Pathaan: Siddharth Anand Reveals Why He Cast John Abraham As Villain In SRK-Deepika's Film

On Shah Rukh Khan's 54th birthday this year (November 2, 2022), the makers of Pathaan unveiled the teaser of his upcoming much-anticipated espionage thriller which received a lot of love on social media.

Apart from Shah Rukh Khan going all guns blazing and Deepika Padukone raising up the oomph factor, the film also caught everyone's attention for John Abraham's uber cool avatar as SRK's arch-enemy. The Bollywood hunk essays the role of a ruthless mercenary who wants total destruction of his enemy.

Talking about his decision behind casting John Abraham as King Khan's nemesis, the filmmaker revealed that the Dhoom actor was his first and only choice as he felt that only he could have pulled off that role.

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Sidharth Anand said, "For Pathaan to be larger than life, we needed to have a towering villain who is equally larger than life. We wanted someone who is ruthless and suave and commands an electric presence on screen! So, the villain in Pathaan was written keeping John Abraham in mind."

He further added, "He was our first and only choice, and we were certain that we wanted a villain that they would cherish forever. I'm delighted to see the response that people have showered on John as he takes on Shah Rukh Khan in a blood-soaked, adrenaline-pumping rivalry that will be epic in every sense possible. John is the perfect opposite of Pathaan on screen and we have made their rivalry look deliciously edge of the seat. It will be one hell of a thrilling showdown."

Anand said that he was thrilled when John agreed to come on board.

Previously, the director had revealed that Shah Rukh Khan has pushed his body to breaking point for his role in Pathaan. Recalling their first meeting he continued, "I remember when I first met him on Pathaan, we discussed how physically challenging it will be for him and he was game from the get go and it shows on screen."

Well, the teaser did give us a glimpse of King Khan's hard work and dedication on this action vehicle.

Pathaan marks Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone's third outing together after Om Shanti Om, Chennai Express and Happy New Year. The film is slated to release on January 25, 2023 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.