Pathaan, as expected, turns out to be a fun-filled ride. The storyline is clichéd and there are a lot of cinematic liberties in the narrative. But director Siddharth Anand compensates for it by peppering the narrative with some fantastic action-packed, thrilling, funny and even moving scenes. An important twist comes as a bolt from the blue. The climax, though predictable, is applause worthy. Siddharth also deserves kudos for handling the grandeur very well. No way he lets the scale overpower the narrative. Speaking of performances, Shah Rukh Khan is in top form and it’s a pleasure to see him in a full-fledged role after more than four years. His star power and superb acting take the film many notches higher. Deepika Padukone looks super-hot and has a crucial role in the story. Her performance is also quite nice. John Abraham is awesome as the menacing and dashing villain. His theme background score is memorable. Salman Khan is outstanding, to say the least in the cameo. Others like Dimple Kapadia, Ashutosh Rana, Aakash Bhatija (Dimple’s junior), Manish Wadhwa (General Qadir) and Prakash Belawadi (Scientist) also perform well. The songs – ‘Besharam Rang’ and ‘Jhoome Jo Pathaan’ – add to the fun. All in all, Pathaan is a paisa-vasool film! (P.S.: Don’t miss the mid-credit scene AT ANY COST!)

My rating - **** out of 5!