Zainab Jeewanjee

I don’t watch a lot of Shahrukh Khan movies but when I do, I post about it.

Shahrukh Khan is a polarizing figure, (funny to say that since he’s one of the most famous movie stars in the world) but amongst those I know, people either love, or completely dislike his acting style and movies.

I fall in neither camp, I enjoy a good Hindi movie and he’s been the star of a couple I feel alright about and some that I could never finish, but he hasn’t starred in any of my favorites (in case you’re wondering, my favorites are Dil Dhadakne Do & Kapoor & Sons – both on Netflix)

And something I’ve thought a lot about over the years is the age-old dilemma: should you separate art from the artist? It’s a question we ask ourselves when a famous person whose work we may have liked, is problematic, like Kanye West, or Pablo Picasso. But what about the reverse – when the artist, in this case Shahrukh Khan, seems to be an all-around upstanding person and his art is something you feel tepid about at best?

Well, I decided this past weekend that SRK has been a near flawless ambassador of Hindi cinema for decades, arguably the most famous man in India today, and still, his son was unjustly thrown in jail in a heinous show of unwarranted collective punishment after SRK voiced concern for growing intolerance in the context of religiosity in his country. So, I did not separate art from the artist and decided to support this mans comeback movie, Pathan.

I strolled into the theater last weekend with this intent and low expectations, although a friend’s review did spur my curiosity. I dislike action movies in general (only two exceptions Tom Cruise’s first Mission Impossible and Harrison Fords the Fugitive) mostly because I flinch and cringe at most “action” scenes but let me just say, despite flinching through very disturbing action sequences in Pathan, I found myself otherwise smiling and walked out of the theater a newly minted Shahrukh Khan fan.

Why? Because this is the first time SRK looked like he, pardon the slang, DGAF. It’s the first time I’ve seen him outside of a romantic lead role; he’s a spy master. He’s a full tilt action hero with Iron Man-esque jet packs, Jason Bourne fight moves every 15 minutes and consuming low-fat Yogurt while casually strategizing world class heists a la Brad Pitt in Oceans 11.

He is incredible as Pathan and I don’t say this because of his flowy hair and 8 pack abs, but because it’s the first time we see him not eager to please. He’s not here desperate to please a woman’s unyielding family, he’s not here solely to please his dogmatic parents, he’s not even pleasing his handlers as a spy. He’s his own man, on a mission to do right by everyone for the sheer sake of upholding justice. Everyone else be damned, this SRK came to play.

The story is over the top, the CGI’s are weak, the gratuitous violence is extremely difficult to watch, but the screenplay and direction are great and the cast is incredible (John Abraham, Dimple Kapadia and Deepika are fantastic). SRK carries the movie with a mesmerizing nonchalance as Pathan and does such a phenomenal job as a spy master and it makes for a rollicking watch.

Plus, in the context of this being his big comeback movie, I’m here for it being splashy and over the top. It’s meta – it’s a guy who was swiftly torn down by conservatives for supporting secularism, went on hiatus, and comes back with a roar to say you can’t stop me and I’m going to break box office records in Hindi cinema on a movie where I double down on those very progressive values you tore me down for.

So here’s to Bollywood; Aditya Chopra, Yash Raj Films, Siddharth Aanand, Sridhar Raghavan and Abbas Tyrewala. You brought out the best in Shahrukh Khan after his 3 decades in acting, and brought millions of moviegoers sheer joy in a smorgasbord of a film. If ever a country did soft power right, it’s India through Bollywood. Because when Bollywood gets it right, it’s really something special and we’re lucky India shares her artistry with the whole world.