Charm. Smarts. Chivalrous. Compassionate. Welcome back SRK!

Shah Rukh Khan never failed to wave his magic wand and make me go crazy every time I felt his charm, wit, chivalry and ofcourse his smile. I remember seeing a video once, where he had just come to Mumbai and you stood at Marine Drive, said to the skyline ‘I will rule this city one day’. Well since that day he rules the city, the country, the people, our hearts and screens for sure.

Well, it’s not just a review it’s the love he deserves, the respect he has earned over 30 years as a person, an an actor and a superstar! There is no way to deny what he said himself – he is the last of the superstars.

Talking about only Pathaan will be wrong, but let’s stick to it for a while!

Pathaan: Delirium, entertaining, sexy and controversial – Pathan has had far more than it’s share of pre-release hubbub as is expected from a King Khan joy ride. Add to this the fact that’s it’s virtually a relaunch of The Badshah after a hiatus of 4 years, makes the halo around it even more palpable. Not an absolute original film – a pastiche of quite a few spy / thriller films, and high-octane fights and chases but dialogues made us all forget that. The film rests entirely and blatantly on Shah Rukh Khan’s star power, mass appeal and dimpled charisma.

Words wouldn’t be enough to express all of him, the wit, the charm, that effortless dimpled smile, and now the action packed avatar that gives his persona a full justice. His always crinkling eyes, his one-liners, the dialogue delivery and ofcourse his way of love – all makes Pathaan much more than just an agent. I have come to adore him through the silver screen, be it those December nights at home with the love-struck Raj in DDLJ, or those college afternoons with the determined Kabir Khan, or late evening bus rides with Aman from Kal ho na ho.

Oh, again I got diverted. Let’s get back to Pathaan!

Another film of the combination of SRK-YRF marks the addition to the very new spy universe (previously led by Salman Khan’s Tiger & Hrithik Roshan’s Kabir). The film is an origin story of an ex-army man turned undercover agent Pathaan (Shah Rukh Khan) and his arch nemesis, Jim (John Abraham). Patriotism and legacy are the chief selling points in this film with a twisted plot. Patriots never retire and can be repurposed to serve their country in new ways, is the idea Pathaan delivers to the viewers and his boss Nandini (Dimple Kapadia). It’s interesting and exciting! if you are a King Khan fan, his entry itself is full ‘paisa wasool’.

And at the end of 2 Hours & 16 Mins, the simple verdict is – SRK is Back! He is the mind, body & soul of this venture.
The enigmatic quivering lips, crinkling eyes & spreading arms make way for a mean engraved action machine.

What he achieved and presented at this age is no less than magic! His physique can give a run for the money to the likes of many young actors. He has proved again that age is just a number, especially when it’s Shah Rukh Khan.

John Abraham also deserves quite an appreciation for making such a transformation after Force and looking rather dangerous as a villain deserves to be. He is an absolute eye-candy with optimum sex appeal. His backstory presented in the film is as interesting as Pathaan’s – which makes Jim a character difficult to ignore. He is a bit loose in few scenes while managed to overshadow others on screen in few.

Unlike many hindi action/spy movies, Deepika is not just a good looking trophy heroine, she has a big enough screen space and justice is served. Specifically in action sequences, she proved to be probably the best choice the director could make. No cheesy romance or unnecessary songs, keep your attention intact throughout the film.

One of the most important inclusion is Salman khan and his chemistry with his ‘old friend’. The Bhai meets Badshah sequence is like dessert for the audience. Tiger has quite a screen time compared to usual cameo roles. The references like ‘bhaag Pathaan bhaag’ (similar to bhaag arjun bhaag in Karan Arjun) makes you nostalgic.

The veterans, Dimple Kapadia and Asutosh Rana delivers a stoic performance.

This is an absolute pot boiler par excellence and a more than just an enjoyable fare. The amazing box office collection Pathaan’s earning is an absolute justice to this comeback film of the King of hearts, but still, had there been more originality then this could have so much more!

Well, post credit conversation between Bhai and Badshah is pure gold for us, 90’s kids!

This was not just a movie review – Pathaan deserves more! Shah Rukh Khan deserves more.

You might feel this was biased, this was personal. Yes it is! He is personal and that’s his charm. Not only he is the biggest superstar of our country, he has managed to interact with each of us separately even when we were watching him on screen with 100s of people around. He entertains our sense of possession towards him, makes us laugh, he makes us cry with every single drop of tear he sheds. Till now, my mom doesn’t watch DDLJ till end as he gets beaten up for a while – that’s Shah Rukh Khan – our Shah Rukh Khan.

SRK – this is for you:

It should feel vague to write a letter to you, but somehow it doesn’t. Words have never been nor will be enough to express all of you. Be it the characters you have played over 30 years or the interviews – I still gulp each and every word you speak. You inspire me to chase my dreams, you inspire me to be a better person, you inspire me to work hard. Apart from all, you seem to have defined love, for me and the whole country, in many shades for years now. You have given us priceless characters over the last 30 years.

You have managed to teach me things about love, success, friendship, passion and care through your characters without even knowing or intending to. You still manage to beguile the audience be it with your latest poster of Pathaan, your cameo in Brahmastra or that speech you gave at Yale about failure.

We have seen Aman love Naina with his very last breadth, the values of Raj Aryan, Samar wait an eternity to be with Meera, Kabir lead a nation to the ultimate victory, and now Pathaan & his never-ending love for his country.

I still crave for more of you. The upcoming year seems to have 2 more celebrations to come – Jawaan and Dunki.

You are Eternal. Ageless. Timeless. Classic. Epic.

This one is from all of us who will never know you, or even meet you, but will still love you beyond reason or limitation.
It’s a promise…..Jab tak hai jaan… Jab tak hain jaan

Here’s the trailer if you are still thinking if you should go watch it. If you ask me, it’s a must watch! Trailer
Click to read more