Pathaan (film)

''Pathaan'' () is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan in the titular role, alongside Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Dimple Kapadia, and Ashutosh Rana. It is the fourth instalment in the YRF Spy Universe and the first instalment in the universe to establish crossovers between characters from other universe films. The film follows Pathaan, an exiled RAW agent, who works with ISI agent Rubina Mohsin, to take down Jim, a former RAW agent turned rogue, who plans to attack India with a deadly lab-generated virus.

Principal photography commenced in November 2020 in Mumbai. The film was shot in various locations in India, Afghanistan, Spain, UAE, Turkey, Russia, Italy, and France. The film's soundtrack was composed by Vishal–Shekhar, while Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara composed the background score. The film was made on an estimated production budget of .

''Pathaan'' was theatrically released in India on 25 January 2023, coinciding with the Republic Day weekend. The film received generally positive reviews from critics. It broke several box office records for a Hindi film, including the highest opening day, highest single day, highest opening weekend and highest opening week for a Hindi film in India. It eventually emerged as the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time in India to that point and set records in all major overseas markets. ''Pathaan'' grossed worldwide, becoming the second highest-grossing Indian film of 2023, third highest-grossing Hindi film of all time, and eighth highest-grossing Indian film of all time. At the 69th Filmfare Awards, the film received 16 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress (Padukone), and won Best Female Playback Singer (Shilpa Rao for the song " Besharam Rang"). A sequel is in development.

Plot

In 2019, the Indian Government revokes Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which grants special status for Jammu and Kashmir. The news impacts a cancer-ridden Pakistani Army officer, General Qadir, who decides to exact vengeance against India and signs a contract with a private terrorist organisation called ''Outfit X''.

2022: Pathaan, a RAW agent, travels to Africa and captures arms dealer Raafe, who is alarmed to see that he is still alive. Back in India, upon inquisition by a junior, RAW officer Nandini Grewal narrates Pathaan's past after something they have been looking for is found.

2020: Shortly after he finishes a mission in Afghanistan, Pathaan and Nandini form a unit known as "Joint Operations and Covert Research" (J.O.C.R.) to recruit ex-agents and soldiers who were forced to retire, but want to continue serving their country. With Colonel Sunil Luthra's permission, Pathaan and his team head to Dubai to stop Outfit X's suspected plans of attacking the President of India. However, too late they realize that their actual plan was to kidnap two scientists, Dr. Farooqui and Dr. Sahani, who were initially supposed to be part of the President's convoy.

Jim, who leads Outfit X, attacks the scientists' convoy and Pathaan tries to stop him. A fight ensues and Jim manages to escape with Dr. Sahani. During a debrief back at agency headquarters, Luthra reveals to Pathaan and Nandini that Jim was a former agent and Kabir's former partner, who was awarded the '' Vir Puraskar'' for his bravery, his uncle filling in for him to the "posthumous" hunour, after the agency could not find his body when Somalian terrorists kidnapped him and killed his pregnant wife out of vengeance for a ransom deal gone wrong. He faked his death in order to seek vengeance against the country.

Meanwhile, Pathaan is made aware of a codeword, " Raktbeej", in the process, he learns that the dead people in Dubai were ex-agents and their money was transferred from the account of Rubina "Rubai" Mohsin, a Pakistani doctor in Spain. Pathaan travels to Spain and is captured by Jim's men, all former agents of their respective national intelligence agencies, where he also learns that Rubai is an ex- ISI agent, and Raafe his henchman. When Jim leaves his hideout, Rubai attacks Jim's men and escapes with Pathaan. Following a nightmare about her childhood wherein her father, a doctor, was forcibly tortured to death by the ISI, Rubai reveals that Raktbeej is in Moscow, and they travel to steal it before Jim does. Pathaan reveals to Rubai how he was given his name after he helped rescue children in an Afghan village; he was born an orphan abandoned in a cinema hall. Almost on the verge of the mission being successful, Rubai betrays Pathaan and has him captured by the Russian police. It is revealed that Jim used Rubai to make Pathaan steal the Raktbeej for himself. After Nandini disclaims him, Pathaan is taken to prison by a train, but is saved by Tiger; they promise to meet on one of Tiger's later missions.

