A fun international spy thriller- Badshah is back with Bang

The movie is an origin narrative of an ex-army man turned covert agent Pathaan (Shah Rukh Khan) and his arch foe, Jim, and it expands the espionage universe of Yrf (previously led by Salman Khan’s Tiger and Hrithik Roshan’s Kabir).
Pathaan, an ambitious action thriller that plays to the crowd and lives up to expectations, is something of an event movie since it marks Shah Rukh Khan’s return to the big screen after a long absence of four years. Pathaan starts off as a filmy Mountain Dew commercial with far-fetched dialogue but is high on star power and style as it slowly but steadily finds its own.

The story revolves around India's decision to revoke Article 370 (the special status of Jammu and Kashmir) and how it affects a Pakistani officer who demands compensation from India for its "error." He extends an olive branch to the imposing Jim, an ex-RAW agent who was wronged by his own people. He is joined by his seductive partner Rubai, a former ISI agent played by Deepika Padukone, who has murky motivations. As they move between countries and engage in a risky game of betrayal and retaliation, Pathaan, Jim, and Rubai lock horns and lock eyes. The three compete to obliterate and defend the worlds they hold dear.

In his spy thriller, director Siddharth Anand goes over the top. He approaches it more as a superhero movie that requires a great deal of suspension of disbelief. Here, it is clear that he is fascinated by and worships conventional Hollywood blockbusters like the Mission Impossible flicks starring Tom Cruise and the Marvel movies. Expect a femme fatale, a wingsuit a la Falcon, heightened action and chase scenes, death-defying feats on cars, bikes, ice, and helicopters, immortal heroes and villains mouthing sharp speech, and all of this drenched in the idea of patriotism.
For a large portion of the movie, the focus is on the action rather than the emotions, which is new ground for SRK, who is best known for his romantic or conversational roles. It's remarkable how, at 57, he still portrays himself as a full-fledged action hero, letting his physique and his intensely expressive eyes do the talking. His presence saves a mediocre storyline and poor visual effects. Vishal & Shekhar's music for the movie succeeds in reflecting the courage and bravado on exhibit, even though the background soundtrack doesn't exactly feel in harmony with the scenes.
The standout aspect of Pathaan is also John Abraham's excellent performance. John is frightening and presents a typical example of the villain partially overshadowing the hero, whether it's through his Bane-like masked entrance or stunt routines.
Although Deepika Padukone is a badass and is flawlessly cast as the obedient, morally dubious, leggy agent, their chemistry feels undercooked. It doesn't have the same energy that John-SRK's characters do. Once more pulling a Tenet, Dimple Kapadia gives the proceedings the necessary seriousness and emotional weight. You wish other characters had the same level of genuineness she did.
As Bhai meets the badshah, Karan and Arjun are reunited in the YRF espionage universe to give you an unforgettable whistling moment. Pathaan has all the elements of a masala potboiler, including slow-motion entries, an iconic good versus evil conflict, and most importantly, a seductive, smoldering Shah Rukh Khan who can fight the good fight both on and off-screen. If you are willing to overlook the frivolity in dialogues like "You are pretty screwed," that is. He is still without a doubt the King.