“Pathaan” is not just a film; it is a phenomenon! “Pathaan” is a Y.R.F. spy thriller packed with well-choreographed action sequences, high points in the narrative, beautiful and rugged locations that simulate reality, beautiful people, and, of course, SHAH RUKH KHAN. S.R.K.’s character in Rohit Shetty’s “Dilwale” recounts the exact number of days he has spent separated from his lover. Similarly, the Bollywood enthusiast and the Shah Rukh fan within us spent four years, one month, and five days yearning for the King to return on screen, and what a comeback it is! The film, directed by Siddharth Anand and based on the screenplay by Sridhar Raghavan, has a predictable plot, and as a viewer walks into the theater, she is aware of the denouement. The film hopscotches through various countries and tends to disorient the viewers, sometimes even posing the difficulty of connecting the episodes through the logic of cause and effect. Here it should be mentioned that the treatment of time and space is definitely not like that of a Nolan film but rather as it should be in a typical mass-action film. The logic sometimes goes haywire. But you willing suspend your disbelief and surrender to the charms of the King -ending up enjoying the film thoroughly.
“Pathaan” is an important film as far as the theatrical future of Hindi cinema, or Bollywood is concerned. During the pandemic, Indian audiences became habituated with the O.T.T. platforms and direct-to-home entertainment services. After everything was restored to normalcy, it was observed that the formulaic films featuring popular stars were suddenly not performing as well as they were expected to. The dry spell of Bollywood in theaters was broken by “Brahmastra” last year. But this year, “Pathaan” has brought abundance and replenished the box office. The dialogues by Abbas Tyrewala are impactful and remind us of the brilliant one-liners Bollywood has long been associated with. The current political atmosphere of the country and the movement to “boycott Bollywood” make “Pathaan” even more significant. The act of watching this film in theaters right now is being considered by many as an act of resistance on the part of the liberal Indians who are trying to resist the non-democratic forces that have entrapped our country.
“Pathaan” also highlights the fact that Bollywood, as an industry at this point in time, is all set to work as a fraternity for the betterment of the business. Y.R.F. is on the road to creating its own spy verse with Salman Khan as Tiger, Hrithik Roshan as Kabir, and now Shah Rukh Khan as Pathaan. With a partially original plot that runs high on patriotic sentiments and action sequences that are well executed but definitely unoriginal, “Pathaan” will remind you of the slick chases from films like “Mission Impossible,” “Fast & Furious,” “Tenet,” and even “Top Gun.” The film shows Siddharth Anand’s love for espionage movies, and he pays careful attention to the intricacies of a heist film to make the implausible plausible and the unbelievable believable. In short, “Pathaan” is thoroughly entertaining, and it doesn’t allow you to be distracted. It is a star-studded film, and every character has a role to play. On that note, let’s take a look at the cast and who plays what:
Shah Rukh Khan As Pathaan
Pathaan is an army officer and an ex-RAW agent. After he suffers serious injuries on a mission, he creates a new military unit that employs ex-officers for various missions. Pathaan’s real name is never revealed in the film, although we get the story that earned him the name Pathaan. In fact, as the character reveals that he is an orphan who was abandoned by his parents in a movie theater, the audience slowly buys into the myth of Pathaan. Brought up by the state, Pathaan placed his motherland on the pedestal of his mother, and he would go to the extreme end to save his country. In the course of the film, Pathaan, who is a visual manifestation of a real-world superhero, gets beaten up, arrested, abducted, cheated upon, and plotted against, but he keeps on resurrecting from each situation, reminding the audience that he is still alive. The director keeps on informing the audience that Pathaan is not invincible and is very much human. In fact, there is a hilarious exchange between Pathaan and Tiger in the middle of a fight sequence on a train when Tiger hands him over a packet of painkillers, and they have a conversation about lower back pain. Pathaan is your savior, whose name ironically doesn’t have a religious adherence; rather, it is a name given by his Afghan family for his bravery in saving their (the Afghans’) village. “Pathaan ” revamps Shah Rukh Khan’s career, remodels him in kintsugi, and gives us our favorite star back. It feels like he is being relaunched, this time as an action hero who cannot look any better.
