‘Originality is non-existent’ but how an idea is presented is what matters! A superstar who only grows and inspires with the passing years, who carries flamboyance and generosity with equal charm, and reinvents at every step to rise and emerge even stronger. A beauty with brains and the nation’s heartthrob who portrays an epitome of diligence, grace, and talent. A stoic action hero who brings intensity to his character and appeals to the eye with regard. The power-packed trio in ‘Pathaan’ unite to become the ‘Knight Star’ and delight the dejected Bollywood fans to reinstate their faith in the Hindi Film Industry.
Beyond the unfavorable comparisons with the western cinema and the parti pris biases of Bollywood fans, the larger-than-life, adrenaline pumping espionage action thriller lives up to the puff it has garnered. An ex-army man turned undercover agent crosses paths with an ex-undercover agent wronged by his trusted people, and while he sets onto a nerve-wrecking, spine-chilling, edge-of-the-seat, ‘cat and mouse chase’ with his archenemy to save the nation and humanity at large, he falls for his enchanting accomplice with ulterior motives and is propelled into a vicious cycle of friend-turned-foe-turned-friend with her. A superhero appeal to the characters and action sequences, as much as they come wrapped in disbelief, do tend to pacify the audience who every so often look to escape from agonizing realism to an optimistic idealism blended with fictionalized warriors. There are several wow moments in the gravity-defying stunts that amaze the already emotionally charged audience. The extraordinary characters, each with hauntingly traumatizing past to conquer and simultaneously maneuvering their superimposed paths of individual beliefs, briskly overpowering actions, and harrowingly heart-wrenching emotions. Appropriately landing punchlines and adequately entertaining humor with some tongue-in-cheek wit, keep up the zest at a striking pace.
Familiarity of scenes, sequences, glimpses of tracks, and overall feel and appeal don’t solely come from the Hollywood similitude but are also borrow from the resemblance from our beloved Bollywood. Be it the car wreck scene where a flabbergasted King Khan encounters his enemy (Dilwale), or the split-second music track from Jab Tak Hai Jaan in Paris, to name some. The pinch of familiarity is appealingly complimented with a sense of freshness and newness. Despite the alikeness, an over-the-top portrayal, an overdose of action sequences, don’t we simply crave and cherish the return of the Badshah and imbibe his illustrious aura a tad bit more? The exotic locale and electric melody cheer up the sentiments amidst the glidingly twisting plot, gripping consequential emotions, and hefty doses of seriousness. Although the heroism packed with patriotism and morality consistently confirm throughout the movie, Dimple Kapadia’s earnest lab scene stands out to be heartrendingly charging and effusively applaudable.
Only the styled charm of Shahrukh Khan can convincingly commandeer the fun and pun taken in from previous plots, tad glimpses of nostalgia from other movies, and blending in strong references and appearances of identically powerful characters and making it all seem heartwarmingly lovable. ‘Star’ attraction of ‘Tiger’ in ‘Pathaan’ appeals to the point of exhilaration and surges the anticipation of seeing ‘Pathaan’ in ‘Tiger’ next, as the dashing duo are far from handing over the reign to the next gen (the iconic whistle worthy post credit scene). And aren’t we fanatically sitting tight to see the thrill of them carrying the mantle longer!
And as the theory of Kintsugi goes, so, let the glinting gold of heart and humanity overpower the shortcomings of mankind and weave the resurgence of greater goodness and wellbeing, just as ‘Pathaan’ revives the filmy spirit of Bollywood fans and restores their trust in their favourite stars.
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