This action packed Mission Impossible style bollywood thriller is filled with political intrigue, action and drama fashioned roughly after Mission Impossible: Fallout.
This is a comeback film for Shahukh Khan, who is trying to remake himself as an older and more rugged action actor who seems to have spent a lot of time in the gym to show off his new muscular body. John Abrams, already known for his muscles, has also toned up to match. A surprise appearance from another khan in the second half adds to the muscle with an amazing action sequence. The action scenes are amazing, as good if not better than hollywood action films. Their acting is also compelling.
Pathaan gets his name from an Afghan family that adopted him during his mission there. Otherwise he has no pathan roots. Perhaps the name Pathaan has that action sound that can add some cache to marketing the film.
The 2019 article 370 is withdrawn by the Indian government in Jammu Kashmir sets the backdrop of this mission impossible. The positive thing here is that Pakistani and Indian agents team up to fight extremist agents who have gone rogue. This is also not a very political propaganda film, but it is somewhat critical of both Indian and Pakistani politics with a touch of patriotism.
Deepika Padukone plays the Pakistani agent. Her acting including the action scenes is very compelling, but her overly sexualized scenes including the dance number are over done for the male gaze and are totally unnecessary and don’t really add to the film. Overall its great film notwithstanding the overt sexism.
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