Jaat review: Jat men Sunny Deol, Randeep Hooda regale in Southern chaos – Beyond Bollywood

An antagonist named Ranatunga from Jaffna is sure to grab attention, but director Gopichand Malineni’s debut Bollywood film respects Tamil sentiments and remains politically correct. The movie thrives on the compelling performances of Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫 (2.5 / 5)

By Mayur Lookhar

A Bollywood mass action thriller. Add a dash of patriotism, and this genre often simmers with an India vs Pakistan narrative. That’s been the norm, but Telugu filmmaker Gopichand Malineni breaks away from convention for his Bollywood debut Jaat (2025). Here, evil sails into India in the form of Ranatunga, a rebel from Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

Ranatunga (Randeep Hooda), his brother Somulu (Vineet Kumar Singh), and two accomplices survive the brutal Civil War of 2009, but end up as bonded laborers under the victorious Sri Lankan army. When they stumble upon a hidden trunk of gold, Ranatunga sees it as his chance to break free. Along with his rebel brothers, he brutally takes down the Lankan soldiers and escapes to a remote town in Andhra Pradesh, India. Corrupt local police offer him refuge, and in 15 years, the man from Jaffna has terrorised 40 villages across this coastal region.

Such dangerous men cannot thrive without the support of local police and political patronage. But considering the scale of destruction—dozens of villagers beheaded—can four Sri Lankan men really unleash such terror in India without the Central Government or the Indian Armed Forces getting even a whiff of it for 15 straight years?

Indian mass action dramas often come with an unspoken demand for suspension of disbelief—but this only works if the filmmakers succeed in making you believe in their story. Jaat is largely believable, thanks to director Gopichand Malineni and writer Saurabh Gupta, who also has Animal (2023) to his credit.

More on the screenplay later, but returning to the conflict—the hapless villagers find a ray of hope when an unknown Jat man (played by Sunny Deol) accidentally lands in their remote Andhra village. An express train is forced to make an unscheduled stop, and it’ll be hours before it’s back on track. Hungry, the friendly Jat wanders into a humble nearby eatery. Just as he’s about to dig into his steam idli, a few goons walk in—one of them accidentally kicks his plate. The Jat man gently asks him to apologise, but the thug refuses. Ranatunga’s cocky henchmen are about to discover the power of the famous dhai kilo ka haath. As the Jat says, “The North has witnessed this power—now it’s the South’s turn.”

This simple demand for an apology eventually brings the Jat man to Ranatunga’s doorstep. Surprisingly, Ranatunga offers a swift sorry and lashes out at his brother Somulu for dragging a stranger into their fortress. While pleased to hear the sorry, our hero senses something deeply unsettling about the place. He soon rescues around 8–10 female police officers who had been stripped and kidnapped by Ranatunga’s wife, Bharati (Regina Cassandra).

Ranatunga, unexpectedly, allows the Jat and the women to leave—but not before issuing a warning: flee by evening, or face slaughter. But his men, thirsting for blood, don’t wait that long. The stage is set for an epic Jat versus Ranatunga showdown.

The trailer built intrigue mainly due to the dhai kilo ka haath dialogue and the unusual name for a Hindi film protagonist. Recently, the Indian Prime Minister visited Sri Lanka and even met the country’s cricketing legends from the 1996 World Cup. Lankan great Sanath Jayasuriya, who was once a politician, appealed to PM Modi to help bring cricket to Jaffna, once a hotbed of the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). Well, former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga and his teammates might not be too amused to see a Ranatunga portrayed as a villain in a Bollywood film.

It’s not the legendary Lankan cricketers—our real concern was how the film would be perceived in Tamil Nadu. The Sri Lankan civil conflict has always been a sensitive issue in the Indian state. This Ranatunga has his own backstory, which unfolds later, revealing him not as a true rebel, but as someone who defected from the Tamil cause for selfish gains. Ah, that should ease any Tamil concerns in Tamil Nadu.

