The maska before the tadka

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What's a pan-India Hindi film without some South Indian tadka? The makers of the highly anticipated Shah Rukh Khan-led Jawan have devised a strategic distribution plan that will have something for fans from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. While director Atlee - known for his massy films - will bring his sensibilities to the fore, the inclusion of Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi has already sent cinegoers into a tizzy. Add to that Anirudh Ravichander's musicality, and you have the perfect recipe. But that's not all; the high-octane actioner will be peppered with cameos from south superstars.

"It is true that Jawan is making one of the biggest openings in the south for any Hindi film till date," says film distributor-multiplex owner Raj Bansal, adding that the year that started with Pathaan has been strengthened by Sunny Deol's Gadar. And Jawan will take it a notch higher. "To win over the south audiences, top stars from the Tamil and Telugu film industries, including Nayanthara, Atlee, and music director Anirudh, have been roped in. I am told there are two cameos - Tamil superstar Thala Vijay and Telugu superstar Allu Arjun - but they haven't revealed them as yet. In Hindi, Sanjay Dutt will be the surprise element," he reveals.

Vijay and Allu Arjun

The star quotient will increase footfall in theatres. To meet that demand, distributors have increased screens. Going by the advance booking, Telengana and Andhra Pradesh's distributor, Riaz Hyder, says, "The release of Jawan is like a big, regular Telugu film with 800 plus screens in Telengana and Andhra Pradesh. Every hour, new shows and screens are added. In cities like Tirupati, Nandiyal, Hyderabad, Rajahmundry, and Vizag, theatres are already full, including the 6 am, 8am, and 9 am shows."

Trade expert Taran Adarsh explains that while Pathaan had the maximum number of screens in the south, soon Jawan will cross that mark. "There are many reasons for this - one of them being the Pathaan effect and Shah Rukh's growing popularity down south. He has become a much bigger brand today," he says.

While Jawan is not the first movie to open in regional languages or regions, a targeted distribution plan to "woo southern audiences" is novel. "There's definitely a strategy in this," says trade analyst Atul Mohan. He further explains that Khan made his inroads into the south film industry with Chennai Express (2013). "which was his first stepping stone," followed by Pathaan. "In Jawan, he has perfectly balanced the north and south. Besides Atlee, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, and Anirudh, Thala Vijay is a huge crowd-puller. He is close to Atlee. [In addition to that], Shah Rukh and he have a mutual admiration for each other and are good friends, which will translate on screen. I think the first day of opening in Hindi would [approximately] be over R75 crore, and for the Tamil and Telugu versions, [approximately] over R20 crore. With Jawan, he isn't making inroads, but a highway into the south film industry."