SRK’s 'Pathaan' releases today: fans catch first day first show, rejoice at Salman cameo

For Shah Rukh Khan fans, Wednesday (January 25) began on a jubilant note as the much-awaited film Pathaan released in cinemas across the country with shows beginning as early as 6 and 7 am.

Fans queued up outside prominent theatres to watch the first day first show of the SRK-Deepika Padukone-John Abraham-starrer.

Also read: ‘Pathaan’ set to take box office by storm

“LATEST: People are already lining up at @_PVRCinemas for #Pathaan 7 AM show!!! The excitement is through the roof (sic)!!!” said the official Twitter handle of Shah Rukh Khan Universe Fan Club.

While several Bollywood celebrities including Ajay Devgn, Katrina Kaif have given a shout out to the film, fans who have shared live updates of the film from theatres have lauded the cameo of Salman Khan.

Riding on huge anticipation, further fuelled by a massive controversy over one of its songs, Besharam Rang, the film is expected to rake in around ₹35-45 crore on its first day of release.

Directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Yash Raj Films, the film is the fourth instalment in the YRF Spy Universe. Dubbed versions of the film in Tamil and Telugu will also be released.

Prominent trade analyst Akshay Rathee recently stated that the film may cross the ₹100 crore-mark at the box office on the first three days itself and ₹300 crore in the first five days, if the spate of pre-booking of tickets are considered.

According to film critic Taran Adarsh, the film was just second to Baahubali 2 in recording the maximum pre-sale of tickets (around 5.56 lakh until Tuesday) before its release.

The film has also created a storm at the box office in Germany. It has already earned 150,000 Euros with its advance booking leaving behind the lifetime collection of KGF: Chapter 2 in Germany.

The love for Shah Rukh Khan in Germany is unmatched, and the Pathaan mania has undoubtedly started in this country.

Also read: Pathaan row: After asking ‘who is Shah Rukh Khan’, Assam CM gets SRK’s call at 2 am

Yash Raj Films have stated that they are constructing a Spy Universe in which Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan are going to play the main roles.

A film including all three of them can soon release with the stories of characters played by them overlapping at certain points in time.

Watch | Pathaan: 1 million tickets sold in advance, South India lapping it up