Shah Rukh Khan’s action-packed blockbuster, ‘Jawan’ is the 5th highest-grossing Indian movie of all time with a global box office collection of over Rs 1150+ crores.
It is the second Indian movie of the year to top 1000 crores worldwide, after ‘Pathaan’ which was also headed by Shah Rukh Khan.
Beyond its thrilling action, the movie dives into real-life incidents that have deeply impacted India. Let’s explore how ‘Jawan’ draws inspiration from these dark events and sheds light on crucial social issues.
Gorakhpur Hospital Tragedy
The tragic incident at Gorakhpur Hospital in 2017 was caused by a shortage of oxygen. It is similar to the healthcare scam shown in the movie ‘Jawan’ and the oxygen crisis during the second wave of COVID-19. The movie highlights the neglect in government hospitals and their lack of focus on infrastructure.
In Gorakhpur, India, at Baba Raghav Das Medical College, the hospital ran out of liquid oxygen. This resulted in the deaths of more than 80 patients, including 63 children.
In the film ‘Jawan’, there is a scene that reminds people of the Gorakhpur Hospital tragedy. The character Dr. Eeram, played by Sanya Malhotra, is a doctor accused of causing the death of multiple children.
This scene is similar to the real-life incident involving Dr. Kafeel Khan, a pediatrician at Gorakhpur’s BRD Medical College and Hospital, who was arrested after the tragedy.
Dr. Khan had tried to get oxygen cylinders for critically ill children but faced accusations and legal troubles instead. The movie ‘Jawan’ pays tribute to Dr. Khan through the character of Dr. Eeram.
He himself tweeted about the film, saying that he hadn’t watched it but received messages from people mentioning him. He pointed out the difference between the world of movies and real life. In the film, the guilty health minister and others are punished, while he and 81 families are still seeking justice.
Dr. Khan expressed gratitude to Shah Rukh Khan and Atlee Kumar, the film’s director, for addressing social issues. The film ‘Jawan’ brought attention back to Dr. Kafeel Khan and the Gorakhpur oxygen scandal, although in the movie, Dr. Iram goes to jail instead of him.
Bhopal Gas Tragedy
The movie ‘Jawan’ does something different by talking about a tragic event called the Bhopal gas tragedy. It happened in 1984 and was one of the worst disasters in India. On December 2, harmful gas started leaking from a pesticide plant in Bhopal, causing the Bhopal gas tragedy. Many people died, with estimates ranging from 15,000 to 20,000.
‘Jawan’ mentions this tragedy to remind us that industries need to be cleaner and safer. It also wants big businesses to understand their responsibility.
The movie shows the ongoing medical, legal, and moral consequences of the tragedy. It wants companies to take responsibility for their actions. By talking about this the popular movie wants to make people think about how industries affect society.
In the movie, the Bhopal gas tragedy is not just mentioned once, but it is shown and talked about twice. This helps us understand the ongoing effects of the tragedy. It reminds us of the importance of cleaner industries and sends a strong message to big businesses.
Bofors scandal
The Bofors scandal was a big problem between India and Sweden during the 1980s and 1990s. It involved politicians from the Indian National Congress, including the Prime Minister at that time, Rajiv Gandhi, and people from the Indian and Swedish governments.
They were accused of taking illegal money from a Swedish company called Bofors AB. The company gave them money in exchange for giving them a contract to sell weapons to India.
In the movie ‘Jawan’, there is a part set in the 1980s that reminds us of the Bofors scandal. In this part, a character named Vikram Rathore, who is a commando in the Indian army, leads a mission to stop terrorists.
He discovers that the weapons they were given are not working properly, and because of that, some soldiers died in previous missions.
Vikram blames the person who gave them the faulty weapons and wants the government to cancel their contract. This part in Jawan is similar to what happened during the Bofors scandal in 1986.
‘Jawan’ is a movie that looks like other popular movies, but it takes courage to make a movie like this. It has become the fastest Hindi movie to be the 5th highest-grossing Indian movie of all time with a global box office collection of over 1150 crores.
Farmer Suicide
In the movie ‘Jawan’, they talk about a very sad problem in India – farmers’ suicides. The film shows that many farmers are taking their own lives because they are facing a lot of difficulties. The movie wants to make people think about why the government hasn’t changed the farming laws in the right way.
‘Jawan’ shows the struggles that farmers go through, like not having enough water for their crops or getting flooded. They also have a lot of debt and feel overwhelmed. The movie wants to show how all these things can lead someone to feel so hopeless that they decide to end their own life.
The filmmakers hope that by talking about farmers’ suicides, people will realize how serious this problem is. They want to raise awareness and make people understand that we need to find ways to help farmers and make things better for them.
The movie encourages everyone to consider ways to support farmers and prevent such tragic outcomes.
‘Jawan’ not just a regular action movie
‘Jawan’ isn’t just a regular action movie. It tells stories from real life in India that are sad and important. It shows how things like hospital problems, industrial accidents, and political scandals affect people’s lives.
The movie reminds us of the Gorakhpur Hospital Tragedy, where many children died because there wasn’t enough oxygen.
It also talks about the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, where a lot of people died because of gas from a factory. And it shows a scandal called the Bofors scandal, where politicians took money to buy weapons for India.
‘Jawan’ isn’t just about entertainment; it wants people to think about these problems. It wants us to understand how they affect us and what we can do to make things better.
As the movie does well in theaters, it shows that people care about these issues. It’s a reminder that movies can make us think about important things and maybe even change the world for the better.
Mallika Sadhu is a journalist committed to revealing the raw, unfiltered truth. Mallika's work is grounded in a dedication to transparency and integrity, aiming to present clear and impactful stories that matter. Through comprehensive reporting and honest storytelling, she strives to contribute to provide narratives that genuinely inform and engage. When not dwelling in the world of journalism, she is immersed in the colors of her canvas and pages of her journal.
Comments