Jawan prevue: Netizens and Shah Rukh Khan fans reminded of KGF 2, Baahubali & other films, call out Atlee

The Jawan preview, or should we call it a 'prevue', is finally upon us and Shah Rukh Khan features in it all his glory. Though the 2 minutes and 12 seconds long visual glimpse mostly refrains from referring to the storyline of the film, one gathers that the Atlee directorial is every bit the larger-than-life, big-screen experience that we have been promised. 

There's loads (and loads) of action, an array of vibrant characters and a sprawling narrative that has the King Khan in countless different avatars. Throw in some mother sentiment, a strong and healthy dose of feminine power and also a vigilante effort, you have got yourself a bona fide 'masala' entertainer worth the money. Atlee seems to have also carried his South Indian flavour along with him which is quite apparent in certain visuals.

However, quite interestingly, the 'mother sentiment' bit has caught the attention of social media users and perhaps not in a pleasing manner. "Maa Ko Kiya Vaada Hun," (I am that promise made to my mother) says Khan in the voiceover in an attempt to describe his identity in the large scheme of things. The accompanying visual to this particular line has an infant held up in the air as a huge crowd of women in front folds its hands in admiration, respect. And for a seemingly obvious reason, netizens have been reminded of films like KGF 2 and Baahubali: The Beginning because of this small portion.

Why KGF 2? Well, because it's no secret that the entire emotional ethos of Prashanth Neel's franchise is derived from the mother-son relationship in the story. The 'vaada' or the promise that is referred to in Jawan prevue, too, is a significant element in the KGF movies as the promise that Rocky Bhai makes to his ailing mother to conquer the world proves to be the only motivating factor in his pursuits.

The visual of a child brandished in the air, quite incidentally, resembles one of the most pivotal moments of S.S. Rajamouli's Baahubali: The Beginning. In the opening moment of the latter film, one finds Sivagami, the queen of Mahishmati, putting her life on the line to save the infant she clutches very dearly in her arms. Sacrificing her own life, Sivagami raises the baby above water and this particular breathtaking visual was also used as one of the promotional posters of the film.

Alongside, netizens have also spotted similarities between Jawan and Shankar's Anniyan (the half-face 'Phantom' mask), Shankar's Sivaji: The Boss (the tonsured head) and a few other titles including Neel's Salaar.

It isn't uncommon for a major film to be pulled up on social media under any random context but it would be interesting to see how much 'inspiration' has Atlee borrowed from the aforementioned films after all.

Jawan also stars Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Priyamani, Sanya Malhotra and others, and the film is scheduled to release in theatres on September 7, 2023.