Jaat Movie Review: Sunny Deol Return Is Loud, Violent and Emotionally Hollow

Bollywood Mascot: After a successful comeback with Gadar 2, Sunny Deol returns to the screen in Jaat—a film that wants to be fierce, emotional, and rooted in deshbhakti, but ends up being a chaotic blend of over-the-top violence, weak storytelling, and excessive melodrama. Directed by Gopichand Malineni, Jaat attempts to showcase Deol as the ever-powerful, lion-hearted soldier-cum-farmer, but fails to hit the emotional and narrative depth it aspires to reach.

Deol plays Brigadier Baldev Pratap Singh, nicknamed ‘Bulldozer’—a character who doesn’t hesitate to crush wrongdoers underfoot, both metaphorically and literally. He’s a one-man army, a soldier with a conscience, and a patriot whose fists seem to be blessed by the gods of justice. While the character allows Deol to flex his action-hero muscles—swinging swords, firing rifles, and snarling iconic one-liners—it all starts to feel mechanical and uninspired rather quickly.

On the other end of the battlefield is Randeep Hooda, playing the antagonist Rana Thunga—a sadistic overlord who slaughters villagers and spreads terror in rural Andhra Pradesh. Hooda brings menace and an eerie calm to the role, but his talents are underutilized in a film more focused on brutal visuals than layered storytelling.

The women in the film—played by Regina Cassandra and Saiyami Kher—sadly have little to do. Their characters exist largely as moral anchors or victims, and despite their capable performances, they’re sidelined by a plot that’s too enamored with bloodshed to care about emotional arcs.

Director Gopichand Malineni appears to have been inspired by the gritty aesthetic of South Indian action cinema, but Jaat lacks the freshness and emotional gravitas that defines the best of that genre. Instead, the film feels like a relic—drenched in the nostalgia of old-school Bollywood action, yet weighed down by a script that doesn’t give its characters space to evolve.

Perhaps the most glaring issue is the unrelenting violence. Brutal killings, mutilations, and disturbing visuals of violence against women are thrown at the viewer with almost numbing frequency. It’s a sensory overload that drowns any emotional or thematic resonance the film might have aimed for. Rather than evoking empathy, it distances the audience.

There are brief moments where the film touches on poignant themes—duty, identity, justice—but those moments are fleeting. A speech here, a flashback there, and then it’s back to bloodbaths and fiery explosions.

Jaat had the potential to be a powerful film about strength, resilience, and justice. Instead, it ends up being a loud, overlong, and emotionally disconnected experience that feels more exhausting than entertaining.