July 2019, almost 8 months past the release of Zero, Shah Rukh Khan’s last cinematic outing, under an umbrella diverting drizzle trickles, I sat and gave life a thought. A practice I’ve been following since the day I moved to the city. Whenever life seemed low and hope bleak, I looked up to the mansion aptly named Mannat and realised – if he could withstand so much, why can’t I?
That’s a brief worldview of a Shah Rukh Khan fan and to what the man means to his limitless legion. Beyond the realms of stardom, affixed in the heart is Shah Rukh Khan.
A man who seems close and personal to countless beating hearts. The loverboy for lasses and the unofficial elder brother of a generation of lads.
Pathaan arrives at a very intriguing and transformative phase for the Hindi film industry.
Bogged by a ravaging pandemic and dawn of an evolved public taste, the Hindi film industry seemed in a self-designed state of creative flux; an unavoidable saturation tip.
An offshoot of several interesting variables, Pathaan luckily coincides the combination of a returning hero and a trembling industry.
Storied predicament for a gung-ho comeback and deafening hurrah. Sprinkle atop the dated and needless socio-political malarkey, and you’ve irked legions of diehards and general masses who consider this man the face of Indian middle-class.
What you now have on the table is an event that has outgrown its own confines and snowballed into a moolah monster.
Driven by its strong emotional and compassionate precedence, watching Pathaan is both an outing and a moral objective in the parlance of sentimental favouritism. An emotional duty to rally someone all the way through. A scenario that affords this offering multiple licenses and free hits aplenty.
Right off the bat, the stage is set for mass jubilation and exhilaration.
A terrific entry sequence tailor-fit for Khan unpacks the film with a crescendo. At 57, he moves like an army tank with a Ferrari engine.
As the mob around me erupted into a frenzy, the motif and resultant dividends seemed at even. The people had their SRK’s back.
What followed immediately was a pertinent question – how is Siddharth Anand going to platter the film once the absence novelty wears off? What awaits beyond this? The narrative soon followed suit.
A spy thriller revolving around an exiled agent, a former agent gone rogue and an ISI turncoat, Pathaan lacks the first movers advantage.
Some sequences are highly reminiscent of previous films on covert campaigners, not for they are lifted or uninspired. But the creative and political liberties are as such that the room for a novel, bold voice is pretty narrow.
Another bump in the road is this film’s production timeline. Made through the lockdowns, the visual effects of Pathaan are off radar. While combat action is slick as hell and grounded, the arial setpieces look tacky and obliviously amateurish.
One particular scene set in Dubai ends like a bad 2D sketch. But given that the film has been readied in Veera Desai under testing, damning global conditions, Pathaan’s VFX can be given the benefit of doubt. However, it is a bummer, nonetheless.
Being an origin story also hampers certain facets of the film. The narrative hops from character-driven to plot-driven telling at free will because a lot, and I mean a lot is being attempted to fit into one movie.
The classic case of too much too soon allows the makers to juice in too many elements without satisfactory payoff.
How a fugitive roams around without stealth, a Judas-like betrayer succeeds in restoring faith in Pathaan’s heart and certain other elements are put in minus any credence for emotional investment.
But the nature of this project saves Pathaan from any sort of conclusive statement, for you never know how or if the dots get connected in the next instalments.
The sole strong feedback or criticism for the film is how the character of Rubai, played by Deepika Padukone, was handled. Not enough authorback or meat for a character that had a world of possibilities and potential to be a disruptive female character.
Her best bits are mostly in quick cuts or motion capture. While the flirtatious track with Pathaan is good for chuckles and winks, there is not much to dabble for an actor as evolved as her.
Please give us a firebrand, relentless female character that can seek beyond affection.
A very underrated and seamless portion of this film is John Abraham’s physical transformation. Looking incredibly agile and light, it is in the scenes of agony and haplessness that John thrives and extracts his best, beyond the suave and sinister Jim.
Seemingly ten years younger, Abraham has mastered the cool-bad guy act. From Dhoom to Pathaan, this is his full circle.
Shah Rukh Khan. Dennis the menace. Always upto some twisted ploy. Judging simply by the number of surgeries this man has undergone, he shouldn’t be able to do the kind of stuff he’s pulled off in this film.
While billing Pathaan as his first full blown actioner, Khan has always had the gifts of a top notch action star, teased in films like Don 2, Main Hoon Na, Baazigar and even Fan.
His performance as Pathaan won’t extend his trophy cabinet in any capacity but it’s a demonstration of his love for the craft and extents he’d go to for the audiences.
The “king of romance” was already the uncrowned master of thrills. Pathaan just certifies it.
An interesting observation though would be the absence of his signature mannerism. Barring the inimitable gait, this is a performer gradually letting go of his tested moveset and trying a free hand.
Even though the baritone sounded like SRK had swallowed an Audi R8 engine for lunch, the sass and panache add up to the hullabaloo around this central character.
Courtesy overpopulation of subplots and secondary characters, the story is incoherent and heavily reliant on showboating and pageantry. And as mentioned above in this article, what preceded the release of Pathaan, sealed the fortunate fate of Pathaan.
This is Siddharth Anand’s biggest spectacle but by no means a superlative one.
In entertainment business jargons, often marquee names are termed ‘draws’. Shah Rukh Khan is the biggest draw in the eastern hemisphere (probably in the world). Pathaan is a testament of his bulletproof, troll-proof megastardom.
An ironclad cash grab, the film shouldered by legions of his fanatics and masses alike, will bulldoze the box office and there’s not much anyone can do about it.
This is what transpires when you make a home in hearts. This is what true hype smells like. This, in its most brazen form, is “mega stardom” – An intangible asset, just the antidote necessary to revive the industry back to it’s feet.
And, as I conclude writing this piece, I’ll head to Bandstand, sit on the parapet facing Mannat and absorb the calm gone amiss for nearly 5 years.
Kyonki phir se yeh mahaul… zinda hai!
