Mention Sunny Deol and the first thing that springs to mind is ‘dhaai kilo ka haath.’ This dhaai kilo ha haath is on ample display in Gopichand Malineni’s high octane action flick Jaat. So if it’s not the punches that are breaking the goons’ noses, it’s the 100 kgs dumbbells - in each hand - that are crushing skulls of the rogues; if it’s not the huge fan that Sunny Paaji waves around beating the enemies to a bloody pulp, it’s the balustrade that he so easily uproots to pound the baddies. But he wouldn’t have beaten an entire Army of goons over a period of 24 hours if one of the goons who had misbehaved with him right in the beginning of the movie apologised to him. Sunny Paaji finds himself stranded at a remote location in Andhra Pradesh as the train on which he is travelling has to stop. Feeling hungry, he spots a shack where Amma serves him idlis. As he takes the first bite, several unruly goons enter and cause mayhem. During their boisterous behaviour, Sunny’s plate falls down. Not the one to take things lying down, Sunny asks them to apologise. “Sorry bol”.

 

 

They refuse. Wham, bam, dhishoom dhishoom with Sunny single handedly ensuring that not one is standing upright at the end of the fight sequence. One of the goons threatens him, “Tumhe maloom nahin hai main kiska aadmi hun.” Sunny’s response, “Achcha toh woh mujhe sorry bolega”. And then this scene is repeated four times with Sunny emerging victorious at each level. Till he reaches Rana Tunga (Randeep Hooda), the head of all these goons, evil incarnate who is solely responsible for the terror that he has caused in the forty villages around the coastal road. The action is repeated inside the house with different props at the end of which Rana Tunga apologises. A gloriously happy Sunny blows kisses with “Love you man”, but just before crossing the threshold stops. For he realises that something is amiss.

 

Ranga Tunga’s goons had assaulted and raped a few female police officers who had gone to capture him. More scope for Sunny to free the captive female police officers. Interval. Post interval, it is time for many back stories to unfold - who is Rana Tunga, his motive, the involvement of corrupt bureaucrats and the role of crooked and shady police officers, and why the villages on the coastal belts were being evacuated by Rana Tunga’s goons. Of course, one needn’t get surprised when Sunny’s real identity is revealed - for there’s nothing that's not predictable. The Jaat munda with a dhaai kilo ka haath, this time, gives a taste of his raw strength and unflinching determination to the Southern masses also. In fact, Sunny confidently mouths “Ab tak North ne yeh dhaai kilo ke haath ka kamal dekha tha, ab South dekhega”. Helmed by a South Indian director, with many actors from the southern belt playing important characters, Jaat has all the flashy histrionics and over-the-top exaggerated sequences that South Indian cinema is so famous for. However, I have my reservations when the entire police machinery is shown to be ineffective and totally corrupt. Agreed, there are a few bad apples, but the entire lot - from top to bottom - not in good taste. Like the title of the movie suggests, the plot revolves around Sunny.

 

The non-stop action ensures that there aren’t any dull moments. Even though the narrative is sketchy, the innumerable encounters, a few jaw dropping, many too gory, don’t let any ennui creep in. Sunny excels in this genre exuding sheer confidence; he is bold and relentless, converting every fight scene into an electrifying spectacle. And in the first half, he manages to bring in a bit of humour too. The only letdown was that the protagonist and the antagonist didn’t have an outstanding face-off that could have been the highlight of this high-voltage drama. The climax was, compared to what the audience got to see during the running of the film, just too tepid. Randeep Hooda is devious, and always brings his A game to any character.

 

There is one scene that brings his demonic side starkly in front of the audience - he worships Ravana, and when he turns around while praying to him, the camera angle superimposes his head on the deity’s, augmenting the terror that he has brought to the villages and also showing his demonic side. Hooda’s goons and sidekicks hog the maximum footage, along with Sunny. Saiyami Kher fails to impress. Regina Cassandra as Hooda’s equally evil wife was a surprise package. Beautifully malevolent. Thankfully Gopichand Malineni, who has also written the script, has focused on pure action, and so the audience is spared of unnecessary romantic liaisons, which, when they occur, have to have syrupy songs to depict the love. Barring two full-fledged songs - one necessary to infuse the Lord Rama flavour (Ram Navmi fervour still lingers ) and one raunchy dance number by Urvashi Rautela - necessary for the front benchers. It goes without saying that they do not add anything of value to the movie. Jaat is a treat for fans of Sunny Deol, who as an action hero rightly justifies the bone-crushing action, and brings to the canvas a stellar performance.

 

So what I am taking home after watching Jaat is how important the word ‘sorry’ is. It’s not without reason that the wise always state that we must be generous with our P’s & Q’s, and of course, our apologies. But if the first goon had said ‘sorry’, Jaat would never have seen the light of the day. And we would have missed out on this journey of the intrepid traveller who turns into a saviour - missed out on a film depicting the eternal fight between good and bad, between virtuous and wicked. With the good always emerging victorious. Hail the Jaat! The Hitavada Rating: OOO