Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Action/Thriller
Year: 2023
Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abrahan, Dimple Kapadia, Ashutosh Rana
Kid rating: PG-15
Pathaan was so hyped-up I was sure it was going to be a stinker. I am very, very glad to say that it isn’t. The hype is real. 2023 gets its first real entertainer!
There are some disclaimers of course. Pathaan is a masala film through-and-through so leave your logical thinking caps at home, and be prepared to pooh-pooh at the laws of physics and gravity. For a film in the YRF Spy Universe (yes, that is a thing), Pathaan makes a fabulous job of it.
Here’s the gist: Pathaan (Shahrukh), a RAW agent, thought to be dead, surfaces 3 years later in pursuit of for-hire-terrorists Outfit-X. Their leader Jim (John Abraham) is also ex-RAW who feels betrayed by India, and is now on a mission to avenge himself. Jim has a a nefarious plan in place , and he and Dr. Rubina Mohsin (Deepika), his partner-in-crime, are all set to destroy India, unless someone can stop them.
Well, that someone can only be Pathaan! The film, through flashbacks reveals Pathaan’s previous encounters with Jim and his attempts to thwart him. This all happens in beautiful locales in Spain, France and Moscow, with Pathaan zipping across the globe, fighting the bad guys and falling for Rubina.
The film gets off to a quick start with some dramatic action scenes and the pace is unrelenting. The fight sequences are beautifully choreographed, and the “missions” that Pathaan goes on are well-depicted. The Moscow vault heist specifically was pretty impressive – reminded me of a mission in Mission Impossible , with the snazzy graphics and attention to detail. The chases feature helicopters, planes, motor-bikes and even a strap-on set of wings, which the villain and the hero hero wear for a climactic fight sequence mid-air.
Pathaan is a sleek, fast-moving action-filled movie. The screenplay is crisp, camera angles sophisticated and director Siddharth Anand is at pains to wow us with the techno-wizardry while also keeping us in the loop and engaged. The film balances out the drama and emotion with the action. There is love, betrayal, deceit, humor and patriotism. The characters have enough backstory and depth to make us root for them.
Shahrukh, displaying a ripped body, long locks and a rather scruffy getup, delivers a corker of a performance as Pathaan. Deepika is stunningly beautiful as Rubina “Rubai” Mohsin, and gets to do some real action – heavy-duty hand-to-hand combat, gun-battles, vault heists and clambering up and down buildings via helicopters and steel cable. John Abraham, who isn’t a great actor is impressive as good-looking villain Jim. His non-expressive face lends itself well to the cool, unfazed, steely demeanor of a super-villain.
Pathaan is really tight in the first half, with deft, crisp action and events that almost make sense, even if the physics doesn’t. Post-interval things got a bit loosey-goosey, but the film still manages to deliver a satisfying ending. I enjoyed Pathaan very much and look forward to what director Anand (who seems to be improving in leaps and bounds) can do next! A full-throated recommendation! Go watch!
Kidwise: Lots of violence. Scenes of torture (waterboarding etc). Suggestive dance moves.
