On the 30-year anniversary of his film debut, global icon Shah Rukh Khan (Don: The Chase Begins Again; Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge; Veer-Zaara), released the official poster for his hotly-awaited action thriller Pathaan, which will see him return to the big screen for the first time in five years.
Yesterday's big reveal came on an auspicious day for King Khan as it was the 30-year anniversary of his film debut in 1992's Deewana. While that was actually the second film he shot, after Dil Aashna Hai, it was his first film released in theaters and was the one that ultimately kickstarted his legendary career.
Pathaan was written and directed by Siddharth Anand (War; Bang Bang!; Salaam Namaste) and will bow in theaters on January 25, 2023; coinciding with the Republic Day holiday in India, which sets the stage for a gargantuan opening weekend for SRK's first film in a leading role since 2018's Zero.
Principal photography wrapped earlier this year, after lengthy schedules in Mumbai, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Spain. The last leg of the shoot featured Khan and leading lady Deepika Padukone filming a song in Mallorca, images of which went viral after being leaked online.
In a lengthy statement to Variety, Pathaan director Siddharth Anand expressed his gratitude to Khan and excitement to finally share this first-look poster,
“Thirty years of Shah Rukh Khan is a cinematic moment in itself in the history of Indian cinema and we wanted to celebrate it with his millions and millions of fans globally. Today is Shah Rukh Khan day and we need to tell the world that. This is team ‘Pathaan’s way of saying thank you to Shah Rukh for the countless memories and smiles that he has given all of us in his incredible journey in cinema.”
He is the alpha man on a mission in this action spectacle that will hopefully set new benchmarks for the action genre in India. When you have Shah Rukh Khan in your film, along with superstars like Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, you have to reach for the stars in every department and I don’t think we will disappoint on that promise with ‘Pathaan’.
Shah Rukh Khan’s look from ‘Pathaan’ was the most heavily guarded imagery. Fans across the world have been frantically demanding for his look to be unveiled for a long, long time now and we couldn’t think of a better day to reveal this to his fans and audiences. I hope people and SRK fans love his look from Pathaan.”
Khan will star in the title role with frequent collaborator Deepika Padukone (Chennai Express; Om Shanti Om; xXx: The Return of Xander Cage) as the female lead and John Abraham (Dhoom; Dostana; Satyameva Jayate) reportedly playing the primary antagonist. Dimple Kapadia (Dil Chahta Hai; Dabangg; Tenet) will appear in a key supporting role.
SRK's longtime friend and fellow icon Salman Khan (Mujhse Shaadi Karogi; Ek Tha Tiger; Tiger Zinda Hai) is slated to make an extended cameo as Avinash Singh Rathore, reprising his role from YRF's ongoing Tiger action franchise.
Pathaan will be the first of three releases for King Khan in 2023, followed by Atlee's Jawan on June 2, and Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki on December 22.
He's also slated to make cameo appearances in R. Madhavan's Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (07/01/22), Aamir Khan's Laal Singh Chaddha (08/11/22), Ranbir Kapoor's Brahmāstra Part One: Shiva (09/09/22), and Salman Khan's Tiger 3 (04/21/23) - which would give him seven new films in two years after not opening a film since December 2018.
Check out the official motion poster below: