Pathaan writer Sridhar Raghavan says characters ‘whose story feels over’ could return to YRF Spy Universe | Exclusive

With Pathaan, the YRF Spy Universe has kicked off in spectacular fashion. Three movies in the franchise had released earlier but with no connections to one another. Pathaan weaves them all together and lays the groundwork for the future with starry cameos and subtle Easter eggs. But already fans are wondering what is next. Which stars will reprise their roles, and which characters will cross paths. Pathaan’s writer and YRF Spy Universe’s de facto mentor Sridhar Raghavan breaks down the future of the franchise in an exclusive chat with DNA.

Talking about the blockbuster response Pathaan has received, Raghavan says, “It’s great to have a film that connects with the audience. Movies are community experiences. It’s like a cricket match. In any of these things, you want to forget yourself and be part of a larger thing. It feels weird if people are just quietly watching in a theatre.”

He waxes eloquent about the theatre experience. Does that imply that the YRF Spy Universe will remain restricted to theatres or are their plans to go to the OTT way as well, quite like Marvel and DC universes in the west? Raghavan responds, “I have no idea about this because only Adi sir (Aditya Chopra) can tell you this. But the primary thing right now is theatrical. We all love the big theatre experience. Maybe there are other plans but I don’t really know this aspect. But I am looking for the spectacle. They need not all be spectacular, big-budget, action films. We can also do more intimate stories, gritty stories, or various other things within this umbrella of the YRF Spy Universe. There is a whole ecosystem of stories that we can tell. There is no limitation.”

This ecosystem of stories consists of a number of familiar characters played by big stars, ranging from Salman Khan’s Tiger to Hrithik Roshan’s Kabir. Talking about which ones will return sooner rather than later, Raghavan says, “It can go in multiple directions. Of course we will take these characters who are already popular and do more movies with them. That will happen. Other than that, there will be newer characters coming in. Then, characters who we saw and feel their story is over, you’ll find there is a story to be told still. You can have a lot of fun with this.”

Salman Khan already did the first YRF Spy Universe crossover when his Tiger appeared in Pathaan alongside Shah Rukh Khan. Raghavan lays down a rough guide map for the franchise’s future as well when he says, “Obviously, there will be crossovers but they will happen when it is required and necessary. It won’t happen just because. You can’t force fit anything. It has to seem organic and feel part of the story. Otherwise it feels like fan service, which also works to an extent. But it’s more fun if that character is required to be there in that story in some crucial manner. There will be all these villains, organic crossovers and we will hopefully deliver it too in the next slot of films.”

With Pathaan’s release, fans are already speculating about the future course of the universe and coming up with interesting fan theories. Raghavan says he keeps himself abreast of them. “I have great fun reading the different theories about what people think happened and what the past is and what the relationships characters have. Now, obviously Jim is a character who has a life and a story before. There are lots of stories here waiting to be told still. This is the tip of the iceberg,” he says.

The next instalment in the YRF Spy Universe – Tiger 3 – stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, and Emraan Hashmi, apart from a cameo from Shah Rukh Khan. The film, also written by Raghavan, will hit the screens in November this year.