Shah Rukh Khan’s comeback film Pathaan hit the screens on Wednesday amid much fanfare. The film is being praised by viewers for its action and entertainment value. Another cherry on top has been the heavily-anticipated cameo of Salman Khan, who appears as his character from the Tiger films. While his screen time was short, a line from him in that duration hinted that the rumour of Shah Rukh appearing in Tiger 3 may be true.
Spoilers for Pathaan ahead!
Pathaan is part of the YRF Spy Universe that also includes War, Ek Tha Tiger, and Tiger Zinda Hai. The fifth film from that franchise Tiger 3 will be releasing later this year. The film stars Salman and Katrina Kaif and it was reported that Shah Rukh will be seen in a cameo as Pathaan in the film. If you haven’t watched Pathaan yet, you may want to stop reading because this article contains a number of spoilers for the film, including plot details and some surprises.
.
Tiger did appear with Pathaan in the film. Salman Khan won fans with his smashing cameo in a spectacular action sequence in the second half. Salman and Shah Rukh teamed up for a big action set piece on a train as Tiger saved Pathaan from Russian authorities. At the end of that sequence, Salman’s Tiger turned to Shah Rukh’s Pathaan and told him that he is leaving for a big mission, before adding, “Tiger ko Pathaan ki zaroorat pad sakti hai (Tiger may need Pathaan’s help)”.
The ‘big mission’ Tiger refers to is definitely a nod at Tiger 3 and the fact that Tiger hinted he may need Pathaan’s help makes it almost a certainty that Shah Rukh Khan will appear in a cameo in the film, similar to Salman’s appearance here. Just what exactly will be the length of his role remains to be seen when Tiger 3 hits the theatres in November. The Maneesh Sharma film also stars Emraan Hashmi.
Pathaan, directed by Siddharth Anand, also stars Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in pivotal roles. The film has opened to mixed to positive reviews and good response from the audience. It is on course to be the first blockbuster of 2023.
