Pathaan: Shah Rukh Khan introduces antagonist John Abraham with new motion poster

Shah Rukh Khan will mark his return to the silver screen after a hiatus of five long years with the 2023 actioner 'Pathaan', and the makers are using every trick in the trade to amp up the excitement of the audience.

On Thursday, SRK took the internet by storm once again after he unveiled a motion poster of John Abraham from 'Pathaan'. In the clip, John can be seen sporting a lean, toned body with a fierce look on his face and a burning room in the background.

"He’s tough and plays it rough! Presenting @TheJohnAbraham in #Pathaan," SRK tweeted.

Director Siddharth Anand says, “Every announcement of 'Pathaan' is like revealing a piece of an epic puzzle, in front of the curious eyes of the fans and audiences, leading right up to our release day. We aspire for every asset of 'Pathaan' to be a big talking point mainly because, we fortunately, have the content to create that buzz.”

About his decision to cast John as the villain, Siddharth says, “John Abraham is THE antagonist, THE villain of 'Pathaan'. And I have always believed in the fact that the villain’s projection should be as big, if not bigger than that of the hero’s. Only when the villain is massive, can the tussle between them be spectacular. And we have an extraordinary battle when SRK takes on John! We wanted to present John in a super slick avatar.”

The director says the first looks are teasing people into the world of 'Pathaan'. He says, “The first looks of SRK, Deepika Padukone and now John, truly represent the zone we want the audiences to view the film in. People have now just got a taste of the world of 'Pathaan'. This truly is just the tip of the iceberg and I can assure you that nothing can prepare you for the action spectacle that is coming your way.”

'Pathaan' is set to hit the silver screens on January 25, 2023, in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Produced by Yash Raj Films, it has been shot at some of the most exotic overseas locations.