Pathaan director Siddharth Anand on casting John Abraham: Wanted a villain people would cherish forever

Shah Rukh Khan is all set to make a blazing return to the silver screen in Pathaan. The film certainly has audiences excited to say the least for a number of reasons. The film, which marks SRK’s first leading role in almost four years, will see John Abraham portray the role of the antagonist, a merciless mercenary with the singular aim of destroying his enemies. The film’s director Siddharth Anand recently opened up about why John was the perfect fit for the role.

In a statement, Siddharth spoke of how they were search of someone who could play a towering, larger than life villain in the film. He talked about how he had wanted someone with ruthlessness, suave, an electric and commanding presence for the role.

He then went on to reveal that the antagonist was written keeping John in mind. “He was our first and only choice, and we were certain that we wanted a villain that they would cherish forever”, said the director.

Siddarth said that he was thrilled to see the audiences’ response to John’s character, and promised a face off between John and Shah Rukh which would be blood-soaked, adrenaline-pumping and epic in every way. The director described John’s character as being the perfect opposite to SRK’s Pathaan on screen, and added that they tried to make the rivalry as ‘deliciously edge of the seat’ as possible. “It will be one hell of a thrilling showdown”, he concluded.

In addition to John and Shah Rukh, Pathaan also stars Deepika Padukone as the female lead, while Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana also play pivotal roles. Salman Khan will also feature in an extended cameo appearance in the film.

Pathaan will hit the big screen on January 25, 2023. The film will be released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.