ENTERTAINMENT

In the first media outing after the stupendous success of Pathaan, Shah Rukh Khan compared himself and his two co-stars, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham to the iconic characters of Manmohan Desai's classic 1977 film Amar Akbar Anthony. The actor was speaking about playing characters in films and urged audiences that they shouldn't take their alter egos too seriously. He stated that everything is done in the name of entertainment only. 

The actor was joined by Pathaan director Siddharth Anand, Deepika and John Abraham in front of the media and fans to celebrate the success of the action film in Mumbai on Monday. Shah Rukh shared, "Sabka maksad ek hi hota hai (Everyone has one motive). We should spread happiness, brotherhood, love, kindness, even when I'm playing a bad guy like [in] Darr. Even if I'm playing a Baazigar, even if John is being bad in a film. None of us are bad. We are all playing characters to make you happy. If we say things in the film, none of them are meant to hurt any sentiment or anybody. It is just entertainment." Previously, many protested against the film for allegedly hurting their sentiments, especially after the release of Pathaan song Besharam Rang.

2023 seems to be a super hit already for Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The King Khan of Bollywood left everyone mesmerized with his phenomenal acting skills in the action-thriller film Pathaan which is directed by Siddharth Anand and features Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in lead roles. Pathaan has been single-handedly breaking records at the box office and has left everyone shocked with the amount of love it is getting across the globe.

Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan has registered the biggest opening day in the history of Hindi cinema. The film minted Rs 57 crore net (Rs 68 crore gross) in India alone and grossed over Rs 104 crore worldwide on its first day. What makes this even more special is that the film was the highest-grossing title in the world on January 25. As per trade sources, Pathaan managed to upstage Avatar: The Way of Water, which had been the most successful film each day since its release in December.

Actor-director Riteish Deshmukh spoke about the unexpected box office success of his debut film as director, Ved. He expressed gratitude to families for showing up in droves to watch the film in theatres, and to Salman Khan for appearing in a song and adding to the film's production value. The Marathi language film has made more than Rs 55 crore at the box office, and counting.

In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Riteish also noted the many setbacks that he and his wife, co-star Genelia Deshmukh, faced while putting the film together. He revealed that when no studio agreed to partner with them on the project, they were forced to release it on their own, with Genelia taking a leadership role in designing the promotional strategy.

Along wait of four years finally came to an end on January 25! Shah Rukh Khan was back on the screens as the lead in Pathaan, and it was a day of celebration for Bollywood buffs. Fans arrived in huge numbers at the theatres for early morning shows, brought big posters and cakes, and even burst crackers outside the theatres. Shows for Pathaan were even increased due to high demand. Needless to say, Pathaan has set the box office on fire as expected. 

Pathaan, that released on January 26, has taken the box office by storm. Also starring Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, the film had broken records in terms of advance bookings. Pathaan recorded the highest pre-release ticket sales for a Bollywood film. Pathaan even recorded the biggest advance booking for an Indian film post-pandemic, beating Yash's KGF: Chapter 2. The Box Office Worldwide tweeted, "Exclusive HISTORIC BLOCKBUSTER #ShahRukhKhan Starrer #Pathaan Set To Cross 110 Cr Nett By Tomorrow,Heavy Demands Forced YRF To Increase Shows From Midnight Today!"