Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan designed as biggest action spectacle from Hindi industry, says director: ‘There is pressure'

Pathaan director Siddharth Anand has said that there is a lot of pressure to deliver a cracking product since it stars Shah Rukh Khan.

Shah Rukh Khan is all set to make a comeback on screen with the film Pathaan, after a gap of more than three years. He was last seen in 2018 film Zero, which failed to impress the critics. Now Pathaan director Siddharth Anand has confessed that there is a lot of pressure and responsibility to deliver a “cracking product” since it stars Shah Rukh as the lead.

Pathaan teaser starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham was released earlier this month.

Pathaan brings back the hit pairing of Shah Rukh and Deepika Padukone. The two have earlier worked together in Om Shanti Om, Chennai Express and Happy New Year. John Abraham also plays a pivotal role in the film.

Talking about the film, Siddharth said, “Pathaan has been designed to deliver the biggest action spectacle that audiences cannot even expect to see from the Hindi film industry. We are carefully and strategically building the entire campaign to engineer some of the biggest moments for fan hysteria around Pathaan. So, the date announcement video plays to the gallery big time. We knew that the fans were really thirsty for us to announce the film, given we had kept a lid on it for way too long.”

Commenting on the star cast of Shah Rukh, Deepika and John in a film, he added, "We have the most loved superstar of our generation, Shah Rukh Khan, with us. It is an honour and a responsibility for all of us. So, we really can’t misstep at any point and we ensured that this video was bang for the buck for everyone who was eagerly waiting for SRK to announce Pathaan! Add to that, we have the biggest female superstar of our country, Deepika Padukone in the film. This makes Pathan even more exciting as SRK and DP have delivered historic blockbusters.”

He added, “On top of that we have John Abraham, who is undisputed in action and commands a huge and a loyal fan base that waits for him to take things several notches higher with every film that he does. So, there is pressure for us to deliver a cracking product and I love that there is this pressure and anticipation. It pushes me to deliver my best work and I’m hoping to do that again with Pathan.”Shah Rukh had announced the release date of Pathaan in a video earlier this month. He captioned it, I know it’s late… But remember the date… Pathaan time starts now… See you in cinemas on 25th January, 2023. Releasing in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Celebrate #Pathaan with #YRF50 only at a big screen near you."

The Pathaan teaser shows Deepika and John introducing Shah Rukh's character in the film as a man on a mission. Soon after, he walks out of the shadows in a white shirt and long hair and talks about his love for the country.