At the time of writing this article, Pathaan is nearing Rs 500 crore mark in India, and could be hitting Rs 1000 crore mark internationally, the latter without an exclusive release in China. The spy-action thriller starred Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in the lead, with Salman Khan in a cameo, and was directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Yash Raj Films. The record-breaking box office performance of the film has left many in the industry in smiles after Bollywood went through a slump in the past couple of years, often getting beaten up in their own arena by entertainers from South. Pathaan Box Office Collection Weekend 3: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham Starrer Mints Rs 489.05 Crore in India.

Why, even the three main leads were going through a slump at the box office, so Pathaan's phenomenal box office success is a relief for not only the stars but also for their fans. That it achieved this kind of success against some very mighty odds makes the victory something for History to note in the books. Remember the kind of theories and 'Truth Bombs' that used to circulate on social media about Bollywood and the Khans, and how their Time is Over. Well, Pathaan managed to shatter some of those myths big time with its record-crushing run. Here are some such 'truth bombs' that now no longer have any validation and are left redundant by one of Indian Cinema's most prestigious productions houses and one of world's most popular stars.

Shah Rukh Khan is Finished!

The' warning bells' were being rung for King Khan when Dilwale underperformed in India, trounced by Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone's Bajirao Mastani. From thereon, SRK has been delivering duds like FAN, Jab Harry Met Sejal and Zero and a semi-hit in Raees.

Shah Rukh Khan in Zero (Photo Credits: Red Chillies Entertainment)

That was enough for many to write the superstar off. But SRK took three years to lick his wounds and return to the arena with full ferocity and the result is there for everyone to see! To rephrase a popular quote of Shah Rukh Khan's own Chennai Express - 'Never underestimate the power of King Khan!' Pathaan Ending Explained: How Mid-Credit Scenes Connect Shah Rukh Khan-Deepika Padukone Film to YRF Spy Universe and Troll SRK-Salman Khan Haters.

The Reign of Khans is Over!

It was not just Shah Rukh Khan who was facing the fire in the past couple of years, even the other two Khans in the triumvirate were also going through a lean phase. Aamir Khan had Thugs of Hindostan underperform and Laal Singh Chaddha flop, and Salman's last two releases, Radhe (which was an OTT release) and Antim failed to create much buzz.

Salman Khan in Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai (Photo Credits: Zee Studios)

While the other two are still to make a strong comeback, at least Pathaan's success makes it easy to ensure the Khans aren't that easy to be written off. Especially after  the reception to Salman's cameo in Pathaan! Remember there was even an article going viral whose HL was 'End of Khans'? Wonder what the author of that article is thinking now...

Film With Muslim Name Can't Win in 'New India'

Before the release of Pathaan, there were rumours that YRF is changing the name of the film, since a 'Muslim' sounding movie will not be accepted in the present era. Well, not only did the makers not do so (and also didn't change the colour of Deepika's bikini in "Besharam Rang" song from orange), the film staunchly stood up the protagonist's religious identity. And still, Pathaan managed to sustain by, didn't it? Pathaan Movie Review: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham's Film is a 'Seetimaar' Entertainer With a Paisa-Vasool Salman Khan Cameo!

If The Film Has To Be a Hit, Promote It Everywhere!

Remember reading on Twitter that people need to take PR lessons from Shah Rukh Khan who promoted Pathaan through Twitter AMA sessions. That's bit of a stretch, since YRF did promote the film and its songs and trailers wherever they can. However, the team didn't have any grand events and launches, didn't go to any show to promote the film and saved quite a fraction of its marketing budget.

Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in Pathaan (Photo Credits: YRF)

The only public meet Pathaan's stars had was after the release of the film to celebrate the success. Well, in case of Pathaan, all the controversy and 'negative' campaign did help the film reach the public awareness, so there's that.

Bollywood Can Never Break South Cinema's Records

The successes of films like Baahubali 2, RRR, Pushpa, Kantara, KGF 2 in the North territory were being used as a yardstick for undermining the Hindi film industry.

Yash in KGF 2 (Photo Credits: Hombale Films)

While Bollywood is still obsessed with remakes of South movies, Pathaan did veer around the populist opinion that Bollywood may take a long time to beat the records set by South films. While Pathaan has already beaten KGF 2's earnings, Baahubali 2's Rs 511 crore (Hindi version) is still far away but not impossible to take over.

Bollywood Should Do More Rustic Films

There was a theory going around that the reason Bollywood films are flopping is because they aren't in touch with their 'roots' like say, Kantara, RRR or Pushpa. Pathaan is a slick globe-trotting action thriller that may have no rustic appeal but even within its conventions, was massy enough to appeal to a large fanbase.

#BoycottBollywood Campaign Has Defeated Laal Singh Chaddha

Bollywood haters, who has been undermining the industry for the past couple of years, were running the #BoycottBollywood campaign on social media whenever a new film launches its trailer or is nearing its release date. The #BoycottBollywood campaign claims credit for the trouncing of LSC at the box office, a movie that has big stars like Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan in the lead. They seem to forget that - leave Pathaan - even films like Gangubai Kathiawadi, Bhool Bhulaiya 2, Brahmastra and Drishyam 2 of last year had been big hits. Sooryavanshi manages to make about Rs 200 crore, even when theatres weren't running in full capacity post COVID-19 lockdowns.

Aamir Khan in Laal Singh Chaddha (Photo Credits: Aamir Khan Films)

The failure of Laal Singh Chaddha had nothing to do with any campaign, it is just that the film failed to appeal to the masses enough to draw them to theatres. Even Jab Harry Met Sejal performed likewise. So just like SRK, it is stupid to underestimate someone like Aamir Khan as well. All superstars like him (even Akshay Kumar who has had a bad run of films in 2022) need is just one film that hits the right notes and the result could be an all time blockbuster. In the business of entertainment, Hate cannot be dissociated, but it can be trumped! And in case of Pathaan, Hate did plays a big hand making it a success just not in an intentional way.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 13, 2023 08:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).