First ‘Jawan’ Trailer: Shah Rukh Khan Return to the Big Screen in Epic Action Thriller

‘Jawan’ blasts onto screens in September. After delivering the biggest hit of his storied career with the spy film Pathaan earlier this year, Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan is looking to cement his action hero status with the upcoming thriller Jawan. The mysterious new movie debuted a first trailer today, revealing the multiple looks that SRK will be seen in, and also teasing the stacked supporting cast. The film has been described as a “high-octane action thriller which outlines the emotional journey of a man who is set to rectify the wrongs in society.” Jawan, at least at first glance, looks to combine the bombastic visuals of South Indian movies with the trademark charm that SRK has brought to his Bollywood blockbusters for over three decades. Little, however, is revealed about the plot. The trailer opens with an ominous voiceover, in which SRK’s mysterious character says in Hindi, “Who am I? What am I? I do not know… A promise made to a mother, or a purpose unfinished. Am I good, or bad; a blessing, or a curse? Ask yourself. Because I am you, for better or for worse.” The visuals that unfold against this voiceover suggest that SRK’s character, Jawan, was born in a prison, and later served in the police and the army, before seemingly going rogue and becoming a vigilante. We also see a horde of people stampeding through a subway station, wearing masks similar to the one Jawan is shown in later, which seems to suggest that the movie might be borrowing (at least in part) from Todd Phillips’ Joker.

Jawan, a title that is used to refer to soldiers in Hindi, is seen in at least three over-the-top get-ups. The first seems to be inspired by the villainous Safin, from the James Bond film No Time to Die; the second basically looks like a mummy wielding some kind of spear (or, more accurately, Moon Knight); and the third might actually be the most surprising of the bunch. It’s SRK wearing a bald cap on his head and a beard on his face. In between all this, we’re shown glimpses of a supporting cast that includes Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, and Deepika Padukone in a “special appearance.” The trailer also teases that Jawan is waging some kind of moralistic war, and is accompanied by an army of female soldiers. All of this, it should be pointed out, plays out with a thumping new original track composed by Anirudh Ravichander blasting in the background.