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| Pathaan 2023 |
Pathaan is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Aditya Chopra of Yash Raj Films. The fourth instalment in the YRF Spy Universe, it stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham, alongside Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana. Written by Shridhar Raghavan and Abbas Tyrewala from a story by Anand, the film is about Pathaan, an exiled RAW agent, who must work with ISI agent Rubina to take down Jim, a former RAW agent-turned-traitor, who is planning to spread a deadly lab-generated virus across India at the behest of a Pakistani army general.
Principal photography for Pathaan began in November 2020 in Mumbai. The film was shot over various locations in India, Afghanistan, Spain, UAE, Turkey, Russia, Italy and France. Two songs were composed by the duo Vishal–Shekhar, while Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara provided the score. The music video of one song, "Besharam Rang", featured Padukone in a saffron bikini, which led to protests by right-wing Hindutva groups and an attempt to boycott the film. The Central Board of Film Certification cleared the film for exhibition after certain edits were made to the song sequence, as well as some minor changes in the film. India Today reported that Pathaan 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. Against norm, pre-release publicity was limited with no media interactions or public events.
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.It received positive reviews from critics and broke several box-office records, including the biggest opening day and opening weekend for a Hindi film.Further opening records were set in overseas markets.Grossing over ₹665.98 crore (US$83 million) in its extended first week, Pathaan ranks as the fifth-highest-grossing Hindi film and eighth-highest-grossing Indian film, as well as the highest-grossing of Khan's career and Yash Raj Films' releases.
Directed by Siddharth Anand
Written by Shridhar Raghavan
Abbas Tyrewala
Story by Siddharth Anand
Produced by Aditya Chopra
Starring
Shah Rukh Khan
Deepika Padukone
John Abraham
Dimple Kapadia
Ashutosh Rana
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
Country India
Language Hindi
Budget est. ₹225 crore
Box office est. ₹988 crore
Plot :-
In 2019, the Indian Government revokes Article 370, which grants special status for Jammu and Kashmir. The news impacts a cancer-ridden Pakistani army general, Qadir, who decides to exact 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, open a unit dubbed, "Joint Operation and Covert Research" (JOCR), recruiting agents who were forced to retire due to trauma or injury.
With RAW joint secretary, Colonel Sunil Luthra's acceptance, 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 realise that their plan was to kidnap two scientists. Jim attacks the scientists' convoy and Pathaan tries to stop him. A fight ensues, where Jim manages to escape with one of the scientists. Luthra reveals that Jim was a former RAW agent, who was declared dead years ago, but faked his death in order to seek vengeance against his country for letting his wife and unborn child get killed at the hands of Somalian terrorists.
Meanwhile, Pathaan learns about the codeword dubbed "Raktbeej" and also that the dead people in Dubai were ex-agents and their money was transferred from the account of Rubina Mohsin, a Pakistani doctor in Spain. He travels to Spain and is captured by Jim's men, where he also learns that Rubina is an ex-ISI agent. When Jim leaves his hideout, Rubina attacks Jim's men and escapes with Pathaan. Rubina reveals that Raktbeej is in Moscow, where they travel to steal it before Jim does. However, Rubina betrays Pathaan and has him captured by the police. It is revealed that Jim used Rubina to make Pathaan steal Raktbeej for himself. Pathaan is captured and taken to prison, but is saved by Tiger.
Three years later, Pathaan travels to Africa and captures Jim's henchman, Raafe. He meets Nandini and reveals about Jim purchasing two saber missiles, while Nandini reveals Rubina's location in Paris. Pathaan meets Rubina, who reveals that the Raktbeej is a smallpox-designed mutated deadly virus, made by the scientist Jim captured. She also expresses guilt about betraying Pathaan without knowing that her country would plan such an attack. They travel to Jim's lab in Siberia and manage to recover one orb containing the virus, while Jim escapes with the other. Pathaan and his team head to a lab to prepare a vaccine for the virus.
Jim calls them and reveals that the orb has already spread the virus in the lab. The infected scientists, along with Nandini, all die in the lab by shooting themselves. Later, the lab is destroyed in a controlled blast to prevent the spread of the virus. Jim provides an ultimatum to evacuate Indian soldiers out of Kashmir within 24 hours. Pathaan interrogates Raafe about the location of the missile, and learns that the missile is situated in Afghanistan. By luring Jim's soldiers into a trap, Pathaan and his team attack Jim's base where Qadir is killed by Rubina before activating the missile, containing the virus. Pathaan chases after Jim with a jetpack, and they both crash land into a cabin.
Meanwhile, Rubina deactivates the missile, but finds that Raktbeej is not in the missile, instead in a passenger bounded airplane, which is about to land in Delhi. She informs Pathaan, who finds that Jim has the detonator. Luthra calls the air traffic control to prevent the plane from landing in Delhi. In the cabin, Pathaan and Jim fight brutally. Despite getting stabbed by Jim, Pathaan steals the detonator, deactivates Raktbeej, and then kills Jim by throwing him off the cliff. Afterwards, Pathaan is reinstated into RAW and made as the head of JOCR, while Nandini is posthumously awarded for her bravery.
In a mid-credits scene, Pathaan and Tiger are seen pondering about retiring and suggesting young agents who can replace them, but eventually decide to keep fighting the threats themselves.
Cast :-
Shah Rukh Khan as Pathaan, a RAW agent
Deepika Padukone as Rubina "Rubai" Mohsin, an ISI agent
John Abraham as Jim, Leader of "Outfit X" and former RAW agent
Dimple Kapadia as Nandini Grewal, head of Joint Operation and Covert Research (JOCR)
Ashutosh Rana as Colonel Sunil Luthra
Prakash Belawadi as Dr. Sahani
Prem Jhangiani as Dr. Farooqui
Shaji Choudhary as Raza, member of JOCR
Ekta Kaul as Shweta, member of JOCR
Diganta Hazarika as Joseph, member of JOCR
Viraf Patel as Rishi, member of JOCR
Aakash Bhatija as Amol, member of JOCR
Rajat Kaul as Raafe, Jim's henchman
Manish Wadhwa as General Qadir
Rumi Khan as Jim's henchman
Mansi Taxak as Jim's wife
Ashutosh Singh as Rubina's father
Amanpreet Hundal as Rubina's mother
Rakesh Khatri as ATC Supervisor
Mustafa Aksari as Fayyed
Grace Girdhar as Young Rubina
Nikhat Khan as Sabba, Pathaan's foster mother
Salman Khan as Avinash Singh "Tiger" Rathore (cameo)
