Pathaan -Movie review

 

• Directed by Siddharth Anand
• Written by Shridhar Raghavan, Abbas Tyrewala
• Story by Siddharth Anand
• Produced by Aditya Chopra
• Starring:     
• ShahRukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham
• Cinematography Satchith Paulose
• Edited by Aarif Sheikh
• Music by Songs: Vishal–Shekhar
• Score: Sanchit Balhara, Ankit Balhara
• Production company: Yash Raj Films
• Distributed by       Yash Raj Films
• Release date: 25 January 2023
• Running time:146 minutes
• Language: Hindi, Telugu, Tamil
• Genre: Action/ Thriller
• Trailer: https://youtu.be/vqu4z34wENw
• Rating:3.5 /5

 

   (The aim and intention of my reviews is to critique and recommend while not revealing the whole story to enjoy the movie when seen. But minor details have been divulged for a proper review!)

Pathaan is a high-octane Spy thriller, too true to the genre. It is an action-filled entertainer with adrenaline rush thrills, exhilarating adventure, and gravity-defying stunts in the air, land, snow, ice, and water! It practically check-marks all the action sequences possible in any movie of this genre! LOL, I am not kidding; I have listed it below and still feel I missed out a bunch from my memory…. You are promised a total visual treat from the action to the actors;)

 It’s a movie where your favorite Bollywood hero of romance is reinvented as the action hero with chiseled six-pack abs, long locks of hair/a man bun, with suave daredevil moves but, of course, still packed with the SRK charm;)

 This spy thriller is like James Bond meets Mission Impossible, Fast and Furious, and Captain America! With high doses of eye candy, action, thrills, drama, and patriotism! The story involves an Indian secret agent putting together a team of agents to fight international crime and terrorism, hopping across countries, and indulging in games of revenge and betrayal with rogue agents and spies of another country.  Do we have a logical and rational plot? No, it’s best to ignore it and not take all that seriously. Just get visually entertained ;)

  

Listed are the ever-so-many Action Sequences:

 

• þ  Hand-to-hand combat
• þ  Guns, Knives, and Glass bottle Fights
• þ  Missiles & Rockets
• þ  Bombs & Explosions
• þ  Biowarfare 
• þ  Waterboarding & Torture
• þ  Car Chase: Hummer vs. Dodge Charger
• þ  Fight Scene on top of SUVs & Trucks
• þ  Helicopter Chases, Fights, and Hanging from Helicopters
• þ  Zip Lining between Helicopters
• þ  Hanging from Glider Airplanes
• þ  Mid-Air Chase in self-propelled Flying Jet Wingsuits 
• þ  Fight scene on Top of the Moving Train; Fight scene in Moving Train
• þ  Bridge with train tracks burning; running up the falling train bogies
• þ  High-security vault Heist
• þ  Motorbike Chase on Snow
• þ  Motorbiking on a Frozen Lake
• þ  Ice skating on a Frozen Lake
• þ  Underwater Rescue
• þ  Hologram technology
• þ  Cliff Jumping         
• þ  Rappelling on high-rise glass skyscrapers  

 

Director Siddharth Anand presents Pathaan like a Hollywoodesque superhero movie for the YashRaj Spy Universe Series. Some accolades go to the multiple stunt directors in the cast. At the same time, the writers Shridhar Raghavan and Abbas Tyrewala write into the movie some humor and dialog with a few old SRK movie references, which he smoothly glides in with his charm and wit.

 

Shahrukh Khan works well as the six-packed abs tough but vulnerable Superhero, not the indestructible kind. He is the type who gets beaten up but still comes out as the chivalrous hero who saves the day. It looks like he has carved new ways and roles to shine in Bollywood at 57. Despite SRK being the protagonist, the movie balances out prime time with John Abraham as the handsome villain with his own set of chiseled Abs, tattoos, strength, moves, and subtle humor (I love his joke about dating among spies) Adding to the battle of equals is Deepika who gives off sexy, sultry glam with kick-ass action moves. She proves she is not just some eye candy or love interest but another action hero!

The songs Jhoome JoPathaan and Besharam Rang (with the orange bikini, controversial for ridiculous non-reasons) are visually appealing in the cinematography and choreography, while the music by Vishal-Shekar and the lyrics are reflective of the action thriller.

 

Lastly, don’t miss the fun cameo of Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan discussing Bollywood after the numbers roll.

 

Recommend checking it out in theatres for the visual treat from the action to the actors;)