‘Jaat’ (2025) Movie Review - Masala Done Right

Gopichand Malineni's Jaat is one of those films that remind you how fantastic masala movies can be if the execution is right. The first half, in fact, is bodacious - every beat, every element arrives on time. The screenplay, by Malineni, Srinivas Gavireddy, and Kundan Pandey, keeps things admirably interesting. I loved the film's decision to first show Ranatunga (Randeep Hooda) as an ordinary worker digging a hole for the Sri Lankan army. The beast within him comes out to the surface when he and three other men (one of them is his brother, Somulu, and he's played by Vineet Kumar Singh) discover a box full of gold while digging. But Ranatunga is not really "ordinary," which is something you learn later in the film. There is a reason why he can do all those flips and manages to escape from the clutches of an army. He is no generic bad guy; he has a backstory. After escaping from Sri Lanka, Ranatunga and those three other men reach Andhra Pradesh, where they bribe an inspector with gold and get the citizenship papers to live in the country. All of this unfolded in 2009. In the present day, we find Ranatunga ruling over a village, which is referred to as "Lanka" at one point. No wonder we see Ranatunga in front of Raavan's statue when we meet him again at his home just before he comes face to face with Baldev Pratap Singh (Sunny Deol).

If Ranatunga is Raavan, Baldev is the Ram of this story. He's aptly introduced through the Oh Rama Shri Rama song while on his way to trekking. He boards an Ayodhya-bound train, which, for some reason, stops in the middle of its journey. What do you know, the train stops near the place ruled by Ranatunga and his army! Baldev doesn't know who Ranatunga is. If a goon had apologized for accidentally dropping Baldev's plate full of idli, there would have been no conflict, no story. This is one of the most amusing aspects of this film. Baldev simply wants to hear sorry, but the arrogant men refuse to apologize. The goon at the eatery says he works for a politician. The politician says he works for Somulu, and Somulu finally takes Baldev to Ranatunga's dwelling. This chain of events is not only hilarious but also the highlight of this film. Malineni builds these events with a grasp so solid that the jokes emerge effortlessly, and they enhance the momentum of these scenes. The filmmakers expertly overcome the issue of predictability. Consider the moment when Baldev and Ranatunga meet for the first time. We expect a bloodbath because an earlier scene has informed us how angry Ranatunga becomes when Somulu is assaulted/abused by somebody (this flashback opens with a beheading, and then another flashback gives us the whole story. Malineni has made Jaat with a lot of thought, care, and style). The filmmakers, though, casually pull the rug from beneath your feet. They prove that masala movies are smart, witty, and astounding.

The second half is not as good as the first half, but it's not, by any means, dull, lazy, weak. It has a few surprises up its sleeves (that car "accident," for instance), and the real identities of Baldev and Ranatunga are revealed at just the right point with the appropriate amount of hype. Malineni's mistakes aren't exactly dealbreakers, but they do momentarily take you out of the film. A chase sequence in which Baldev and his "sisters" run from Ranatunga's men is technically inept, so you notice how fake the action is. I am not a fan of emotional manipulation done through children's presence/voice. Jaat does something remarkable with that letter thing. Still, the "kids in danger" trick is too off-putting. Additionally, the flashback we get after the death of a female officer is very cheap. But Malineni and his team get so many things right that you don't care about the flaws of this film. The action scenes aren't just about flying bodies; they also have a sensational force and a giddy choreography. I guess, my only gripe is that Hooda doesn't match up to Deol physically. He looks terrifying, but you never believe his Ranatunga will be able to defeat Baldev in a fight. An actor like Vidyut Jammwal or John Abraham would have been fitting. If you really want to see someone who's actually intimidating and scary, look at Regina Cassandra's Bharathi. Whenever she appears on the screen, Jaat turns into a horror movie. Cassandra overshadows both Hooda and Kumar Singh. She offers Jaat a menacing spirit. I almost want to say that this is Regina Cassandra's film. The main takeaway from Jaat should be that Cassandra should play more villain roles, and Upendra Limaye's cameo should be included by default in all Bollywood films (his Hindi accent is funny).

Given the times we live in, it's nearly impossible to watch Jaat in a vacuum - your mind eventually wanders off to the current state of our society. When Baldev passionately declares that women should be respected not just through empty slogans but also in real life by all human beings, it's hard not to let out a sad sigh. In a country where convicted rapists are out on bail most of the time, one can only hope that, at the very least, movies like Jaat get into people's heads and open their eyes to the hell they're living in. The common man should start raising his "dhai kilo ka haath" for the right reasons.

Final Score- [7.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times