In a departure from the norm for a major Indian release, Yash Raj Films has begun promoting the upcoming action-thriller Pathaan several weeks ahead of its debut in January. But this isn’t just any Bollywood film that we’re talking about; Pathaan is superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s first film in over four years. And it makes sense for YRF to leave no stone unturned in building buzz around it. On Tuesday, the studio debuted a new poster which features Khan in character as the titular super-spy, Pathaan.
Fondly known as the “Badshah (King) of Bollywood” or SRK, Khan is perhaps among the world’s biggest movie stars, with a fan-base than extends beyond India’s estimated 1.4 billion population and across South Asian communities around the globe. As such, anticipation for a new SRK movie is at an all-time high after four years of whispers and murmurs about his hotly-anticipated return in a starring role.
The new poster provides a better look at Khan’s rugged appearance in the film — a departure for the actor, who is synonymous for playing swooning romantic heroes in major box office hits going back three decades. Fans got a glimpse of the star in the film’s first teaser, which debuted last month, but the new poster shows the rugged-looking Pathaan wielding a shotgun, standing imposingly with Dubai landmarks in the background.
Directed by Siddharth Anand, Pathaan is said to be a part of a shared universe of spy movies produced by YRF, which began with Ek Tha Tiger and continued with its immediate sequel, Tiger Zinda Hai. Both films starred Salman Khan, who is currently filming the third installment in the franchise. Salman previously confirmed that he’d filmed a cameo for Pathaan, and that SRK had done likewise for the tentatively titled Tiger 3. It’s also worth noting that director Anand helmed the blockbuster War—starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff—which could also be retrofitted into the YRF spy universe.
SRK’s last film was the ambitious misfire Zero, directed by Aanand L. Rai. A visual effects-heavy comedy-drama that performed so poorly that it forced Khan to go into a self-imposed acting sabbatical. He is poised to make a major comeback in 2023 with three films lined up. In addition to Pathaan, SRK will star in director Atlee’s Jawan, which is slated for June, and in director Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki, which will land around Christmastime. This year, SRK appeared in cameos in three films — Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, the Forrest Gump remake Laal Singh Chaddha, and the superhero movie Brahmāstra.
Also starring Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, Pathaan will be released on January 25 in the Tamil and Telugu languages, in addition to the original Hindi. This is becoming an increasingly common strategy for big Bollywood films trying to make inroads into South Indian markets. You can get a better look at the new poster below:
