Edited By: Yatamanyu Narain
Last Updated: February 04, 2023, 17:03 IST
Siddarth Anand shares bis views on Pathaan being called ‘over-the-top’
Siddharth Anand explains his take on Pataan being deemed as over-the-top and compares it with Amitabh Bachchan’s Sholay
Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan is shattering records at the Box office. After an extended dry spell that the Hindi cinema has gone through barring some films like Brahmastra and Drishyam 2, the Yash Raj spy-thriller has rightly instilled hope in the entertainment industry. Siddharth Anand who helmed the film is basking in the success. The filmmaker who is known for his films like War and Bang Bang recently opened up about his take on his film being ‘over-the-top”. He substantiated his answer by quoting films like Sholay and Hum Aapke Hai Kaun.
During a freewheeling conversation with Film Companion, recalling the iconic scene from Sholay in which Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Hema Malini flee from Gabbar Singh despite them being in the power of the situation, Siddharth Anand examined, “Let’s take Sholay for example. Sholay is all about catching Gabbar. There is a scene in the movie where Basanti is dancing and Dharamji is tied up. What happens at the end of the song? Amitabh Bachchan comes, Dharamji fills his pockets with bullets, picks up the gun sits on the horse and runs away with Basanti. Bachchan saab also sits on the horse and runs away. The whole film is about catching Gabbar, but they run away.”
Continuing to explain his point, Siddharth added, “It’s all the maker’s conviction because they want the desired climax. Sometimes logic has to take a backseat and drama overtakes logic. But you try and stay true to physics. It’s very important. We really don’t make action films, the South makes action films. I have made three and every time I have tried to give the audience a little bit of the experience so that when you come to the theatre, you get to feel the heightened reality but not disbelief.”
Pathaan starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana have achieved numerous milestones during the course of two weeks. The film forms an essential part of Yash Raj’s spy universe consisting of Salman Khan’s Tiger franchise and Hrithik Roshan’s War.
