The movie was released in India on January 25, 2023, and was made on an estimated production budget of ₹225 crore (US$28 million) with a further ₹15 crore (US$1.9 million) spent on print and advertising. The film grossed ₹1,003.02 crore (US$130 million) worldwide, breaking several box-office records and becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of 2023 and the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2023, as well as the fifth-highest-grossing Indian film of all time.
The story begins with the Indian Government revoking Article 370, which grants special status for Jammu and Kashmir, leading to a Pakistani army general, Qadir, seeking vengeance against India. He signs a contract with Jim, who leads "Outfit X", a private terrorist organization. Meanwhile, Pathaan, a former RAW agent, and his senior officer, Nandini Grewal, open a unit dubbed the "Joint Operations and Covert Research" (JOCR) unit to recruit former RAW agents who were forced to retire due to past trauma or injury but want to serve the country.
Pathaan and his team head to Dubai to stop Outfit X's plans of attacking the President of India at a scientific conference. However, they realize that their actual plan was to kidnap two scientists, Dr. Farooqui and Dr. Sahani, instead. Jim attacks the scientists' convoy, and Pathaan tries to stop him, but Jim escapes with Dr. Sahani. Pathaan learns that Jim was a former RAW agent and Kabir's partner, who was awarded with the Vir Puraskar for his bravery, after the agency could not find his body when Somalian terrorists killed his wife and unborn child. He had apparently faked his death in order to seek vengeance against the agency and country for not saving his family.
Pathaan learns about the codeword dubbed "Raktbeej" and that the dead people in Dubai were ex-agents, and their money was transferred from the account of Rubina "Rubai" Mohsin, a Pakistani doctor in Spain. He travels to Spain and is captured by Jim's men, where he also learns that Rubai is an ex-ISI agent. When Jim leaves his hideout, Rubai attacks Jim's men and escapes with Pathaan. Rubai reveals that Raktbeej is in Moscow, where they travel to steal it before Jim does. However, Rubai betrays Pathaan and has him captured by the police. It is revealed that Jim used Rubai to make Pathaan steal the Raktbeej for himself. Pathaan is captured and taken to prison by train, but is saved by Tiger.
Three years later, Pathaan travels to Africa and captures Jim's henchman, Raafe. He meets Nandini and reveals Jim's plan to purchase two saber missiles, while Nandini reveals Rubai's location.
Pathaan and Rubai travel to Jim's hideout in Afghanistan, where they manage to capture Jim and stop his plan. However, during the fight, Rubai is fatally injured and dies in Pathaan's arms. In the end, Pathaan returns to India, where he is welcomed back to the agency with open arms. He decides to retire from active duty and start a new life, but not before leaving behind a note for Nandini, revealing his feelings for her.
Production
Pathaan was announced by Yash Raj Films in September 2020, as the fourth installment in the YRF Spy Universe, after Ek Tha Tiger (2012), its sequel Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), and War (2019). The film was directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Aditya Chopra, with Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham in lead roles. Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana also played pivotal roles in the film. The script was written by Shridhar Raghavan and Abbas Tyrewala, based on a story by Siddharth Anand.
Principal photography for Pathaan began in November 2020 in Mumbai, and the film was shot over various locations in India, Afghanistan, Spain, UAE, Turkey, Russia, Italy and France. The film was shot with IMAX cameras, making it the first Indian film to be shot with such technology. The cinematography was done by Ben Jasper, while the editing was done by Aarif Sheikh.
The music for Pathaan was composed by the duo Vishal-Shekhar, who also composed two songs for the film. Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara provided the background score for the film. One of the songs, "Besharam Rang", featured Deepika Padukone in a saffron bikini, which led to protests by right-wing Hindutva groups who saw it as an insult to their culture. However, the Central Board of Film Certification cleared the film for exhibition after certain edits were made to the song sequence.
Release
Pathaan was released in India on 25 January 2023, coinciding with the Republic Day weekend, in IMAX, 4DX and standard formats, along with dubbed versions in Tamil and Telugu. The film received positive reviews from critics and broke several Indian box-office records, including the biggest opening day and opening weekend for a Hindi film. It also set opening records in overseas markets.
Box Office
Pathaan grossed ₹1,003.02 crore (US$130 million) worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Indian film of 2023, the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2023, and the second-highest-grossing Hindi film worldwide. It is currently the seventh highest grossing film of 2023 worldwide, as well as the highest-grossing of Shah Rukh Khan's career and Yash Raj Films's releases.
Reception
Pathaan received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its action sequences, performances, and direction. Raja Sen of Hindustan Times called it "an edge-of-the-seat thriller", while Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express praised it as "a full-on action flick with great performances". Anupama Chopra of Film Companion described it as "an unapologetic masala entertainer".
Controversy
The song "Besharam Rang" featuring Deepika Padukone in a saffron bikini sparked controversy and led to protests by right-wing Hindutva groups who saw it as an insult to their culture. The Central Board of Film Certification cleared the film for exhibition after certain edits were made to the song sequence.
Conclusion
Pathaan is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Aditya Chopra of Yash Raj Films. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham, the film is about an exiled RAW agent who must work with an ISI agent to take down a former RAW agent-turned-traitor who is planning to spread a deadly lab-generated virus across India at the behest of a Pakistani military general. The film received positive reviews from critics and broke several Indian box-office records, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of 2023 and the second-highest-grossing Hindi film worldwide. Despite some controversy, the film was a commercial success and was praised for its performances, direction, and action sequences.