Crediting John Abraham for choosing to do Pathaan, Siddharth Anand said, "He's a guy who has been a nationalist in his other films like Satyameva Jayate or Parmanu or Madras Cafe."
Starring Shah Rukh Khan in the titular role, Pathaan has revived Bollywood at the box office earning over Rs 700 crore gross worldwide within just ten days of its release. Shah Rukh as an Indian spy Pathaan is pitted against John Abraham's Jim, a former Indian spy turned into a leader of a terrorist outfit in the Siddharth Anand film.
The fans are amazed to see SRK in a never before seen action-packed avatar, but John Abraham too is garnering immense appreciation from the audiences for being a suave and cool antagonist. In a recent interview, the director lauded John for choosing to play an 'anti-national' character in his film and said that the film wouldn't have been the same without Jim.
Speaking to Film Companion, Siddharth Anand said, "The bad guy needs to be bigger than the good guy so that's when his triumph would be greater. Here, it was to create a character that a mainstream hero would agree to do. So hats off to John for agreeing to do this, for playing an anti-national. He's a guy who has been a nationalist in his other films like Satyameva Jayate or Parmanu or Madras Cafe. He's a torch bearer of nationalism."
"Here, he's doing something which is anti-national. Hats off to his vision to do it in a film that's titled Pathaan, not even titled War which is neutral. He's a smart producer, we have seen the films he produces, they are different from the ones in which he agrees to act but the films he produces are really sensible. He saw merit in that and Pathaan wouldn't be the same without Jim", the filmmaker concluded.
Produced by Aditya Chopra under his banner Yash Raj Films, Pathaan has kick-started the YRF Spy Universe including references and easter eggs to the previous three spy films namely Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai, and War. Salman Khan also makes a thrilling cameo reprising his role from the Tiger franchise.
READ | 'What if Jim is not dead?': Siddharth Anand says John Abraham's Pathaan character could return to YRF Spy Universe
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 "Siddharth Anand-John Abraham/File photos")
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