Pathaan Movie Review

When you’ve got the brands like Yash Raj Films and Siddarth Anand names involved, every hardcore buff of their movies would have easily judged what’s ‘Pathaan’ is all about. The larger-than-life stunts we got to see in visual promos struck the inquisitive nerve points of buffs, who ritually adored the Dhoom and Tiger franchise along with War. Significantly, Shahrukh Khan’s arrival into the Spyverse of YRF triggered their excitement to watch out for the 57-yr old actor’s enticing six packs and herculean energy.

So what’s the tale all about?

Just like any other hackneyed espionage tale, Pathaan is about an Indian spy (Shahrukh Khan), who combats with Jim (John Abraham), a leader of incorrigible miscreants, who have thwarted notorious plans to devastate the homeland.

Shahrukh Khan’s energy is infectious. Yeah! We do find most of the action sequences are shot using green mat and CGI works, but still, his undying enthusiasm for breathing sumptuous life into the ‘Pathaan’ role needs special appreciation. The de-aging work on his face in flashback sequences is appreciable. John Abraham’s appearance is good, but it’s a little disappointing to see his abs created through CGI works. A face-off scene with SRK shows him in abs, but the next shot, where he gets into the chopper has his belly (accidentally captured in the camera). However, his screen presence is perfect indeed. Deepika Padukone’s character is all about spicing up the oomph factors with her skimpy costumes. Of course, her action blocks are good, but the chemistry with SRK remains flimsy. Just imagine the duo freezing us with their adorable presence in Om Shanthi Om… Of course, years have passed by, and the writers could have dramatized a better episode for them. It looks like Dimple Kampadia’s role offer is mainly due to her presence in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. The cameo appearance of Salman Khan with his spin-off role from the Tiger franchise, and the reference of Hrithik Roshan, and Katrina Kaif from other YRF Spyverse movies is a treat, who get indulged in an enthusiastic screams from fans.

The songs don’t appeal to our interests, and BGM looks repeated. The cinematography and the production design are the biggest showstoppers here.

While the screen presence of SRK, Deepika, and John Abraham contributes to the engrossing elements of this film, the writing is appreciable in parts. The Hologram element used in the climax reveals the writer’s brilliance. If there were a few more episodes of this paradigm, then Pathaan would have outsmarted the previous flicks from Spyverse. The first half is loaded with too many action sequences, but the post-interval episodes are engaging. Especially with the arrival of Salman Khan followed by the engaging moments, the film keeps us engrossed.

Overall, Pathaan doesn’t disappoint the SRK fans, who curiously waited almost 5 years for his onscreen comeback. If you’re a novice to the YRF Spyverse and ‘Dhoom’ franchise, Pathaan might look like routine time-worn spy movies, but then if you’re familiar with these abovementioned movies, Pathaan is a delightful watch to sit back munching in popcorn and beverages for the next 145 minutes in the theaters.

Verdict: Pathaan is a 100% commercial entertainer that will not disappoint SRK fans.