2022: Pathaan meets Nandini and reveals that Jim is purchasing two Saber missiles, while Nandini reveals Rubai's location in Paris. Pathaan meets Rubai, who reveals that "Raktbeej" is codeword to a mutated smallpox virus, which was forcibly developed by a captive Dr. Sahani under Jim's orders. She also expresses guilt about betraying Pathaan without knowing that her country would plan such a heinous attack. They travel to Jim's lab in Siberia and manage to recover one orb containing the virus, while Jim escapes with the other orb. Luthra and Nandini reach Jim's lab to take the orb back to India in order to develop a vaccine.

At the Indian Institute of Contagious Diseases, Dr. Farooqui opens up the orb to Nandini without apparently finding anything. Jim calls them and reveals that the orb has already spread the virus in the facility. Later, the facility is destroyed in a controlled blast. Jim provides an ultimatum to evacuate Indian soldiers out of Kashmir within 24 hours. Pathaan learns that the missile is situated in Afghanistan. After rescuing Rubai, they lure Jim's associates into a trap and attack Jim's base. Qadir is killed by Rubai after he activates the missile.

Meanwhile, Rubai deactivates the missile, but finds that Raktbeej is not in the missile, but instead in a passenger-bound airplane, which is about to land in Delhi. Rubai informs Pathaan, who finds that Jim has the detonator. Luthra calls the air traffic control to prevent the plane from landing in Delhi. Crashing into a cabin after a long chase mid-air. Enraged, Pathaan and Jim fight brutally. Pathaan steals the detonator, deactivates Raktbeej, and kills Jim. Afterward, Pathaan is reinstated and made the head of J.O.C.R., while Nandini is posthumously awarded with the ''Vir Puraskar'' for her bravery.

During a mid-credits scene harking back to their interaction, Pathaan and Tiger are seen pondering about retiring and suggesting young agents who can replace them, but eventually decide to keep fighting the threats themselves.

Cast

Production

Development

Yash Raj Films, Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham officially announced ''Pathaan'' on 2 March 2022 on their social media accounts, revealing the release date with a first look teaser. It was previously teased by other cast and crew members, including Salman Khan and singer-songwriter Vishal Dadlani, on various occasions before. Dadlani announced the film on Twitter, stating, "No number from the past matters, no number in the future is too big. The whole world is waiting for Shah Rukh, more importantly, we're all working on a kickass film with great songs." This film is YRF's first Dolby Cinema project.

Casting

Shanoo Sharma was the casting director. Khan was cast in the film in September 2020. Padukone joined production that November, while Abraham rounded out the main cast in June 2021, joining filming in Mumbai. Dimple Kapadia was cast in December 2020. Salman Khan was confirmed to make a cameo appearance in November 2020, reprising his role as Avinash Singh Rathore from the ''Tiger'' franchise.

Filming

Principal photography of the film began on 17 November 2020 in Mumbai. In January 2021, filming moved to Dubai. Some of the major action sequences including a long chase sequence were shot in the same schedule. On 12 April 2021, the crew took a two-day break. However, following the reports of some crew members of the film tested positive for COVID-19 and subsequent lockdown in Maharashtra, further schedules of the film were postponed. The filming resumed on 25 June at Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai. Later in July, another schedule of the film began. Padukone began filming in this schedule. A song was scheduled to be shot from 7 October in Mallorca and Cádiz, but the schedule was postponed.

In February 2022, production moved to Spain to shoot action sequences including Khan, Padukone, and Abraham. Filming then took place in Mallorca and Cádiz. The Spain schedule was completed in March 2022, with the Mumbai schedule completed in Yash Raj Studios as the film wrapped. In October 2022, reshoots and additional scenes were completed. The film was shot in multiple locations across India, Afghanistan, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Russia, Italy and France. It was the first Indian film to be shot in Siberia's Lake Baikal.

