'If we brought 20% to the script, SRK brought 80% to it,' says 'Pathaan' script writer Shridhar Raghavan

By now, almost everyone is aware that Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan is having its dream run at the box office. Having grossed Rs 988 crore at the global box office, the film is now eyeing the coveted Rs 1,000 crore club worldwide. Back in India, the film entered the Rs 500 crore club, 22 days after its release.

As the film continues to shatter records, Pathaan's screenplay writer Shridhar Raghavan, has revealed that Khan’s off-screen demeanour and disposition had bled into the character and that helped the audience resonate with him.

Raghavan said that the team approached Khan very early on and discussed about the character with him. "Thereafter, he brought more layers into it. If we brought twenty per cent to the script, he brought about eighty per cent to it," he told News18.

A lot of the vulnerability, humour and self-effacing trait in the character was brought in by him, he said.

In the film, Shah Rukh Khan plays the role of a RAW field agent who fights against a group of mercenaries and their leader who harbour devious plans to harm India. The movie features Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Ashutosh Rana, and Dimple Kapadia in key roles.

Raghavan revealed that Khan contributed ideas to certain portions of the script and added that "it comes from his love for action thrillers as a genre." The humour and the idea of how Pathaan talks came from him, he added.

Another interesting fact that Raghavan highlighted is that Khan did his own share of study and research for the film. Khan maintained a journal where he put down his analyses related to action films, which eventually helped the makers with plot points and action sequences, Raghavan told the publication.

"We all think of him as a romantic hero or a boy next door. But he knows the genre of action, inside and out. He had written a 1700-page document which was a study and analysis of the genre. It was a fun document," Raghavan, who has also penned the screenplay for Tiger 3, claimed.

Elaborating about the document, he said that it was a product of 25-30 years of discussion which he had been having with Aditya Chopra about making an action film. He revealed that he found some really interesting bits, elements and moments in it and incorporated them in the script of Pathaan.

A superstar like him gave 50-100 hours of his time discussing and brainstorming the script, The Night Manager writer stated.

Written and directed by Siddharth Anand, Pathaan is produced by Yash Raj Films. The film is a part of the Yash Raj Films’ (YRF) spy universe, which comprises Salman Khan-starrer Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), War (2019), and the upcoming Tiger 3.

Also Read: Bollywood Badshah, indeed! Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan is about to earn Rs 1,000 crore

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