Jhome jo Pathaan, meri jaan, mehfil hi lut jaaye
Dede jo zubaan, meri jaan, us pe mar-mit-jaayeMore
When the pattern swings, dear, the gathering spirals out of control
When he calls, we give him everything.
The song played as the credits roll at the end patternThe new Bollywood movie hit starring screen legend Shah Rukh Khan offers some insight into what a phenomenon the film has become.
This true Bollywood masala — action, comedy, drama and allusions to romance — is so successful because the superstar and the audience love each other. And, like many people, I say this as someone who is not a fan of the actor, even though I thought he was an eloquent and charming man.
Aparita Bhandari tells Commotion’s Elamin Abdelmahmoud: pattern:
9:37The hype over patterns and the return of Shah Rukh Khan
Open mid-week on the eve of India’s Republic Day, pattern Immediately started breaking records. Audiences flocked in droves to see Khan’s all-out action flick after Bollywood’s box office slump was announced after being mostly absent from Indian theaters due to the pandemic. pattern It “made history” on its first day, raising around $6.8 million in India alone. According to the film’s production company YRF, in its first weekend he raised more than $35 million from India and overseas markets.
Fans flocked in droves despite right-wing boycott
Fans wore t-shirts and hoodies featuring lines spit out by Khan’s character in the trailer for the film. “Mausam bigadne waala hai” (The weather is going to be rough.) Despite several Hindu nationalist groups and ruling party politicians calling for a boycott of the film because of the scenes featuring orange bikinis, “Besharam Rang” They danced in their seats as the song played. It is related to Hinduism. And they turned the movie theater into a concert venue, happily dancing to “Jhoome Jo Pathaan” in the aisles and in front of the screens.
They couldn’t care less about the storyline. pattern I am not concerned with understanding the meaning of the story. There are whispers of plot meant to showcase the charisma of his three major stars: Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham.
Pathaan (Khan) is a retired Indian soldier whose body is broken and immobilized in so many places that alarm bells ring as he walks through a metal detector. He dreams of an elite agency called JOCR, made up of other veterans like him, dedicated to serving their country. JOCR is tracking down a terrorist organization for hire called Outfit X, which is led by former Indian spy Jim (Abraham). Outfit X is made up of ex-spies from around the world, including his Rubai (Padukone), a former Pakistani operative.
The opening frame tells us the reason for the chase scene between Patter, Jim, and the occasional Rubai. Pakistani General Qadir attacks India as India revokes Article 370, which gave Kashmir a degree of autonomy. Try and call Jim. The rest of the film is a series of flashbacks that give origin stories, banter during brawls, before the ending with a mission to save India from a deadly virus.
Sexy stars, moment-to-moment thrills, and Muslim heroes
Action sequences progress at a dizzying pace around the world, defying all kinds of laws of logic and physics. These scenes, clearly staged in front of a green screen, are long, making the audience laugh out loud as muscles rippling and hair fluttering in glorious slow motion. Khan, Padukone, and Abraham are clearly enjoying themselves in front of the camera, which remains lovingly on the trio’s sculpted bodies. Share, give them their moment and enjoy the friendship.
The two men are torn, but it is their dimpled grins and slow grins that captivate, as well as their crow’s feet and wrinkled brows. , exuding sexy confidence while strolling the streets of Paris.
Of course there are quirks. Some of the dialogue is mundane and even moan-inducing. Actions can be repetitive. You can edit your movie. But that doesn’t stop his die-hard SRK (also known as Superstar) fans from watching. pattern More than once. As for those who are not SRK fans, they will ignore moral policing calls to boycott Bollywood and watch the film, and show solidarity with Muslim celebrities who are trolled for speaking out against religious intolerance. There will be many people.
in a sense pattern The film deftly subverts the nationalist narrative that has become a popular plot line in Indian cinema these days, see Uri, Kesari, and even RRR. I do not shy away from my identity as a Muslim. However, he also added that he was found abandoned in a movie theater. This can be seen as a reference to Khan’s own mythology.
For beleaguered Bollywood, pattern‘s record-breaking success is a welcome respite. However, Shah Rukh Khan fans will say that he never lost faith in him or his ability to shake them.
Listen to Commotion as Elamin Abdelmahmoud’s podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else you can get podcasts.