'Pathaan' writer Shridhar Raghavan: Naysayers claimed we had lost audience’s pulse – mid-day.com

As Pathaan pips Baahubali 2 to change into highest Hindi grosser, author says movie’s success holds particular which means to B’wooden after negativity of previous three years

A nonetheless from the movie

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The Pathaan occasion refuses to cease. Over 5 weeks since its launch, the Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham-starrer has change into the highest-grossing Hindi movie. With its home determine standing at R513.70 crore, it has surpassed the collections of the Hindi model of Baahubali: The Conclusion to seize the highest spot. For Shridhar Raghavan, who wrote the espionage thriller, the mammoth success reaffirms his religion within the audiences* love for Hindi cinema. “[The success] is especially heartening contemplating the gloomy, doomsday narrative that was projected round Hindi movies over the past couple of years. Naysayers claimed that our trade had misplaced the heart beat of the viewers, and painted miserable situations,” he says.

Prabhas in Baahubali: The Conclusion

Since 2020, Bollywood discovered itself on the receiving finish of unprecedented hate. On one hand, it battled the nepotism debate, which took an unsightly flip after Sushant Singh Rajput*s dying. Then again, a damning narrative took form about how the movie trade was anti-national, and the Boycott Bollywood hashtag dominated on-line discourse. A number of stars, together with Khan and Padukone, had been trolled on social media. It was projected that the general public had rejected Bollywood. That a number of Hindi releases, massive and small, sank on the field workplace final 12 months, solely furthered this narrative.

Shridhar Raghavan

The discharge of Pathaan too was surrounded by negativity, as its music Besharam rang sparked controversy. Nonetheless, the film*s R50-crore-plus opening confirmed that social media noise wasn*t echoed by individuals on floor. Had Raghavan anticipated it to be such a runaway success? “It*s unimaginable to anticipate so successful, particularly on the writing stage. As a author, you attempt to make it as taut and emotionally participating as you may on paper, and hope for magic to occur.”

Many causes might be attributed to its wonderful run – from the enduring enchantment of Khan who returned to the display screen after 4 years, to the imaginative and prescient that led to making a tent-pole actioner. Raghavan hopes that it signifies a brighter future for Hindi films after the negativity of the previous three years. “Hopefully, Pathaan will herald the start of a extra constructive narrative for the trade, and function a delicate reminder that every time anybody makes a movie that connects with the viewers, they are going to embrace [it]. Indians love the theatre-going expertise, and our cinema is in our DNA.”

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