Inside Pathaan fan screening: Shah Rukh Khan scripts fairytale comeback, arrives with firecrackers and oodles of charm

So, when Shah Rukh Khan finally arrived on screen, everyone was strapped to their seats, and ready to love him again. ‘Mausam bigadne waala hai,’ their idol has been promising them in the promotional material of the film, and they wanted nothing less. This was not the audience that would critically judge the film, instead they wanted to embrace the superstar — many say the last we would ever see — with open arms, a lot like his trademark gesture.

In his most commercial avatar in perhaps a decade, Khan glided, pumped bullets, punched, kicked and gave his trademark dimpled smile to mark his thumping comeback. “We thought his chapter was over,” a character said in the film referring to Pathaan, “but he was writing an entire new book.” The audience erupted, because it felt, by clever extension, a statement for Khan.

The entire two and half hour run time of Pathaan had fans enjoying their favorite star playing to the gallery, being heroic, silly, broken, beautiful, patriotic and powering through his undisputed charm. The loudest cheer was also reserved for a particularly controversial—and blown out of proportion—sequence from the song Besharm Rang.

Deepika Padukone’s saffron bikini had ruffled many Hindu right-wing groups and BJP ministers, with many calling for the entire scene to be chopped off for hurting religious sentiments. But the song remains, with some minor visual edits, and so does the saffron bikini, signaling clearly that the makers are more bedhadak, than besharm.

The audience at Pathaan screening, and there’s no other way to put it, erupted when the film played its biggest—but worst kept—surprise: The entry of Salman Khan’s spy agent Tiger. The coming together of Shah Rukh and Salman is Bollywood’s iconic cultural moment; soaked in nostalgia, greeted with deafening cheers and unprecedented love. It’s a moment best experienced on screen.

When Pathaan ended, there was a euphoric cheer, happy faces and all-around applause. “Happy Shah Rukh day,” an audience member greeted another. “The wait has finally paid off.” The fan screening of Pathaan was relentless fun. Everyone enjoyed, including Aamir Khan.