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John Abraham and Shah Rukh Khan in a still from Pathaan.
John Abraham shares how Shah Rukh Khan kept him updated on Pathaan’s progress, praising the superstar’s intelligence and their strong on-set bond.
On-screen, John Abraham and Shah Rukh Khan clashed fiercely in Pathaan, but off-screen, their camaraderie was quite the opposite. In a recent interview, John revealed that he frequently called Shah Rukh to get updates on how the film was shaping up, as only the superstar had access to the film’s development details.
Pathaan, directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Aditya Chopra, became the biggest blockbuster of 2023. The film marked Shah Rukh Khan’s triumphant return to the big screen, with John Abraham playing the menacing antagonist opposite Shah Rukh’s patriotic soldier. However, the journey to this success was closely monitored by Shah Rukh alone, due to Aditya Chopra’s strict policy of not showing his films to anyone except SRK.
In an interview with Ranveer Allahbadia, John shared, “Aditya Chopra is very strict. He doesn’t show his films to anyone, except Shah Rukh Khan! So, whatever information I would get, it would come to me from Shah Rukh. Before the film, I would call him and ask, ‘How is it?’ and he would tell me. He is very sweet. Our energies were fantastic.”
John also reflected on their shared history and the bond they developed during Pathaan. “When my career started, Shah Rukh was my judge, and now during Pathaan, I was working with him. There was a lot of respect and love. He is an extremely smart, intelligent man but is also very caring and cute. We really got along,” he said.
Pathaan, which also starred Deepika Padukone, became a record-breaking hit, becoming the first Bollywood film to cross the Rs 500 crore mark at the Indian box office. Though its record was later surpassed by Shah Rukh’s Jawan, which grossed Rs 640 crore all-India nett, Pathaan remains a milestone in Bollywood history.
As for John Abraham, he is gearing up for his next release, Vedaa. Directed by Nikkhil Advani and co-starring Sharvari, the film is set to hit theaters on August 15. Vedaa will be competing at the box office with Shraddha Kapoor’s Stree 2 and Akshay Kumar’s Khel Khel Mein, making for an exciting Independence Day weekend showdown.
