Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan has made his intentions to return to the silver screen with a bang very clear. His upcoming action epic Pathaan, which is the first true action film to join the actor's portfolio of over 100 films, has sparked a reel of excitement among his fans around the world. The film is slated to see Khan, who is widely known for being the King of Romance, take on the role of an undercover spy with a legacy that leaves his enemies in disarray. Ahead of Pathaan's release, Yash Raj Films unveiled a fresh music video alongside the song "Jhoome Jo Pathaan," which translates to "When Pathaan Gets Into The Groove," and is set to feature in the action extravaganza.
The new track features the vocals of industry giants Arijit Singh, Sukriti Kakar and Vishal and Sheykhar and lyrically teases an insight into Khan's titular character. From the moment promotional material for the film has surfaced it's been clear that Khan's Pathaan is far from a clean-cut agent. Instead, he has almost exclusively been represented as a rough-around-the-edges, hyper-intelligent spy that drips charisma from his pores. Alluding to the influence Pathaan has over people, the translated lyrics tease how he "steals all hearts" and "even enemies turn to me for an embrace." In other words, Pathaan is clearly very used to making people dance to the beat of his drum, which is likely what makes him so excellent at his job. Despite a clear understanding of people - and how to manipulate them - there is also a subtle nod to his fierce loyalty in the lyric, "the promises he makes, he'll stand by forever."
From a visual standpoint, the video boasts one of the film's many exotic backdrops whilst also giving audiences a chance to see Khan's rugged persona in full form with flowing locks, stubble, and jewelry to tie the bad-boy look together. Appearing heavily alongside him is his co-star and apparent on-screen flame Deepika Padukone. As the pair effortlessly groove to the melody there is a dangling question over whether Padukone's character was also one of Pathaan's enemies and now his potential lover. Little is known about the actress' on-screen counterpart but having been given glimpses of the pair's firey chemistry in previous song "Besharam Rang" and the teaser trailer for the film, it's clear they're both drawn to one another. Whether or not this is a ploy on either one of their parts is yet to be unveiled.
Pathaan is teeing itself up as the beginning of a new chapter for Khan who has two further movies dropping next year. Also set to land next year is Jawan and a further project, which recently wrapped, titled Dunki. Given that Khan recently told of his commitment to dedicate the next ten years to "over-the-top action films," it's likely both of these subsequent projects will see him cement his claim over the action genre in the coming months.
Pathaan hits theaters on January 25. You can watch the video for "Jhoome Jo Pathaan" below.