Pathan Movie Review: Record-Breaking Opener of 2023

Audience expectations for the movie have grown tenfold due to all the controversies and noise it has been creating in the past few weeks. The Pathan is a crime thriller movie by Siddharth Anand starring Shahrukh Khan.

The story screenplay and the dialogues of the film were written by Siddharth Anand, Shridhar Raghavan, and Abbas. Other people in the leading roles include Deepika Padukone and John Abraham with Dipak Kapadia, Siddharth Dhamaal, and many others in supporting roles.

If you can get past the cheesiness of lines like "You are pretty screwed," Pathaan has everything you could want in a masala potboiler: slow-motion entries, an iconic battle of good versus evil, and, most importantly, a handsome and chiseled Shah Rukh Khan, who can fight the good fight on and off the screen. The film is an origin story for ex-army man turned undercover agent Pathaan (Shah Rukh Khan) and his arch nemesis Jim (John Abraham), who join the ranks of Yrf's spy universe (previously led by Salman Khan's Tiger and Hrithik Roshan's Kabir).

An ambitious action thriller that successfully plays to the crowd and delivers on its promise, Pathaan is well worth seeing. In the story, a Pakistani officer is affected by India's decision to end Jammu and Kashmir's special status (article 370), and he wants India to pay for this "mistake." He reaches out to the formidable Jim, an ex-RAW agent who was wronged by his own people. His attractive partner, a former ISI agent named Rubai (Deepika Padukone), has questionable intentions. As they jump continents and engage in a dangerous game of betrayal and revenge, Pathaan, Jim, and Rubina lock eyes and horns. They all have a vested interest in either destroying or safeguarding the worlds they believe in, and they race to do so.

The general consensus on the film is that action trumps emotions for the most part, and given SRK's dominance in that realm, it's interesting how he lets his body do the talking here alongside those powerfully evocative eyes. His appearance rescues the film from having a mediocre script and shoddy visual effects. The main theme does a good job of reflecting the heroics and bravado on display, but the rest of the score doesn't feel like it fits with the situation

A highlight of the film is John Abraham's excellent performance as Jim. John's performance, particularly in the masked entry he makes like Bane and the stunt sequences that follow, is superb and exemplifies the classic trope of the villain stealing the show from the hero. Although Deepika Padukone is perfectly cast and has serious fighting chops, the sparks between her and Shah Rukh Khan aren't exactly flying. Disappointingly, it doesn't have the same energy as John-SRK's screen chemistry. Dimple Kapadia, channeling her inner Tenet, adds the necessary weight and emotion to the story.

Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan Salary: A 2,500,000% Increase

Salman Khan's cameo in Pathaan steals the show

The cameo appearance by the Bollywood superstar as his famous character “Tiger” was met with the loudest cheers. Many people were looking forward to seeing Salman Khan in the spy action movie, but even they were surprised when he showed up out of the blue. When Shah Rukh Khan's character, Pathaan, was being mercilessly beaten by the bad guys, Tiger appeared out of nowhere to save him. As SRK's character fights off the villains, the RAW agent offers assistance, teasing the audience with his signature checked scarf from his movie “Tiger Zinda Hai."  Bollywood movie fans are happy to see two big stars collaborating with each other, as it indicates that they are finally setting aside their egos and joining hands to give the fans a great cinematic experience. Some reports also say that Shahrukh Khan might make a cameo appearance in the next Salman Khan movie. 

Pathan is being called “Shahrukh Khan’s best action movie”

Shahrukh Khan is best recognized for his romantic comedic roles. But Pathan has successfully shown that he has the right skills and dexterity to be a full-on action hero. Although he has acted in action sequences before, his previous films lacked the intensity of the ones in Pathan. Action choreographers' imaginative flair helped sell their performances. There was no attempt at exaggeration on their part. The majority of the action scenes were convincingly filmed. Even after four years away from the big screen, Shahrukh Khan has proven he was well worth the wait. It is true that love wins! Fans love Shahrukh Khan for who he is, and nothing can take that love away. Pathan has already earned more than 150crores in two days.