Raj Kanwar is easily the most underrated director of the 90s. He delivered many hits from Deewana to Laadla to Jaan to Jeet and Judaai. Jaan was a successful film at the BO primarily because it was extremely well promoted. I remember how aggressively the film's producer (Ashok Ghai) and the music company (Tips) played the songs/trailers on almost every channel.
The story of Jaan reminds me of Ashok Ghaik's elder brother Subhash Ghai's smash hit Hero. They are not exactly the same but there is some resemblance. Ajay Devgun's raw appeal worked in his favor and Twinkle Khanna was a breath of fresh air in this film. The love scenes and drama will seem over the top today, but in 1996 it did seem enjoyable. The comedy was not up to the mark though (Johnny Lever and Priya Arun).
Acting wise Ajay Devgun was quite good. He had done similar roles in Vijaypath and Jigar and Divyashakti and well, you get the picture! For her second film, Twinkle Khanna was good. She looked extremely pretty. Vivek Mushran was alright. Amrish Puri was excellent in a role that suited him all the way.
One of the biggest strengths of the film was its music. Raj Kanwar's sense of rhythm, Anand-Milind's gift of melody and Anand Bakshi's poetic capabilities made Jaan one of the best albums of 1996. The title song was the pick of the lot, but the overall Indian/folksy flavor of the songs ensured that the songs continue to play in the interiors even 20 years later. In fact Subhash Ghai was so impressed with the music of the film that he personally designed the song promos.
Raj Kanwar knew exactly how to direct a film for that time period. He infused all the necessary elements in perfect quantities and made sure that the film was balanced in all respects. Drama was his forte and this film had (over)loads of it. It's not great cinema but it is surely paisa vasool and entertaining stuff. If you like a 100% commercial Bollywood potboiler, Jaan is for you!
