Scholars and critics also focus on the technical and commercial strategies employed by director Siddharth Anand.
Research in Academia.edu identifies a "significant shift" in the relationship between Bollywood stars and fans, where the film’s success was seen as a collective act of fandom resisting external boycott calls. Scholars and critics also focus on the technical
The film Pathaan (2023) has been the subject of extensive academic and cultural analysis, often framed as a pivotal "media event" that revitalized Bollywood after a period of post-pandemic decline and political pressure. The film is analyzed as a strategic expansion
The film is analyzed as a strategic expansion of the Yash Raj Films Spy Universe, blending Hollywood-style action (utilizing stunt coordinators from Top Gun: Maverick ) with traditional Bollywood "masala" elements like songs and dance. A major focus of academic work is the
Scholarly essays in Sage Journals examine the film's investigation of national belonging. Scholars like Ira Bhaskar view it as an intervention against propaganda that questions the loyalty of Indian Muslims, while Shohini Ghosh analyzes the "kinetic rush" of the film as a new mode of political communication.
A major focus of academic work is the film’s role in re-establishing Shah Rukh Khan's (SRK) identity amidst contemporary socio-political shifts in India.
Pathaan, precarity and the Muslim question in neoliberal India