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EXCLUSIVE: Siddharth Anand on directing Shah Rukh Khan, Salman in Pathaan: They’re like Godzilla and King Kong
In an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, Pathaan director Siddharth Anand opened up about directing Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan together. He also talked about Pathaan’s post-credits scene!
Pathaan, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, has been wreaking havoc at the box office, since it released on January 25, 2023. The film has been making historic box-office collections, and is garnering great response from the audience. Pathaan is a part of Aditya Chopra’s ambitious spy universe which kicked off with Ek Tha Tiger in 2012. Salman Khan has an extended cameo in Pathaan, and he is seen in his avatar of the iconic spy, Tiger. Fans are loving Shah Rukh Khan and Salman’s camaraderie in the movie! Pathaan director Siddharth Anand recently spoke to Pinkvilla about his experience directing the two superstars together on Pathaan set, and how Shah Rukh and Salman improvised their scenes. He also addressed Shah Rukh and Salman’s fun banter in the post-credit scene of Pathaan!
Siddharth Anand on directing Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan together for Pathaan
Siddharth Anand opened up on directing Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan together for Pathaan. He compared the two superstars to King Kong and Godzilla, and said that it was great fun directing them because they are friends who want the best for each other. Siddharth Anand told Pinkvilla, “The atmosphere on the set is something like, 'Oh my God there are these two- Godzilla and King Kong.’ You have to manage that and it's just so much fun because they are friends and they both don't want to step on each other's toes, they don't want to steal the other person's limelight. They want to give the other person the limelight.”
Siddharth Anand on Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan’s bond
Further speaking about their bond, he said that Shah Rukh and Salman are two very confident actors who only want the other to do better. “That is so beautiful, what they share. They are so confident and secure in their positions. They were helping each other to do things, to better each other. There's just so much love and respect. So what you read about competition and stuff like that...my God, they just love each other. And you can feel the love and respect they have for each other and they want to do it better for the other person. That he looks better. There's no competition and it’s so beautiful,” said Siddharth.
When asked if Salman and Shah Rukh improvised on Pathaan set, Siddharth Anand said, “They have such an experience that you want them to improvise. So you take those dialogues to them, when they say they'll add something, and you say 'no, no no,' 'oh yeah do this, expand on this.' So when they say it, the outtake is different. The output is different. So you always improvise on that because they have so much experience and know what will click, what their audience wants, what their fans want. You want their experience in this, and there was a lot of improvisation.”
Siddharth Anand on Pathaan’s post-credit scene featuring Shah Rukh and Salman Khan
The post-credit scene of Pathaan featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan has been a huge hit among the audience. The two superstars are seen enjoying a conversation during which they contemplate hanging their boots after a three-decade run, and passing down the responsibility to the ‘new ones’. Eventually, they decide to continue themselves, saying ‘Desh ka sawaal hai’.
Siddharth Anand was asked about the much-talked-about post-credit scene of Pathaan, and what gave him the confidence to pull it off. The filmmaker replied, "Them (Shah Rukh and Salman). It's the way they did it. They are also not doing it condescendingly. They are also saying that ‘abhi nahi hota, 30 saal ho gaye hain, chhod dena chahiye’. It’s because it's so tongue-in-cheek, and it's so self-deprecating that nobody can take offense. So they're taking painkillers and they're saying that we're tired, somebody should take over but eventually, we only have to do it. Desh ka sawaal hai. And the fact is that they have shown it with Pathaan. They only have to do it.”
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