Shah Rukh Khan is back with Pathaan, and it’s got all the swagger and screen presence fans have been missing. From its opening scene, the movie establishes one thing. It’s not a quest for realism. It’s a full-blown action entertainer that celebrates larger than life heroes, impossible feats and non-stop extravaganza.
The tale revolves around Pathaan, an ex RAW agent, who is called back as India encounters a new hazardous threat. Jim’s a renegade ex-agent and his rage and treachery have led him to work with a strong private terrorist outfit that can unleash a cataclysmic virus. To stop him, Pathaan partners up with Rubina, an ISI operative whose true loyalties are unclear. Their mission takes them across countries ending in a climactic final showdown amid betrayals, high stakes confrontations, and explosive action set pieces.
What makes the film interesting is not the story, which is rather obvious, but the confidence with which that story is told. Director Siddharth Anand knows what an audience wants in a high budget spy thriller. The action rarely stops down, whether it’s a chase across freezing terrains, hand-to-hand battle on a speeding train or gravity-defying passages that you have to sit back and enjoy the ride.
Shah Rukh Khan is quite okay with the job. He delivers charm, wit, emotional heft without trying too hard. Deepika Padukone is more than a pretty face. She is confident in action and yet, she keeps Rubina mysterious enough to make every scene intriguing. John Abraham deserves equal credit. His take on Jim provides the film a villain who is threatening, clever and emotionally damaged, not just plain evil.Some of the best parts of the film are his confrontations with Pathaan.
The visuals are crisp, the international places appear stunning and the background score adds energy anytime action erupts in. The songs are in tune with the commercial nature of the film, albeit at times they do interrupt the rhythm. Salman Khan’s cameo is one of the biggest crowd-pulling moments and provides an added excitement.
Of course, Pathaan asks you to suspend your disbelief more than once. Logic is frequently ignored in many action sequences, with physics often taking a back seat. And the picture never tries to be grounded, and in fact surprisingly it never becomes a huge problem. It proudly celebrates the classic Bollywood heroics, with entertainment always coming first.”
Pathaan is not going to change the espionage genre, but it does exactly what it says on the tin. Strong in star power, stylish action, wonderful set pieces and just enough poignant moments to buoy the viewer. As long as you have an appreciation for commercial cinema and over-the-top heroic, wave hello to these dastardly criminals first, big character types here, it's a fun rom from start to finish.
