In the meantime, a lot has changed, with many moviegoers’ choices being redefined as a result of exposure to non-Hindi cinema on OTT platforms during the Covid-19-induced lockdown. Bollywood is hoping that Siddharth Anand’s action film Pathaan, starring Khan, will be the lone hit the sector sorely needs. The business has been hurt by flops ever since the theatres reopened.
No other recent Hindi film has had the excitement leading up to its debut, even though Pathaan will only be a success if spectators enjoy what they see in the first few days. The outcome of Khan’s stardom is the initial response. He may be 57 years old, but so what? Most of his followers still support him, including many who bought tickets during advance bookings to ensure the upcoming actioner got off to a great start and outnumbered others who called for a social media boycott of the movie (and of Bollywood).
Fans experience a unique level of excitement when a huge star appears in a supporting role. Khan made three cameo appearances in 2022 that served as appetisers for bigger things to come, like Pathaan. He acted as an interviewer in the Hindi version of R Madhavan’s biographical drama Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, as himself in Advait Chandan’s love drama Laal Singh Chaddha, and as a scientist in Ayan Mukerji’s supernatural adventure movie Brahmastra: Shiva – Part I. Prior to the upcoming releases of Pathaan, Jawan, an action thriller from Atlee, and Dunki, a social drama from Rajkumar Hirani, both this year, he made sure to make these brief public appearances.
Video Courtesy: YRF
In an age dominated by fickle fans, Khanu2019s popularity is partly because of his ability to charm his audience outside his films. His presence of mind and sense of humour are his USPs during occasions such as press conferences and TV shows. or instance, in 2014, Shah Rukh Khan was asked by Comedy Nights with Kapil host Kapil Sharma what was unique about Farah Khan’s ensemble cast action comedy Happy New Year that compelled him to act in such a multi-starrer. He responded by saying that the film was unoriginal, therefore many famous people had to be cast in it.
The actor also has a reflective side, which comes to the fore when he shares his opinions on issues of current interest. He regularly engages with his followers on Twitter, but he is also cognizant of the drawbacks of social media. At the recent Kolkata International Film Festival, he discussed the problems with social media, saying, u201cu2026.Social media is often driven by a certain narrowness of view that limits human nature to its baser self. I read somewhere that negativity increases social media consumption and thereby increases its commercial value as well.u201d He has gained popularity among those fans who can’t find another articulate star like him in the Hindi Film Industry due to the way he conveys his emotions on related themes.
For more than three decades, Shah Rukh Khan has been at the forefront of Hindi cinema. Some fans remember him best for his roles as the antagonist in Abbas-Mustanu2019s Baazigar (1993) and Yash Choprau2019s Darr (1993). Others like him most for being the lover boy of Aditya Choprau2019s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). His performance as the alcoholic loser in love in Sanjay Leela Bhansaliu2019s Devdas (2002) was widely appreciated, not unlike his character of the gangster of Rahul Dholakiau2019s Raees (2017).
His last two films as the hero, Imtiaz Aliu2019s 2017 romantic comedy Jab Harry Met Sejal and Aanand L Raiu2019s 2018 romantic comedy Zero, failed to set the box office on fire. Pleasing the modern-day audience isnu2019t as easy as earlier either. That said, few can question his ability to get a good start for his film before viewer feedback makes or breaks it at the box office.
Pathaan is all set to release in theatres on January 25, 2023.
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