While Ranatunga is a fictitious character, one is reminded of Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan, also known as Karuna Amman—the former LTTE Eastern Province Commander who broke away from the group, later allied with the Sri Lankan government, and even served as a minister. Ranatunga, a Lankan mercenary, illegally sails into India—but he doesn’t land in Tamil Nadu; he heads to Andhra. Jaat’s politically correct narrative should ensure that no Tamil sentiments are hurt.

Jats are a farming community found across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Western Uttar Pradesh. In the Haryanvi dialect, the word is pronounced as Jaat. With a title like Jaat, there were initial concerns about whether the Bollywood film might impose North Indian cultural overtones down South.  However, the term carries a different subtext here. Themes of exploitation—of the poor, of natural resources—hint at underlying class/caste oppression. Sunny Deol plays a Jat, but we leave it to the viewers to interpret the deeper significance of Jat in this film. Though from different cultures, it’s the love for mitti that binds the Jat (Deol) to the Telugu locals.

Sunny Deol found a new lease of life when Gadar 2 (2023), despite negative reviews, became a smash hit. Deol has long held a grouse against critics who label his films as “for the masses.” But the seasoned actor must remember—it’s the film industry itself that has long championed this very ‘mass’ culture. Even Jaat arrives with the promise of a mass feast. Today, strong content appeals to both the masses and the classes. Would Pushpa 2 (2024) have made ₹1500 crore nett box office haul if it catered only to the masses?

While the Khans have looked jaded in action roles lately, Sunny Deol remains a rare beast—at 67, he still looks the part. Here’s a man who never flaunted six-pack abs, yet his sheer persona, his aura, has stayed intact. Jaat has its share of over-the-top action, but Deol draws cheers purely through his presence and dialoguebaazi—especially the iconic dhai kilo ka haath.

From handpump to cartwheel, Deol now hurls a pillar fan at his enemies. The buildup to the Jat vs. Ranatunga battle is skillfully crafted, but the final action falls short of the hype. For someone who admits he still doesn’t read scripts, Deol continues to rely on his natural charm and raw power to drive such performances.

Randeep Hooda, a Jat himself, appears more Jat than Sri Lankan in Jaat.  Imposing any accent on his antagonist would have appeared fake. Given the region in which this conflict is based, it would have been natural to turn Jaat into a Tamil or Telugu flick, but where would Gopichand find a Randeep Hooda or Sunny Deol down South?  Keep the lingual debate aside, and you get a cold, frightening, brutal yet brilliant act from the Haryanvi (Hooda).  

Regina Cassandra left us in Awe with her grey character in Awe (2018), but she unleashes the she-beast in her in Jaat. Given their penchant for beheading people, it’s no surprise that Bharati and Ranatunga are made for each other. However, the two chop off one too many heads, and it’s never a great sight when a child bears witness to such violence. Cassandra is both frightening and impressive. The gore, however, could have been toned down a bit.

Vineet Kumar Singh hams his way through as Somulu. One wishes he had made more of the opportunity to clash with Sunny Deol. The supporting cast is largely disappointing, with Saiyami Kher copping much of the blame. She’s been around since 2016, yet still cuts a sorry figure. While one empathizes with Vijay Lakshmi (Kher) and the other female cops, the excessive melodrama makes it unbearable to watch. In a region where most male cops are corrupt, it’s the women who muster the courage to take on Ranatunga. The women’s safety message is loud and clear in Jaat. 

Makrand Deshpande and the other villagers indulge in such painful melodrama that it almost makes the audience justify the violence inflicted on them by Ranatunga and his men.

Thaman S’s background score is fitting, but the item song featuring Urvashi Rautela is hard to watch. Our Jaat hero gets a theme song in the end credits, but it’s Ranatunga who enjoys a more intriguing BGM. Rishi Punjabi’s cinematography stands out—especially in two key scenes: the first face-off between Jaat and Ranatunga, where both point guns at each other with Regina’s anxious expression perfectly framed between them, and a thrilling chase across rugged terrain, with bouncing bikes captured skillfully.

Jaat has its flaws, but it’s a well-packaged entertainer that, with strong word of mouth, is likely to find an audience beyond the single screens.

Watch the video review below.