Pathaan: Did you know Aamir Khan's sister Nikhat Khan played Shah Rukh Khan's foster mother in Siddharth Anand film?

Marking Shah Rukh Khan's comeback to the big screen after more than four years, the spy thriller Pathaan was released in the theatres on January 25 and has opened to a bumper opening of more than Rs 100 crore gross worldwide. The film also stars Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in the leading roles.

Apart from Salman Khan playing a cameo (this isn't a spoiler since Salman had revealed on his birthday in December 2021 itself that he would be seen in the film and he had even disclosed that Shah Rukh will be making a cameo in his Pathaan avatar in Tiger 3 on the same date), the Siddharth Anand film has an Aamir Khan connection too.

Aamir's real sister Nikhat Khan Hegde plays Shah Rukh Khan's foster mother and is seen in two key sequences set in Afghanistan in the film. This isn't her acting debut in Bollywood since she has earlier appeared in Mission Mangal, Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, and Saand Ki Aankh among other films.

Nikhat has shared a few stories on her Instagram handle in which audiences are appreciating her scenes with Shah Rukh Khan. Sharing the scene, an Instagram user wrote, "Soo amazing mam, My favourites in one frames" and added two heart emojis. While another Instagram user wrote, "Humari Nikhat".

Pathaan is part of the YRF Spy Universe that also includes Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai, and War. The fifth film from the franchise Tiger 3 will be released later this year on the occasion of Diwali 2023. Tiger 3 is helmed by Maneesh Sharma, who directed Shah Rukh Khan in the 2016 action-thriller Fan.

READ | Decoding how Pathaan transcended Shah Rukh Khan fandom: 'People who never watch films are scrambling for tickets'