Producer Aditya Chopra knows the high expectations that surround Pathan — after all, the movie will see Shah Rukh Khan in action after his self-imposed break since Zero (2018). Naturally then, the filmmaker is pulling out all stops for the Maneesh Sharma-directed actioner that sees Khan as a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent. To ensure that Pathan translates into a hyper-stylised espionage thriller on the big screen, Chopra has decided to rope in four action directors who will design elaborate set-pieces.

While the director-producer duo have yet to finalise the remaining stunt co-ordinators, South African stunt artiste Craig MacRae has already reported to the film’s set in Mumbai. “Craig, who runs the stunt company, Titan Stunts with Katja Hopkins, and his four-member team landed in the city on June 8. After quarantining at a Juhu hotel, the team joined Shah Rukh and John Abraham this week. The actors kicked off the latest schedule with confrontation scenes, and will film major fight sequences early next month. Craig is a highly skilled martial artiste too, and has designed sequences for Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Bloodshot (2020) and War (2019),” reveals a trade source.

Deepika Padukone and Dimple Kapadia will join the cast later this week at Yash Raj Studios in Andheri. While the team focuses on the ongoing leg, Chopra will utilise the time to zero in on the remaining action directors, one of which may be a home-grown talent. “The idea behind having different experts is to have breathtaking stunts in the movie, ranging from martial arts to hand-to-hand combat and chase sequences. Adi and Maneesh intend to conduct a schedule in Europe sometime between July and August, but the plan depends on the travel restrictions in the countries at the time. So, they are torn between two possibilities — either fly down the chosen stunt coordinators to India and shoot the sequences, or have them join the cast abroad.”

The source adds that Salman Khan, who reprises his role of RAW agent Avinash Singh Rathore from the Tiger franchise, has shot for his special appearance in Pathan.