Pathaan, the latest Bollywood action movie, has been making impressive numbers at the box office, but unfortunately, it fails to impress when it comes to cinematic quality. The film boasts over-the-top action, a bad screenplay, mediocre acting, and a below-average plot. It’s not surprising that a lot of people are disappointed with the movie.
The best part of Pathaan is the song ‘Besharam Rang’, but aside from that, there’s not much to talk about. Even if you’re a fan of good action movies, you might find Pathaan to be a disaster. The fighting and action are excessive, to the point of being stupid and unbearable. The acting, particularly by lead actor Shahrukh Khan, is mediocre and unconvincing.
The fact that Pathaan has broken the box office is a testament to the unhealthy celebrity worship syndrome (CWS) that is prevalent in India. It’s alarming how people fall prey to cheap celebrity gimmicks and blindly watch movies just because of the lead actor. In India, the movie primarily works only because of the lead actor’s cult following, and the plot hardly matters. This is unfortunate because good movies are overlooked and tank at the box office simply because the lead actor is not renowned or doesn’t have a cult following.
As a cinephile who loves good cinema, it’s infuriating to see a movie like Pathaan do great numbers. If it weren’t for celebrity fanaticism, nobody would watch movies like Pathaan or Tiger Zinda Hai, for that matter. Even the much-hyped cameo of Salman Khan falls flat and fails to save the movie.
The movie’s plot develops well in the first 15 minutes, but it’s stretched and becomes a pain to watch after that. Pathaan is described by one of the reviewers as “a horrific mix of mission impossible and happy new year,” which sums up the movie’s quality.
In conclusion, if you’re a sane person with a knack for good cinema, you won’t approve of Pathaan. The movie is a disappointing attempt at making an action-packed Bollywood flick. The question that arises is whether the movie would have been watched and appreciated if it wasn’t for Shahrukh Khan.
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