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Pathaan has recently broken all records in the history of cinema. The actor released his film after a 5-year pause, and due to his previous few movies failing to bag any public laud, Pathaan exceeded his and the whole world’s expectations. The movie was released on the 25th of January and surpassed Avatar: The Way of Water, which has been on the top consecutively for two weeks. The film bagged an estimated $100 million. However, the movie has become more than a simple and cliché Bollywood action film as it took a communal angle unprecedentedly.

Here’s Why Pathaan came under a microscope

A middle-class “Muslim man” soaring to heights is not what triggered the communal angle. Still, the portrayal of the character in a different nationalist backdrop led to this “mahayudh” of right and left-wing extremists. It is said that the government of India is not only backhandedly involved in this issue but also profiting from it. So, how did such a simple script and the ubiquitous casting preference take a massive turn to the film’s success? Let us discuss this.

Pandemic Problems

Bollywood faced a lot of issues before the initiation of Covid-19. The unwarranted nepotism tags, the surpassing of South Indian films, and the everlasting preference for Hollywood over Bollywood. Covid-19 brought with it a lot of added problems as the lockdown made it harder for the film industry to thrive in the open and were mostly limited to their homes. The cinemas were out of the question as people switched to online streaming platforms. The film industry estimates itself mainly on the cinemas whose doors were now closed. The argument, however, could be sharper as Bollywood has gradually lost its charm over the years owing to the drab and repetitive plots and scripts. The public craved something fresh, but was Pathaan it?

Political Backdrops

Bollywood and politics have always had a Tom-Jerry relationship. Bollywood, in its way, extends the boundaries of its inspirative capabilities while it is only sometimes palatable for the government. The rise of extremism has caused a latent imbalance in the industry. The actors fear for their jobs and are quaking in their boots because they feel their right to expression is somewhat suppressed. The intolerance in communities has tainted the experience of Bollywood, and it is a sad reality. Films are supposed to inspire while metaphorically expressing their perspective of reality. The grip of Bollywood has sunk its claws deep, which is a red flag for every government as Bollywood could claim to have a more profound influence on people.

The Ultimate Underdog; SRK

Shahrukh Khan has been the face of Bollywood for several decades. The ice-breaker in every film conversation, whether Bollywood or Hollywood. A discussion without Shahrukh Khan about the film industry and its history is incomplete. The actor has always been an exemplary character in his films and in real-time. The perfect lover, brother, husband, friend, etc., is the only non-nepo baby out of the three Khans to achieve success. Lately, his films took a terrible turn as the actor struggled with coming around his age. Well, that was only a prelude to Pathaan. Shahrukh Khan has seen it all by belonging to a middle-class family, preaching about secularism, his father serving in the army, and being among the highest-paid actors. The actor faced many setbacks, with his son (Aryan Khan) getting arrested, the repelling of magnetism with the current government, and the right-wing extremism that cornered the film, Pathaan. To everyone’s surprise, the film crossed heights when the target of more than $100 million was reached. The act was no short of an anomaly, but let’s be honest, the star has an insanely patriotic fan base who would do anything to elevate their beloved actor. His relationship with his fans is almost as religious as a priest and his Bible.

Pathaan; a dissection

When analyzed, the movie is not something extraordinary that wowed the audience. The script was nothing new but another action film showcasing a nationalist martyring himself for his country. However, the film took a lot of work to separate from the communal angle it took, whether on the film’s name or the color of Deepika Padukone’s bikini. The movie showcased that patriotism is not a birthright reserved and to be monopolized just by a specific country or a religion, but it could be anything. The love for your mother, art, a book, and a person can all be patriotic. The connotation of the title was a massive shot at the right-wing communities which, one way understandable, is also very prudish. One should be open to interpretations and exceeding horizons which nowadays are very hard to find. However, the issues took more work to operate as on Siamese twins. Anyhow, the movie was not a flop and hardly took any unrealistic measures to defame the sentiments of any community. This propaganda was a hit ‘n’ miss and took a turn in his favor.

Secularism versus Extremism

In the end, the politicization of Bollywood must slow down, as entertainment is not a battlefield for vote banks. The critics also deem that people will now come to their senses as the wrath of Covid-19 has passed, and the film industry is reinstating itself as a liberal platform to explore and let explore. The film industry must not be looked down on as it has birthed marvels and will continue to do so. However, the receding inspiration of Bollywood and the monotonous script or the tedious plots have lost the generations’ interest. With anticipated fresh ideas, which many short films often portray, it is a must for the film industry to reach a new contemporary canon. Pathaan has touched not an emotional nerve but a patriotic one (mainly of his fans towards him). Let’s say our Pathaan was lucky to secure the bag with a normal and lukewarm script (Shahrukh Khan’s “tadka” of acting goes without saying). He owes it all to his fans, who hysterically worship him as a superhuman closer to god.