Pakistani writer Yasir Hussain reviews Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan, calls it ‘a storyless video game’

The Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan premiered on OTT last week after a successful run at the box office. The Siddharth Anand film, which also stars Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, became the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time, earning over ₹1046 crore worldwide. Recently, Pakistani actor-turned-screenwriter Yasir Hussain reviewed the film online and shared that he found it to be a “storyless video game”. (Also read: Pathaan releases on Prime Video with unseen scenes, fans ask why they were cut out from theatre version)

On Friday, Yasir had taken to his Instagram Story and posted, “Agar aap mission impossible 1 bhik dekh chuky hain toh Shah Rukh Khan ki Pathan aap ko aik story less video game se zyada kuch nahi lagy gi (If you have seen the first Mission Impossible, then you will feel that Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan is like a story less video game, nothing more).”

Pathaan had its digital premiere on Prime Video on March 22. Additionally, the OTT version contains five extra scenes that were not a part of the theatrical version. The action film was released in theatres on January 25. Shah Rukh plays the title character Pathaan, a RAW agent, who tries to prevent a former agent Jim (John) from launching a deadly attack on India and the world. Deepika’s Rubai plays an ISI agent who helps Pathaan stop Jim.

Yasir is better known as the host of The After Moon Show on Hum TV. The TV and theatre actor made his film debut in the Pakistani film Karachi Se Lahore (2015). He wrote the film which was directed by Wajahat Rauf. Yasir, who is married to TV actor Iqra Aziz, is currently starring in the drama serial Baandi as an antagonist.

The Hindustan Times review of the Shah Rukh film read, “Pathaan is your true-blue commercial, masala entertainer that’s not trying to send across any message or be a social commentary on the current state of affairs in the country. It’s fun, non-fussy and fantastic at the same time. Go watch it for Shah Rukh Khan and you would only come back with a smile, and maybe grooving a bit. Don’t miss the scene just before end credits for it’s not everyday you see two superstars in a banter about their stardom.”