Music

The soundtrack album for Pathaan featured four tracks: two songs, " Besharam Rang" and "Jhoome Jo Pathaan", composed by Vishal–Shekhar and written by Kumaar and two instrumental themes from the original score written and composed by Sanchit and Ankit Balhara: "Jim's Theme" and "Pathaan's Theme". Apart from its original, the soundtrack album was released in Tamil and Telugu.

Controversy

Right-wing Hindutva groups alleged that the song " Besharam Rang" promotes obscenity and that it disrespects the saffron colour as Padukone features in a saffron bikini in the song. Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra called the song objectionable and warned that his government may consider banning the film if costumes in the song are not corrected. Khan's effigies and posters were burnt in various cities of Madhya Pradesh as a symbol of protest against the film. TV actor Mukesh Khanna questioned the Censor Board for passing the song despite obscenity. ''The News Minute'' termed the entire controversy as "shameless misreading for jingoism" and stated that there were five different costumes worn by Padukone in the song and the boycotters are criticising this particular scene which features merely for 20 seconds as it suits their agenda. A Muslim organisation also objected to the song.

On 29 December 2022, the Central Board of Film Certification asked the filmmakers to make some changes in the film, including in its songs citing culture and faith. The film went through some minor changes though the saffron dress scene in the song "Besharam Rang" was reportedly retained. ''Pathaan'' was later granted a U/A certificate by the central Board.

On 4 January 2023, members of Bajrang Dal tore down the posters of the film at an Ahmedabad mall. They also warned them to not release the film in theatres. Gujarat Multiplex Association wrote a letter to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi on the threats received by the theatre owners in Gujarat from various groups. Sanghavi assured protection to multiplexes on the release of the film and instructed police chiefs of cities and districts to provide protection to the theatres.

On 17 January 2023, during the BJP national executive meeting in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told his party workers and leaders to refrain from making unnecessary remarks on films. Despite this, Bajrang Dal activists tore down posters of the film and set them on fire at a cinema hall which was about to screen the movie in Guwahati. Assam's chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, assured Shah Rukh Khan that his government would maintain the law and order in the state.

Marketing

The release date of ''Pathaan'' was revealed on 2 March 2022 through an announcement teaser. A first look motion poster was revealed on 25 June 2022. The teaser of the film was released on 2 November 2022, coinciding with Shah Rukh Khan's 57th birthday. The official trailer was released on 10 January 2023. The film's trailer was also showcased on Burj Khalifa on 14 January 2023. Against norm, pre-release publicity was limited with no media interactions or public events.

Release

Theatrical

''Pathaan'' was theatrically released, in standard, IMAX and 4DX versions, in India on 25 January 2023, coinciding with Indian Republic Day weekend along with dubbed versions in Tamil and Telugu. ''Pathaan'' was the first Indian film to release in the novel ICE theatre format. The film was released in 8000 screens worldwide, which included 5000 screens in Hindi and 450 screens in Tamil and Telugu versions within India.

The film was theatrically released in Bangladesh on 12 May 2023 and thus became the first Hindi film to be released in the country. The film was released in Russia on 13 July 2023. The film was also released in Japan on 1 September 2023.

Home media

The digital streaming rights of ''Pathaan'' were sold to Amazon Prime Video for . On the platform, the film's extended version was premiered on 22 March 2023 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

The satellite rights were acquired by Colors Cineplex, where it premiered on 25 May 2025.

Reception

Critical response

''Pathaan'' received generally positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 82%, with an average score of 6.9/10, based on reviews from 34 critics. The site's critical consensus reads, "A slightly slapdash but still intoxicating blend of occasionally disparate ingredients, ''Pathaan'' offers over-the-top action thrills with Bollywood bells and whistles".

