Is Pathan the best comeback vehicle for SRK?

5 Reasons Why Pathan Is A High Risk For Shah Rukh Khan

As Shah Rukh Khan readies himself for possibly the most anticipated comeback of this cinematic era, there's a lot of apprehension, nerves and excitement heading into its release this year. Shah Rukh has confirmed he will comeback on the big screen this year and with this, we have some concerns forming in our minds.

Is Pathan really the best idea for King Khan to make a comeback with? He's treading on a very dangerous path with his comeback, so let's take a look at some major pointers:

Choosing Grandeur over substance: Shah Rukh has been paying a heavy price for the star power & expectations he carries. At this point, he should have probably opted for a low risk film, something that relied more on story and less on grandeur. Let's face it, audiences had no complaints about the grandeur of films like Fan and Zero, it was the execution that failed. Pathan is prone to be one of those films that could offer less substance and more grandeur. That's too much risk.

Sidharth Anand as Director: The earth shattering success of Hrithik-Tiger starrer War could have been a reason for SRK to have instilled faith in Sidharth Anand. But Sidharth himself is a risk being at the helm of such a huge film. Sidharth had previously directed two big films including Bang Bang and War. While Bang Bang was criticised for not offering substance, War also banked on the star power and its high budget to find success. So could Pathan fall in the same underwhelming league, quite possible.

SRK & First Time Directors: The last few SRK letdowns have had one thing in common. His first time associations with hyped filmmakers have all been let downs. Collaborating with SRK for the first time, Manish in Fan messed it up. Imtiaz Ali in Jab Harry Met Sejal couldn't find his mojo while Anand L. Rai in Zero went completely haywire. With Sidharth Anand directing him for the first time in Pathan, are we in for a similar let down?

He Should Have Played Safe: Wouldn't Raju Hirani have been the safest bet for Shah Rukh to make a comeback with? He's risking big with so much budget and a huge production house. While the ideal deal for him would have been to reprise his Don avatar, being directed by Raju Hirani could also have been a winning deal. Raju & SRK compliment each other's style of cinema and that should have been explored at this point.

OTT Invasion Has Made Things Worse: The biggest concern that OTT has thrown at big screen cinematic experience is the experience. A film must really have to guarantee serious entertainment if people are spending thousands to watch it. The covid era has only spoilt the viewers and they wouldn't accept anything underwhelming. That's a tough ask for Pathan.

Do you think on similar lines as us or are you too optimistic about Pathan working wonders?

Source: Pinkvilla