Jawan

if i think about it critically, then yes, it's a film with a number of flaws ranging from editing to pacing but i have always been someone that judges films emotionally and this was one of the most emotionally enthralling films of the year. jawan is essentially the Angry Young Man film of the 70s and the socialist film of shankar smashed together to form a strange yet ridiculously entertaining concoction. Atlee (validly) gets alot of flack for his politics and pseudo feminism but here he hits more than he misses. Every "Mass" moment given to our female superstars was glorious and the portrayal of prisoners as a beautiful tightly knit community and not faceless goons was rather refreshing. We are all already familar with one Jail Banger from this film (Zinda Banda) but there's another song set in prison which might aswell be a spiritual successor to Aaloporan Tamizhan from Mersal with how beautifully it depicts community, legacy and family just like the former. Despite having a breakneck and sometimes unbearably fast pace, I'm glad Atlee did find some time to focus on these core human relations that make the film as emotionally resonant as it is. Maybe I'm just beating around the bush by not talking about The King but i genuinely think his performance(s) is something you have to just see for yourself. With how meta and self reflective he is, there's half a dozen films that could be called "A Love Letter To SRK", and this definitely joins the bunch. Politically charged, fierce yet charming, SRK easily delivers one of his most dynamic and memorable performances ever, truly proving that even at his old age he is still the top dog in bollywood. If none of that is enough praise then I'll just say this: This is to SRK what Vikram was to Kamal Haasan.