PLOT
The movie, which broadens Yrf’s spy universe, tells the genesis tale of Pathaan ( ShahRukh Khan), a former soldier turned covert agent, and Jim, his mortal enemy.
The plot centers on India’s decision to repeal Article 370 and how it affects a Pakistani officer who demands payment from India for its “mistake.”
He offers Jim (John Abraham), an ex-RAW agent who his guys wronged, an olive branch. His sexy partner Rubai (Deepika Padukone), a former ISI agent with nebulous motives, joins him.
REVIEW
Pathaan is an ambitious action thriller that plays to the crowd and lives up to expectations. It’s an event movie because it’s Shah Rukh Khan’s first movie in four years.
Pathaan starts like a filmy Mountain Dew commercial with far-fetched dialogue, but it quickly finds its own and is high on star power and elegance. Pathaan, Jim, and Rubai face off while crossing international borders and playing a dangerous game of betrayal and retribution.
Director Siddharth Anand goes overboard in his spy thriller. He treats it more like a superhero film that calls for a lot of suspension of disbelief. Here, it is clear that he is fascinated by and worships conventional Hollywood blockbusters like the Mission Impossible flicks starring Tom Cruise and the Marvel movies.
Expect a wingsuit a la Falcon, heightened action and chase scenes, death-defying feats on vehicles, ice, and in helicopters, eternal heroes and villains mouthing short speeches, a femme fatale, and all of this drenched in the notion of patriotism.
It is novel territory for SRK, who is best known for his romantic or conversational roles, that the action dominates the narrative for a considerable portion of the film. It’s fascinating how, at 57, he still portrays a full-fledged action hero, letting his physique and those intensely expressive eyes do the talking.
He saves a mediocre story and shoddy VFX with his presence. The film’s music was composed by Vishal & Shekhar, and while the background score doesn’t quite feel in sync with the scenes, it still captures the bravery and courage on exhibit.
John Abraham does a good job playing Jim in Pathaan, which is another standout. John is scary and presents a classic example of how the villain occasionally eclipses the hero, whether it’s through his Bane-like masked entry or action routines.
Although Deepika Padukone is well-cast as the obedient, morally dubious, leggy agent, their relationship feels undeveloped. It lacks the same vigor that SRK’s portrayals of John-characters have.
Rating – Three out of five stars.
Siddharth Anand wrote, directed, and Aditya Chopra served as the film’s producer. In addition to Dimple Kapadia, Siddhant Ghegadmal, and many other actors, it features Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham in pivotal roles. On January 25, 2023, it was published. OTT platform Amazon Prime Video will offer the movie for streaming.
