Film: Jaat
Rating: 2/5
Cast: Sunny Deol, Randeep Hooda, Regina Cassandra, Jagapathi Babu, Ramya Krishna, Ravi Shankar, Upendra Limaye, Saiyami Kher, Swaroopa Ghosh, Zarina Wahab, Vineet Kumar Singh, Ajay Ghosh, Mushtaq Khan, Ayesha Khan, Divi Vathya, Urvashi Rautela, Murali Sharma
Cinematography: Rishi Punjabi
Editing: Naveen Nooli
Music: Thaman S
Producers: Naveen Yerneni, Yalamanchili Ravishankar, TG Vishwa Prasad, Umesh Kumar Bansal
Director: Gopichand Malineni
Release Date: 10 April 2025
Sunny Deol, who made a strong comeback with Gadar 2, has been riding high on renewed stardom. Riding this wave, he has now chosen to work with a Telugu director for his latest film, titled Jaat. The trailer clearly hinted that it’s a power-packed action entertainer. But does it live up to the expectations?
Let’s find out.
Story:
Rana Tunga (Randeep Hooda), a Sri Lankan criminal, crosses into India and hides in a village called Motupalli in Andhra Pradesh by corrupting the local police.
Over time, he becomes an unstoppable force in the region, ruling it with brutality. His wife Bharati (Regina Cassandra) is equally cruel.
The atrocities committed by Rana Tunga's faction are extreme — from stripping female police officers to committing heinous assaults and beheadings of dissenters.
Enter a stranger (Sunny Deol), who arrives in the village when his train halts unexpectedly. After an altercation with Rana Tunga’s men — his brother Somulu (Vineet Kumar Singh) and Ram Subba Reddy (Ajay Ghosh) — over them disturbing his idly plate at a roadside motel, he thrashes them, demanding a “sorry.”
What starts as a small ego clash quickly escalates into an all-out war between the mysterious stranger and Rana Tunga. Both men, as it turns out, carry backstories revealed towards the climax.
Performances:
Sunny Deol plays the protagonist, and his star power, more than the character itself, drives the film. It’s more of a treat for his fans than the general audience. His dialogue — “Is dhai kilo haath ka taqat poora North dekh chuka hai. Ab South dekhega (The power of this two-and-a-half-kilo hand has already been witnessed by the North. Now, the South will see it).” — lands well. But South audiences have already seen similar 'taqat' from stars like Balakrishna and others years ago.
Randeep Hooda is effective and menacing as the antagonist, portraying controlled rage and menace through expressions alone.
Regina Cassandra looks traditionally graceful in a standard saree, but plays a woman with a cold heart and a cruel mind.
Vineet Kumar Singh, seen recently in Chhaava, plays Somulu — another ruthless villain.
Saiyami Kher as Vijaya Lakshmi is adequate, though she's inexplicably in a torn police uniform throughout the film.
The rest — Jagapathi Babu, Ramya Krishna, Ravi Shankar, Murali Sharma, Upendra Limaye, and Makrand Deshpande — appear briefly, lending known faces but not much substance.
Urvashi Rautela's item number “Sorry Bol” is visually arresting, with a thigh-show that competes with Tamannaah’s similar stint in Stree 2. Urvashi seems to be the go-to item girl for films with senior male leads these days, and her popularity is spreading north.
Technical Aspects:
Thaman’s background score is impactful. Of the three songs in the film, “Touch Kiya – Sorry Bol” (featuring Urvashi), “Oh Rama…” (featuring Sunny), and the Jaat theme song (used during end credits), the first stands out.
Editing by National Award winner Naveen Nooli is slick.
Cinematography by Rishi Punjabi complements the film’s gritty tone well, enhancing the visual experience.
Production values are solid. However, direction by Gopichand Malineni feels formulaic and clichéd for Telugu audiences. For North Indian viewers, though, it might offer a new flavor.
Highlights:
Sunny Deol’s presence
High-octane action sequences
Drawbacks:
Excessive violence
Forced emotions
Too many cinematic liberties
Lack of entertainment or relief
Analysis:
There has been an ongoing notion that the South is taking over the North when it comes to pan-India films. Many senior Bollywood stars are now looking southward, hoping that South Indian directors can help keep their presence and legacy alive across the nation. Jaat is one such attempt, bringing Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda together under the direction of Gopichand Malineni.
Films like this are nothing new for Telugu cinema. At times, Jaat feels like a cocktail of Balakrishna’s past movies — only this time, Sunny Deol fills in the lead role. There’s no heroine, which is a bold move for a commercial film. Kudos to the director for taking that risk — though the film doesn’t escape the routine tropes.
Interestingly, the film is filled with South Indian actors, while the protagonist and antagonist are from Bollywood. Most Telugu actors, including Jagapathi Babu, dub their own lines in Hindi — a commendable detail.
However, the film's downfall lies in its over-the-top violence — chopped fingers, beheadings, and brutal scenes involving women are shown in excess. The subplot involving female cops feels manipulative and overloaded with pain and forced sympathy. The portrayal of abandoned hamlets under tyrannical rule feels more like fiction than grounded reality.
Overall, Jaat may come across as stale for Telugu viewers, but North Indian audiences unfamiliar with this formula might find it exotic. Still, many of them would’ve already seen similar dubbed versions on TV or streaming platforms. However, the big-screen DTS experience and Sunny’s iconic voice might still attract a niche crowd. It’s a spicy Telugu Upma-Pesarattu made with Hindi ingredients — a rehash of many mass films. If this one works, expect more to follow.
Bottom Line: Too Loud
