Following Pathaan’s massive success, Shridhar Raghavan feels he can only take credit for a portion of the action drama starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham. The Hindi film, which is part of the larger Yash Raj Films spy universe, has piqued the interest of fans, particularly because it connects Pathaan to characters from War (2019) and the Tiger franchise.
Shridhar, who also wrote the screenplay for War, revealed that he worked with director Siddharth Anand and producer Aditya Chopra to develop the story and characters in the film. Pathaan’s involvement was greater because he was on board with the project from the start.
The writer revealed in an interview with Pinkvilla that the characters introduced in the Pathaan, Tiger, and War universes could always return and interact in future films. He stated, “The plan is to have a series of adventures featuring characters we’ve already created, such as Tiger, Kabir, Pathaan, Zoya, and Rubai. The plan is to create more characters. The plan is to return. You might think this character is done and dusted, but we have a few surprises in store for you in terms of what we plan to do with some of the characters you saw in earlier material. We just want to have a good time with these guys.”
He went on to say, “After creating a large number of characters, you play them off and experiment with them. You don’t have to be limited in the genre by spectacle all of the time. A small, intimate spy film can also be made. You can also create an exciting, gritty spy film. You can create a grand, lavish spy film. Language is not an impediment. Not all spies must come from Delhi and Bombay. You can have them all over the country. The sky is the limit. I believe Adi sir’s creation will far exceed my expectations.
Shridhar went on to say that a few projects involving him and other writers were already in the works. Most of the characters have backstories, and they could return in some form or another in future films.
Pathaan, which was released worldwide on January 25, will surpass the 350 crore mark in India in less than a week. The film also marked Shah Rukh’s return to the big screen after a four-year absence; his most recent appearance was in Aanand L Rai’s Zero (2018).