Shah Rukh Khan is often called the “Badshah of Bollywood” and is well known for his romantic image. He has very correctly self-proclaimed himself as the last of the stars. He is known for his work in films like “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge,” “Swades,” “Chak de! India,” “Veer-Zara,” “Kal Ho Naa Ho,” etc., and he has been ruling over every Indian heart for over three decades now. With “Pathaan,” he has re-established that he is going to be a legend who will entertain many upcoming generations.
Deepika Padukone As Rubina Mohsin
Dr. Rubina Mohsin is an ex-ISI agent. She is working with Jim, the founder of “Outfit X,” a group of mercenary spies and assassins from various secret agencies around the world. As she dances on the beaches of a quaint little town in her saffron bikini, Rubina lures Pathaan into Jim’s lair, where they try to kill him. Almost immediately after this scene, she declares herself to be an undercover agent of I.S.I. and saves Pathaan’s life. She wins over his heart, and we can see a romantic angle between the two. She, with Pathaan’s help, manages to execute the “Raktabeej” heist in Moscow. In a strange turn of events, Rubina again goes rogue against Pathaan and gets him arrested, only to return and save the day for millions of Indians in the future.
With great acting prowess, Deepika Padukone is one of the best-looking actresses in Hindi cinema ever. She made her debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in 2007 with “Om Shanti Om” and since then has appeared in many films, including “Ramleela,” “Piku,” “Chennai Express,” “Cocktail,” “Padmavat,” and “Bajirao Mastani,” to name a few. Her role in “Pathaan ” is simply not that of a model-like bikini enthusiast; in fact, it has depth with a backstory, and she performs some great stunts in the film too.
John Abraham As Jim
Jim is a soldier who has “patriot” tattooed on his neck but has now turned rogue because he feels that the country has not paid him his due. Just like Pathaan Jim, he, too, has no last name. This was probably the code name he was given when he was a R.A.W. agent. But unlike Pathaan, Jim did once have a family. When they were abducted, however, his wife and their unborn child were slaughtered, and the government didn’t do anything to save their lives. Jim has been long gone and is dead in the government’s files. Now rogue agent Jim runs a terrorist militant outfit called “Outfit X” that operates in exchange for money. When a dying rogue general from Pakistan tries to take revenge against India for scrapping Article 370, he hires Jim for “operation Rakshabeej,” that is, to spread out a more rapid pandemic like COVID-19, but this time through a mutated smallpox virus.
John Abraham looks amazing as a villain in the film. He has earlier appeared in films like “Taxi No. 9 2 11: Nau Do Gyarah”,”Dhoom,” “New “Kabul, “Dostana,” and “Madras Café” have either been hits or have been appreciated by critics. Recently, his outings, like “Satyamev Jayate” and “Batla House,” were unsuccessful, but “Pathaan” has surely put him back on the audience’s radar.
Dimple Kapadia As Nandini
Nandini is the Head of the J.O.C.R. (‘Joint Operation and Covert Research’) unit that Pathaan helps to establish. Nandini and Pathaan share a very special bond where she takes care of him like a son. He respects her and confers the title of “best officer.” Nandini dies trying to save her country from biological warfare. Dimple Kapadia is a veteran Bollywood star. She debuted in “Bobby” at the age of 14. She is known for her work in films like “Dil Chahta “Finding “Cocktail,” “Dabangg,” andÂ
Ashutosh Rana As Colonel Sunil Luthra
Colonel Luthra is Nandini’s boss and seems to be a dispatcher of R.A.W. agents. He seems to be the bureaucratic obstacle that Pathaan and his team have to cross every time they are on a mission to save the country. Ashutosh Rana is a veteran actor known for his negative roles. He has won a couple of Filmfare awards for his roles in films like “Sangharsh” and “Dushman.” He has acted in multiple Indian languages like Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada. He is an actor par excellence. As of this writing, “Pathaan” is a raging success and is playing at a cinema near you.
See more: ‘Kaapa’ Cast And Character Guide: Everything You Need To Know About The Characters
