Jawan trailer: Shah Rukh Khan is menacing and melodramatic in Atlee’s genre-hopping mass entertainer

In a dialogue that is bound to find resonance with SRK fans, the actor announces, “Bete ko haath lagane se pehle baap se baat kar (Before touching the son, talk to his father).”

Deepika Padukone appears briefly, and all signs point to her character dying. Vijay Sethupathi shows up as the villain, again across different timelines, and describes himself as the fourth-biggest arms dealer in the world.

Watch Jawan trailer here | Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara

Jawan was originally slated to release in June, but was delayed to buy more time for post-production. The film marks Shah Rukh’s first major attempt at pan-Indian success, after the 2015 hit Chennai Express, and the organic appeal of his most recent hit, Pathaan. Shah Rukh bounced back in grand fashion this year, after a string of flops that forced him into a sabbatical of sorts for around five years.

Shah Rukh is following a similar promotional strategy to the one that worked so well for Pathaan. He isn’t participating in any media interactions, but is relying entirely on public events, social media AMAs, and traditional marketing tools such as songs. Three tracks from Jawan have already been released — the anthem “Zinda Banda,” the romantic track “Chaleya,” and the party number “Not Ramaiya Vastavaiya.”

Jawan, directed by Atlee, will be released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The film’s crew is predominantly Tamil, with several key cast members also having mostly worked in the South Indian film industries. The film also features Vijay Sethupathi as the villain, Nayanthara as the love interest of Shah Rukh’s characters, and a supporting cast that includes Yogi Babu, Sanya Malhotra, Priyamani and others.