Sumit Arora: From day one, Jawan had feminist energy

Jawan still

The iconic duo of Salim-Javed have long been an inspiration for dialogue writer Sumit Arora. However, his filmography - dotted with comedies like Stree (2018) and The Family Man - gave him little opportunity to follow their style. Until Jawan came his way.

On the surface, the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer is a massy entertainer. The Rs 1,000-crore worldwide box-office collections prove it. But look deeper, and you see that the leading man and director Atlee have given us a powerful vigilante drama. The Tamil filmmaker may not be well-versed in Hindi, but it didn't stop him from seamlessly sharing his vision with his team. Breaking down the process, Arora says, "Atlee always presents his characters in a massy way. So, Shah Rukh sir and I worked together to find Azad and Vikram Rathore's [Khan's characters] language. We'd sit with the dialogue draft, and Shah Rukh sir would explain the line to Atlee in English. Sometimes, Atlee would convey the emotion he wanted for the scene, and we'd capture it in our own rhythm."

Sumit Arora

What added to the joy was writing dialogues, keeping in mind the distinct personalities of Khan's characters, Vikram Rathore and Azad. "The father and son are different from each other. They [only] have similarities in ideals. Azad was raised by women, so he [stood for] tenderness. Since Vikram was a product of a different time, he was a tough army man. For me, it meant that he had swag. So, I brought out these elements in the dialogues."

Since its release, the superstar's monologue about the importance of the right to vote has become wildly popular. But ‘Yeh jail meri auraton ka hai' remains Arora's favourite. He says the line reflects the movie's feminist tone set by Atlee. "It could've easily been, ‘Yeh meri auratein hai.' But Azad, who is defined by his mother's teachings, wouldn't say this because he doesn't think it's his jail or these are his women. From day one, the film had a feminist energy."

The Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi-starrer has given Arora a newfound recognition in the industry. But what he cherishes the most is working with Khan. "Shah Rukh sir has taught me to be open to others and respectful to everyone. You create better when you are welcoming of others' ideas."