Pathan defied all odds at the box office, as it went on to be one of the biggest Bollywood hits in recent memory in the last few weeks.
The Shah Rukh Khan starrer, which was being hailed by many as his ‘comeback venture’, after his last few films failed at the box office, was supported abundantly by his sea of fans, who flocked outside theatres to see it.
The SRK mania reached such heights that the film has managed to cross the coveted box-office mark of 1,000 crores worldwide, accordingly to trade figures.
Now director Vivek Agnihotri – the curated the box office juggernaut The Kashmir Files in 2022, has come forth to praise the film and Khan, citing it’s commercial victory.
Speaking on The Carvaka Podcast, Vivek Agnihotri said:
“Pathaan worked purely because of the charisma and fan following of Shah Rukh, the way he marketed it and the way he took it on his shoulders that ‘it is my film and I am responsible for it’, which is pretty good.”
He also went on to add that part of the film’s success comes from the controversy generated by those who were calling for it’s boycott, following the release of the film’s controversial lead song, ‘Besharam Rang.’
Vivek said:
“I also think that some credit (of Pathaan’s success) should also go to people who were making stupid statements against the film and people who were unnecessarily protesting and asking for a boycott.”
Pathaan comes as a fresh breather for Bollywood and also for Shah Rukh, who’s last few films like ‘Fan’ and ‘Zero’ were box office duds, and a BO revival was needed for him to reestablish his global brand.
Pathaan has managed to do all that, and more.