Shah Rukh Khan on Pathaan success: ‘In these four days, I’ve forgotten my last four years’

Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham and Siddharth Anand came together in Mumbai on Monday to express their gratitude in light of the phenomenal success of Pathaan.

Talking about the past four years, Shah Rukh Khan said, “The four years that I had… Covid had good and bad parts. I didn’t work. I was with my children. I saw them grow up. My last film had not worked and people had said my movies now won’t work. So, I thought of an alternate career: cooking Italian.”

“In these four days, I’ve forgotten my last four years,” he added.

The cast and crew of Pathaan actively avoided media interactions in the run-up to the film’s release. The movie was already dragged into controversy over the colour of Deepika Padukone’s bikini in the song “Besharam Rang”. The makers strategically chose not to react to the attacks and their resilience paid off when the film opened to packed houses across the country.

Shah Rukh Khan shared, “The three of us didn’t meet the media. We shot it (Pathaan) during Covid-19. We worked very hard. So, we were intensely in work mode. Thank you for supporting the film so much, in spite of the fact that there might have been things that would have helped curtailed the happy release of this film. I just want to say there’s so much love from all sides and we can never show enough gratefulness. We thank you on behalf of the film industry for bringing life back to cinemas.”

Pathaan was the life-giving drug that Bollywood needed to revive its fortunes and gain back its reputation as one of India’s biggest film industries. And a lot was at stake. Everyone might just have written an obituary to Bollywood, should Pathaan fail to bring the crowd back to theatres.

“I was also low on confidence. I am very proud to say I get scared sometimes. I lose confidence. But the weaker you are, the stronger you get,” Shah Rukh Khan said, suggesting the immense pressure he was under while making Pathaan.

He added, “When a film doesn’t become a hit, I still get this much love. My elders had told me when things go wrong, go to the people who love you. My fortune is that I have billions of people who love me. When I am sad, I come to my balcony. When I’m happy, I come to the balcony. God is so kind that he’s given me a lifetime ticket to the balcony.”

Pathaan has grossed over Rs 300 crore in India alone. The film also passed the crucial Monday test with flying colours.

Talking about the box office performance of Pathaan, Deepika Padukone said, “I don’t think we set out to break records. We set out to make a film with love and the right intentions. We had a good time. Shah Rukh Khan taught me that it’s important to work with people you have a good time with. It was such a lovely atmosphere to work in and that’s what the audience is taking back. Our intention was to bring the audience together and bring them joy.”

Pathaan is part of Yash Raj Films’ spy universe. The film also had a cameo by Salman Khan, who began this universe with the blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger in 2012. Pathaan is the new addition to YRF’s spy canon.

“The way YRF has mounted Pathaan, it’s really important. Aditya Chopra deserves a lot of praise. When you see Shah Rukh after four years, looking so good… I used to think I’m an action hero, but Shah Rukh is the number one action hero of the country today,” said John Abraham, who played the main antagonist named Jim in Pathaan.