Pathaan (2023)

Pathaan (2023): Pathan (2023) is an Indian Hindi-language action thriller film written and directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Aditya Chopra. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham. It is the fourth installment in the YRF Spy Universe and is Khan’s comeback film after Zero (2018).

RELATED: Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham
Director: Siddharth Anand
Producer: Aditya Chopra
Director of Photography: Satchith Paulose
Music: Vishal and Sheykhar
Lyrics: Kumaar
Story: Siddharth Anand
Screenplay: Shridhar Raghavan
Dialogues: Abbas Tyrewala Executive
Producer: Padam Bhushan
Production Designer: Rajat Poddar
Editor: Aarif Sheikh
Director of Choreography: Vaibhavi Merchant, Bosco-Caesar
Sound: Manas Choudhury, Ganesh Gangadharan
Background Music: Sanchit Balhara, Ankit Balhara
Action Directors: Casey O’Neill, Craig Macrae, Sunil Rodrigues [ROD]
Costume Designers: Shaleena Nathani, Mamta Anand, Niharika Jolly
Visual Effects Studio: yFX Casting
Director: Shanoo Sharma
Release Date: 25 January 2023

Pathan was released in India on 25 January 2023, coinciding with the Indian Republic Day weekend in IMAX, 4DX, and standard formats along with dubbed versions in Tamil and Telugu. Pathaan received positive reviews from critics.

Principal photography began in November 2020 in Mumbai. The film was shot in various locations in India, Afghanistan, Spain, UAE, Turkey, Russia, Italy, and France. Two songs were composed by the duo Vishal–Shekhar, while Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara provided the score. The music video of one song, “Besharam Rang”, featured Padukone in a saffron bikini, which led to protests by right-wing Hindutva groups and an attempt to boycott the film.

The Central Board of Film Certification cleared the film for exhibition after certain edits were made to the song sequence, as well as some minor changes in the film. India Today reported that Pathaan was made on an estimated production budget of ₹225 crores (US$28 million) with a further ₹15 crore (US$1.9 million) spent on print and advertising. Against the norm, pre-release publicity was limited with no media interactions or public events.

In 2019, the Indian Government revokes Article 370, which grants special status for Jammu and Kashmir. The news impacts a cancer-ridden Pakistani army general, Qadir, who decides to exact vengeance against India and signs a contract with Jim, a former RAW agent-turned-rogue leader of “Outfit X”, a private terror organization. Jim agrees as he also wants to seek revenge against India for not trusting him as an agent during his tenure.

Due to the ongoing threat, Nandini, the head of “Joint Operation and Covert Research” (JOCR) and RAW joint secretary, Colonel Sunil Luthra, summon Pathaan, an exiled field operative, to bring Jim down and destroy Outfit X. Pathaan, along with the ex-ISI agent, Rubina Mohsin, begin to investigate the matter. They soon find out about Jim’s plan to spread a deadly lab-generated virus, dubbed “Raktbeej”, across India. The duo head to apprehend Jim and stop Outfit X.