After a hiatus of about four years, SRK is back with a bang & Bollywood couldn't have been any happier as the box office counters have been quite barren for quite a while. The stage was set by Siddharth Anand's "Pathaan" which is part of the YRF's spy universe that has been building on since "Tiger". As per the box office reports, the movie has grossed more than 300C in just 3 days & by the looks of it, it is headed to become one of the biggest blockbusters ever. However, it has also been in the news for alleged disrespect showcased in the song 'Besharam rang', which seemed be nothing short of absurd & cheap tactics by those outfits to garner publicity. So how did it manage to click despite all these #ban dramas that happens at the release of all major big banner releases???
With regard to Siddharth, I presume there is no need to introduce him as he has been around for quite a while having helmed movies like "Bang Bang", "War" etc. in recent times. He had also penned the script while Sridhar Raghavan handled the screenplay with dialogues by Abbas Tyrewala. The thought on paper sounded like the regular run of the mill popcorn munching action thriller. Well that's exactly what it is but the racy screenplay manages to keep us engaged despite the occasional slip ups. Even as destruction was unleashed by different terrorist organizations across the globe, it seemed like most of them were outsourced to a group of mercenaries which was headed by Jim (John Abraham). Their latest assignment was from ISI to wreck havoc in India in retaliation for the revoke of Article 370. The Indian intelligence was of the belief that the first step in Jim's plan was to target the President & hence they decide to sent their best man, Pathaan (SRK) & his team to foil their mission. However, it was a tall ask even by Pathaan's standards after all Jim was a former RAW agent & one of the finest ever.
Despite the predictability, the biggest positive was the thought that had gone into the character arcs of the main players involved rather than merely rely on set pieces & visual gimmicks. It is common sense that for the hero to be celebrated, then the villain had to be even more menacing and that's what Siddharth has done here. The credible backstory for Jim, the fallible nature of Pathaan & the decision to make Rubina kick ass (even a sequence that was inspired from "KGF2", "Vikram" etc) rather than merely serve as eye candy is what made this movie so engaging. To add to that, Salman's cameo as 'Tiger' elevates the thrills manifold.
Whenever we watch a movie like this, none of us ought to expect logic in it after all the primary aim is to be awed by the visual spectacle that is on show. Kudos for that goes to Satchith Paulose for the fantastic visuals & the vibrant colour tone used though Aarif Sheikh could have been better on the editing board. In an action flick, the major highlight is undoubtedly the elaborately choreographed sequences which was damn impressive especially when it involved hand to hand combat such as the train sequence which was absolutely delightful. The aerial sequences was rather average primarily because the VFX unexpectedly had some major shortcomings due to which it came across as very ordinary at times.
After more than three decades in the industry, SRK has decided to don an action avatar & he has done utmost justice to it. He was always top notch when it came to charm & humour which is featured here as well. It was heartening to see John in a role that seemed tailormade for him & he was spot on be it in terms of physicality, attitude etc. Deepika amps up the glam quotient but yet seemed at ease in the action sequences also. As for the rest of the cast, both Dimple Kapadia & Ashutosh Rana did their parts aptly.
Verdict: It certainly has its flaws in terms of predictability & VFX effects, however it is still a paisa vasool entertainer. It is not so often in recent times that we come across a cameo that was as enthralling as Salman's (except for Rolex) & the bromance between the two was a treat to the eyes. Interestingly even Aamir was a part of this movie indirectly as his elder sister Nikhat Khan essayed the role of Pathaan's Afghani foster mother. In short, do check it out!!!
Rating: 2.75/5
Regards...Ben
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