entertainment on Friday announced Shah Rukh Khan’s new film, Jawan. Directed by Atlee, the action-thriller has reportedly been in production for a while now, with several set leaks making their way online. This is the third new Shah Rukh film to be announced this year, following Pathaan and Dunki. Jawan will be released on June 2, 2023.
The announcement was accompanied by a one-and-a-half minute video that opens with a shot of the Northern Lights. We hear the sound of whistles, as Shah Rukh’s face is revealed, covered in bandages. The video then cuts to a television screen, on which there appears to be a coded message flashing. Shah Rukh’s character then uncovers a trove of ammunition, and receives a message on the radio. He laughs maniacally and says, “Ready,” as hype music plays in the background. Jawan appears to be taking a pan-India approach, considering its multi-language release.
Talking about Jawan, Shah Rukh Khan said in a statement, “Jawan is a universal story that goes beyond languages, geographies and is for all to enjoy. Credit goes to Atlee for creating this unique film, which has also been a fantastic experience for me as I love action films! The teaser is the just tip of the iceberg and gives a glimpse into what’s to come”.
Talking about creating Jawan with SRK, director Atlee said, “Jawan has something in it for everyone be it actions, emotions, drama all woven into create a visual spectacle. I want to give the audiences an exceptional experience, an event which they all can enjoy together and who better to deliver it than Shah Rukh Khan himself, presented like never before”.
The actor had been in a self-imposed sabbatical after a series of box office disappointments that culminated with 2018’s Zero. Co-starring Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif, the film failed to recover its reported Rs 200 crore budget theatrically. Shah Rukh did, however, appear in the Netflix reality series Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives, voiced Mufasa in the Hindi dub of The Lion King, and narrated Kabir Khan’s Prime Video series The Forgotten Army – Azadi Ke Liye.
Prior to that, Shah Rukh had starred in underwhelming big-budget films such as Fan, Raees, and Jab Harry Met Sejal. His last hit was the poorly received Dilwale. He also appeared in an extended cameo in the moderately successful Alia Bhatt-starrer Dear Zindagi.
Slated for a January 2023 release, Pathaan is an action-thriller that will also feature Deepika Padukone and John Abraham. Directed by Siddharth Anand, the film is rumoured to be a part of YRF’s planned shared universe of spy films that also includes Salman Khan’s Tiger series and Hrithik Roshan’s War. The third Tiger film is in production, and reportedly features a cameo by Shah Rukh as Pathaan.
The plot details for Dunki are even more closely-guarded. But the announcement video suggested that it will be in the vein of director Rajkumar Hirani’s other blockbuster feel-good films, which are usually laced with social messages.
Shah Rukh has been busy as a producer, although he is never credited on the films and shows that his Red Chillies banner releases. The production house’s last release was the thriller Love Hostel, starring Vikrant Massey, Sanya Malhotra and Bobby Deol. Shah Rukh will also reportedly appear in cameos in Laal Singh Chaddha, Brahmastra and Rocketry: The Nambi Effect.