‘Jaat’ review: Sunny Deol packs the punch, Randeep Hooda owns the screen in this masala entertainer

In ‘Jaat’, director Gopichand Malineni makes a thunderous entry into Hindi cinema, bringing with him the high-octane energy of South Indian action masala. Starring Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda, the film is a fiery fusion of North and South, combining Sunny’s signature power-packed presence with the stylised action and drama that defines southern blockbusters. With punches that fail to land and a predictable storyline, ‘Jaat’ is a loud film.

Disclaimer: Don't forget to keep your brain at home before watching the film.

The story begins in Sri Lanka with the Sri Lankan army hiring some local villagers to find the arms and ammunition of the JLF, a militant separatist organisation, hidden deep inside the jungles. However, while digging, a group of four villagers comes across a trunk full of gold bricks and attacks the army. Through the sea route, they flee to India in Andhra Pradesh’s coastal district, Prakasam. When caught by the local police, they bribe them with gold for a new identity. While three men take new names, their leader continues to keep his name – Ranatunga (Randeep). This marks the beginning of a series of brutal murders along the coast, turning Ranatunga into a man who fears no one but is seen as a harbinger of death across some 30-odd villages.

As villagers of Motupalli, one of the 30 villages, appeal to the President for help against the ruthless Ranatunga, a mysterious man known as ‘Jaat’ (Sunny), on a trek down South, finds himself caught in local chaos. After thrashing a goon who disrespects him, Jaat goes on a trail of confrontations—from a politician to Somulu (Vineet Kumar Singh) and finally to Ranatunga himself—to seek an apology. Surprisingly, Ranatunga apologises. But just as Jaat is about to leave, he uncovers a dark secret—five to six women cops held captive by Ranatunga’s wife Bharti (Regina Cassandra). What follows is a power-packed rescue mission led by Jaat alone.

But the story doesn't end there. While escorting the rescued women officers, Jaat learns the full extent of Ranatunga’s reign of terror. With local authorities, including the police and district collector, turning a blind eye, Jaat takes it upon himself to fight for justice. Meanwhile, top CBI officer Satyamurthi (Jagapathi Babu), sent by the President to investigate the situation in Motupalli, uncovers damning evidence against Ranatunga and calls for the Indian Army’s intervention. It’s only in the film’s gripping climax that Jaat’s true identity is revealed — Brigadier Baldev Pratap Singh.

‘Jaat’ has an entertaining first half but falters in the second. It gets too dramatic, slow, and over-the-top after the interval. While the film’s story is mostly predictable, the dialogue isn’t too great a deal. Some dialogues, such as the one where Sunny Paaji says, “Yeh dhai (2.5 kg) kilo ke hath ki taakat pura north dekh chuka hai, ab south dekhega (The power of this 2.5 kg hand has been seen by North India, and now will be seen by South India),” can be whistle-worthy for some, but nothing beyond this dialogue is impactful enough.

The constant reminder of how the Indian soil is what connects the Jaat and the villagers of Motupalli is a total bore. The fact that the makers tried to show Ranatunga as Ravan and Sunny as Lord Ram is also a done-and-dusted formula. The climax also gets overly dramatic and defies logic – one man single-handedly killing one of the deadliest criminals in the country, along with his army of men – all this with his Ray-Ban shades still in place.

Though the storyline and dialogue didn’t quite hit the mark, what actually does is the film’s background score, especially during the action sequences, which helps to elevate it. Music composer and National Film Award winner Thaman S, who is best known for ‘Ala Vaikuntapuramulo’, deserves a mention for the BGM as well as the tracks. The film’s song, ‘Oh Rama, Shri Rama’, has the potential to be the next Lord Ram’s song after composer duo Atul-Ajay’s ‘Jai Shri Ram’ track from ‘Adipurush’.

Similar to its music, ‘Jaat’ wins a few points for its action also. The early action scene involving Randeep is quite top-notch. However, with Sunny, some do the magic, while in some, it’s just the camera that you see flying around. Not the handpump or the cartwheel; Sunny throws around pillars in ‘Jaat’. But they aren’t as impactful as his hand pump or the cartwheel moment from ‘Gadar’ and ‘Gadar 2’.

Now on to the film’s performances; it’s the anti-hero of this movie who is the actual hero of the film when it comes to the performances. Randeep, as the brutal and merciless villain, is quite a treat to watch. It is roles like these that Randeep should be doing more often, for he shows his best acting skills as the bad man.

Sunny, on the other hand, has delivered an act that isn’t too loud but is a lot more decent. Despite no funny dialogues, you will find him hilarious and adorable in the first half, especially when it revolves around the Idlis and sorry.

Vineet is also a great addition to the cast. After seeing his emotionally deep performance in ‘Chhava’, seeing him play a wicked Somulu, who has a habit of making a weird sound (possibly to look more villainous), will stun you with his act in ‘Jaat’. However, Gopichand wasted a great opportunity by not giving enough space to actors such as Jagapathi, Ramya Krishnan, Saiyami Kher, Upendra Limaye, and more, who come and go. Regina, too, has been wasted, despite a handful of action sequences.

Overall, the film delivers as a mass entertainer — just don’t go in expecting logic or realism.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5