India

Taran Adarsh of ''Bollywood Hungama'' rated the film 4.5 out of 5 stars and termed the film a "complete entertainer replete with action, emotions, patriotism, humour, thrill, and of course, the star power of Shah Rukh Khan". Sukanya Verma of ''Rediff'' gave the film a rating of 4 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Shah Rukh Khan's weathered intensity, grizzly charisma and trademark wit lends ''Pathaan's'' all-out, devil-may-care antics a sense of purpose that evades mindless acts of mayhem". Devesh Sharma of ''Filmfare'' rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and called it a "visual spectacle" while also opining that the action choreography was "truly out of this world". Saibal Chatterjee of ''NDTV'' rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and said, "''Pathaan'' swings and strikes with all the style and aplomb in the world. It will be a hard act to follow".

Renuka Vyavahare of ''The Times of India'' rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "''Pathaan'' has all the ingredients of a masala potboiler — slowmo entries, iconic battle of good versus bad and most importantly a sexy-smouldering Shah Rukh Khan, who can fight the good fight on and off the screen". Tanisha Bagchi of ''The Quint'' gave the film a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and wrote, "If Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff's showdown in ''War'' kept you on the edge of your seats, Shah Rukh and John's fistfights and blows are nothing short of whistle-worthy". Abhimanyu Mathur of ''DNA India'' rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and praised the performances and score but termed some of the action scenes as "over-the-top and unbelievable". Ritika Handoo of ''Zee News'' rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and mentioned, "There is not even a single dull moment in this YRF actioner. The action sequences between SRK and John are over-the-top yet mind-numbing".

Tushar Joshi of ''India Today'' rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and stated, "Shah Rukh is the heart of ''Pathaan''". Pooja Biraia Jaiswal of ''The Week'' rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "''Pathaan'' is a dishoom-dishoom joy ride between Khan and his perfectly beefed-up antagonist Abraham. The intention is not to let the narrative drive the story forward, but to let the larger-than-life magic of its lead superstars cast its spell". Shubhra Gupta of ''The Indian Express'' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and opined that it has "finally cracked the requirements of an action movie — non-stop action, leavened by glamorous leads, topped by the guy who can save the world, a high-octane set piece and an emo line at a time".

Anna M. M. Vetticad of ''Firstpost'' rated the film 2.5 out of 5 and wrote, "''Pathaan'' is so much fun when it's being fun especially with a smashing Salman Khan cameo – that it is tempting to overlook its play-it-safe politics". Sajesh Mohan of '' Onmanorama'' stated that "Siddharth Anand's ''Pathaan'' lays out a perfect red-carpet entry for Shah Rukh Khan into the YRF Spy Universe with its right formula of high-octane death and logic-defying action sequences seasoned with desh bhakti (patriotism) and qurbani (sacrifice)." Monika Rawal Kukreja of ''Hindustan Times'' stated, "''Pathaan'' is your true-blue commercial, masala entertainer that's not trying to send across any message or be a social commentary on the current state of affairs in the country. It's fun, non-fussy and fantastic at the same time". Nandini Ramnath of ''Scroll.in'' wrote, "The film's greatest blaster is its hero itself, parleying his well-oiled impishness, time-tested charm and mesmeric screen presence for a cheesy but also entertaining save-the-nation exercise".

International

Cath Clarke of ''The Guardian'' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "This enjoyable high-octane action spy movie from India is possibly the most fun you can currently have at the cinema. Still, the cheers kept coming; the loudest whoop of all when Salman Khan made an entrance as Tiger, a hero from an earlier movie in the series". Conversely, Simon Abrams of ''TheWrap'' dismissed it as "an amateurish Indian super-spy thriller that's never as well-executed as it is conceptually goofy and politically dubious".

Owen Gleiberman of ''Variety'' was similarly not impressed, terming the film a "sprawling, mountainous tangle of pulp that stacks one genre on top of the next with an arbitrary verve", but picked up the "iconic quality of its stars" Khan and Abraham for praise. Timon Singh of ''Empire'' summarised, "''Pathaan'' delivers everything that an Indian blockbuster should: a guaranteed box office draw with Khan, exotic locales, crowd-pleasing cameos, stunning dance numbers and gravity-defying stunts that make the ''Fast and Furious'' franchise look restrained."

