It doesn’t always have to be Avatar or Fast and Furious. An Indian action thriller is currently breaking all kinds of records. In the middle of it all: Superstar Shah Rukh Khan as a top spy.
Shah Rukh Khan is one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. In recent years, however, the Indian star has made himself scarce in front of the camera. After several financial failures, he took a break from leading roles. But in 2023 he is back. At the beginning of his comeback is the agent action Pathaan, which is currently also playing in German cinemas.
This return to the big screen seems to have succeeded. Pathaan has already cracked the top 10 most successful Indian films ever and broken records worldwide. In Germany, Pathaan managed the best opening weekend of any Indian film and in the US, it beat the assembled Bollywood competition, as reported by Deadline 
The combination of a popular action franchise and a long-missing star apparently works wonders. The fact that Khan is here celebrating a reunion with his on-screen partner Deepika Padukone (Om Shanti Om) certainly doesn’t hurt either.
Watch the trailer for Pathaan here:
In Pathaan, Shah Rukh Khan must stop the spread of a deadly virus
Shah Rukh Khan plays the titular Pathaan, an agent of India’s foreign intelligence agency who is tasked with stopping ex-colleague Jim (John Abraham). Jim has let go of all ideals due to a terrible tragedy and is willing to cross any moral line. This includes unleashing a deadly virus on India on behalf of a renegade Pakistani general. During his mission, Pathaan meets Pakistani agent Rubai (Deepika Padukone), but can he trust her?
Director Siddharth Anand (War) fills his 148-minute running time with various lurid twists, rows of washboard bellies, time jumps and one over-the-top action set-piece after another. There’s a high-tech safe to crack in Moscow, a shootout in Spain and a fight on the roof of a moving truck in Dubai. There are also various cameos, just like in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Because Pathaan also belongs to a film universe – although you don’t have to know the other films to enjoy the action excess.
