In this episode, we kicked off the entire podcast with Jawan (2023) — because honestly, what better way to start exploring Bollywood than with a movie this gigantic, ridiculous, and spectacular? Directed by Atlee and starring Shah Rukh Khan in what feels like every role imaginable, Jawan is pure Bollywood maximalism.

The movie is a wild action-drama about Azad, a prison warden who leads a gang of women vigilantes, and his mysterious connection to a long-lost army officer, Vikram Rathore — also played by Shah Rukh Khan. There are corrupt politicians, weapon smuggling, and of course, some very melodramatic dad issues.

We spent a lot of time just trying to process how much is happening in this movie. Khilli explained that Jawan is Bollywood spectacle at its peak: slow-motion entrances, giant musical numbers, cartoonish villains, and emotional speeches about justice and patriotism. It’s a movie that throws every possible genre into a blender — and somehow works.

Winnie was totally charmed by Shah Rukh Khan’s charisma, pointing out that even in his 50s, he commands the screen like nobody else. Nicky admitted they didn’t know what the big deal about SRK was before, but after watching Jawan, they completely understood the obsession — calling him a total package of action, romance, and comedy rolled into one.

A huge chunk of the episode was us being floored by the movie’s ridiculous plot devices. Adam couldn’t get over the fact that Shah Rukh Khan’s character literally extends his jail sentence by timing his crimes with pregnancy. We all agreed that was some next-level galaxy brain screenwriting.

We also talked about the movie’s social messaging — something Bollywood blockbusters often sneak in under all the flash and action. Jawan tackles issues like government corruption, faulty weapons in the army, and wealth inequality, but delivers it through the lens of a vigilante dad with abs.

One of our favorite moments was realizing how self-aware the movie is. Khilli mentioned that Bollywood knows it’s being corny — and Jawan fully embraces that, making it part of the fun.

For Adam, coming in as a total outsider to Indian cinema, Jawan was exactly the chaotic, colorful introduction he wanted. It set the tone for everything the podcast would become: four friends laughing, screaming, and trying to decode the wild world of Desi films together.