Box office

''Pathaan'' broke several box-office opening records for a Hindi film. Globally, it became the first Hindi film to gross on its first day. It earned worldwide on its opening day, with from India and from overseas. ''Pathaan'' also became the highest opener in the domestic Hindi market, collecting net in Hindi, breaking the record of '' KGF Chapter 2'' and collected in terms of all-India net collection across all languages, which is also the highest for a Hindi film. Worldwide, the film crossed the mark, in the first two days, the mark in the first three days, and the mark in its first four days, becoming the fastest Hindi film to do all. In India too, it became the fastest Hindi film to collect and , which it did within four and seven days, respectively. It broke these records previously held by the Hindi version of the Kannada film '' KGF: Chapter 2'' (2022). By the second weekend, it became the first original Hindi film to net over domestically, overtaking '' Dangal'' (2016).

Outside India, ''Pathaan'' opening-weekend overseas gross totalled US$25.5 million in its five-day extended weekend. IMAX grosses accounted for US$2.5 million, the highest for an Indian film. In North America and Canada, it earned US$6.88 million in its opening weekend from 695 theatres, finishing third, for a total of US$9.48 million; a record for a Hindi film. In the United Kingdom and Ireland box office, it recorded the highest single-day gross for an Indian film with £319,348. Over the weekend, it earned £1.4 million, finishing second after '' Avatar: The Way of Water'', for a total of £2 million. It set further Hindi-film opening weekend records in UAE, Malaysia, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia, and Indian-film opening weekend records in Australia, New Zealand, and Germany. With a US$582,000 gross in Germany, it became the highest-grossing Hindi film in the market in its opening weekend itself. ''Box Office India'' reported that by grossing around US$31 million in its first eight days, it became the highest-grossing Hindi film in overseas, excluding China (where it did not release).

By the second weekend, ''Pathaan'' emerged as the highest-grossing Hindi film in the US, earning over $13.4 million, overtaking ''Dangal'', and in the UK, it became the first Indian film to earn over £3 million, grossing $4.15 million. It also became the highest-grossing Indian film in UAE, Australia, and New Zealand. ''Pathaan'' emerged as the first Hindi film to gross over $100 million without a China release.

On its fourth Wednesday, ''Pathaan'' became the first Hindi film to earn net in India. On the twenty seventh day of its release, ''Pathaan'' became the fifth Indian film to gross 1000 crore worldwide and only the second Hindi film to do so. On the 37th day of its release, it crossed '' Baahubali 2: The Conclusion'' to become the highest grossing Hindi film in India. Pathaan also creats record collection in South Indian market to grossed total become first Hindi film to achieve 100 crore mark at South market, which later broken by Khan's own film '' Jawan''. ''Pathaan'' managed to sold 35 million tickets which is one of the highest in the history of Indian cinema. Box Office India declared the film as the 25th "All-Time Blockbuster" from the Hindi film industry.

, the film has grossed in India and overseas for a worldwide gross collection of . This made it the third-highest-grossing Hindi film, sixth-highest-grossing Indian film, the seventh-highest-grossing film in the domestic market and the second highest-grossing of Khan's career.

Future

''Pathaan 2''

As confirmed by the production head, ''Pathaan 2'' will lead to ''Tiger vs Pathaan''. It will be the eighth instalment of the shared universe and sequel to the film Pathaan with Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone reprising their roles, the film is scheduled to go on floors by the end of 2024 and will be released by 2026. The film will be on production without the director of the first film, Siddharth Anand on board.

''Tiger vs Pathaan''

In 2021, it was rumoured that Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan would unite for a standalone film. These rumours were confirmed by Salman Khan in December 2021. It was announced on 6 April 2023 under the working title of ''Tiger vs Pathaan'', the ninth instalment of the shared universe. It will be directed by Siddharth Anand as announced on 6 April 2023.

Accolades

References

Notes

Citations

External links

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