A much hyped and controversial film, featuring Shah Rukh Khan after his four flop years, Pathan is a super marked artificial thriller that shows SRK as over-rated and true to the hyped entertainer. Immature in a story, Pathan is a much ado about nothing story which is using all tricks for footing.
The film opens with
pro-Pakistan sentiments. The plot shows India's scrapping of controversial and
draconian article 370 and its reaction to a Pakistani officer; who wants to harm
and damage India for this bold 'mistake'. He meets daunting Jim, an Indian
Ex-Raw agent who feels dodgy by his people. RAW is shown as bad and ISI is
good. He is joined by stunning confederate Rubai an ex-ISI agent (Deepika
Padukone) with pushy designs.
Shockingly, the story
begins by giving prominence to the anger of Pakistan on scrapping Article 370
in an Indian movie. Moreover, an officer of coveted RAW has been portrayed as a
traitor. This is a very wrong narrative.
Entry of SRK or Pathan
is very poor and repulsive. Pathan, Jim and Rubai twist eyes and minds,
as they leap continents and indulge in perilous theatrics of fraud and
retribution. All three compete to raze other's world and secure their own.
Over-acting of SRK is clearly visible.
Director Siddharth
Anand gives his best to his spy thriller and failed to hide the over-action. He
presents super-hero type unbelievable actions. He is fascinated by the
hero-worship-type marvel of Hollywood blockbusters in a very open manner.
Fabricated action and chase string, Spiderman-type wingsuits, death and gravity
horrid stunts on bikes, cars, ice, helicopters and above all in the air look
very artificial just like video games. Toy weapons are used. Eternal heroes and
villains uttering towering dialogues, in-adequately dressed woman-all dumped
together in the hyped idea of patriotism.
The director and the
story aim to show Shah Rukh Khan as a superhero to safeguard his dwindling
fortune with the help of actions beating emotion and romance. Only time will
tell how he lets his thin body do the 'action' roles in those fading glory of
the late fifties. The entire action and story move around him otherwise in an
ordinary masala story. The story rotates around Pathan and tried
to show him as a Pathan supremacist; a caste of Muslims. It seems, to
show SRK as a super-star with the help of modern gadgets, a virtual world, meta
verse, artificial intelligence, smart-phone, satellite phone, jetpack,
multi-layered balls, high-end cars and choppers, advanced rockets and other
modus operandi etc been used excessively.
In the film, the
barbaric Taliban is shown as a victim of America. Similarly, all the cast are
kind to Pakistan. This is a very wrong narrative. Vishal & Shekhar tried
their best to highlight the hero's centrist and boasting image on the show.
John Abraham is strong in his role as Jim. In his disguised entry and stunts,
he is superb and overshadows the hero.
Deepika Padukone's
body is fully on display and used as a cheer-woman dutifully dancing, double-crossing,
immorally perfect and made to show her failed chemistry with SRK. She failed to
dazzle in the presence of the John-SRK star cast. Her's is the worst
performance. Repeatedly twisting his face Pathan looks very ridiculous.
However, Dimple Kapadia
is superb in her limited role and lends much-needed support to the shaky story
and advance. She over-shadows all other characters. Ashutosh Rana appears very
decent and sober as Colonel Luthra. Music and songs are very ordinary or
uninviting.
Salman Khan enters
very dramatically donning an Islamic scarf. Pathan uses Islamic mannerisms to
greet and even Islamic ways to salute. The second half is utterly boring.
The YRF has tried its
best to give a great iconic spy story to glorify SRK. Pathan has all the
elements of masala banality -- showman, action, fight,
dancing-sexy-scantily dressed women and much hyped SRK. It is just like a video
game for children, far away from reality. Now his era is on the decline...' for
the movie ''Pathaan'' is now live. However, Pathan and SRK have
divided cine-goers into religious lines. This is not a good trend for the
nation and society.
Media has given
tremendous coverage and support to Pathan and SRK. It has been giving minute-to-minute coverage
and commentary of Pathan. It seems that some of the newspapers are just
busy with the promotion and propaganda of the movie and SRK. Nowhere in the
country, no rush or the signboards of 'House full' seen outside any cinema hall
and multiplexes but the earnings kept on rising at a rapid pace. This is a new
phenomenon. In a poor and where people have no employment, a poor movie earning
600 crore rupees within six days is unbelievable. However, the movie is another
show of Pathan supremacists like My Name is Khan. Pakistan and
ISI will be very happy on the box office hit of the movie.
