Pathaan dialogue writer reveals some secrets
Abbas Tyrewala, the dialogue writer for the 2023 Bollywood smash hit Pathaan, recently shared his candid thoughts on a key line delivered by Shah Rukh Khan in the film. Pathaan, which marked Shah Rukh’s return to the big screen after a four-year gap, became a box office juggernaut, celebrated for its action-packed sequences and punchy dialogues. However, Tyrewala admitted he wasn’t a fan of one particular moment: Shah Rukh’s delivery of a line inspired by John F. Kennedy’s famous 1961 inaugural speech.
In an interview with The Lallantop, Tyrewala revealed his struggle with the inclusion of the JFK-inspired dialogue. “I was never in favour of the Kennedy line, but it was a battle I lost. I never wanted to use such an old line in that film. I was judging that line too much. Some things happen that don’t belong to you, but people remember you for them. Everyone’s going gaga over it and I’m sitting here going, ‘Oh God, that was the most boring thing in the script,’” he said.
The line, adapted from Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country,” was transformed into Hindi as “Ek soldier yeh nahi puchta desh ne uske liye kya kiya, puchta hai woh desh ke liye kya kar sakta hai” (“A soldier doesn’t ask what his country can do for him; he asks what he can do for his country”). It underscored the patriotic fervor of Shah Rukh’s character, a spy named Pathaan.
Despite Tyrewala’s reservations, the line resonated with audiences, becoming a memorable part of the film. He credited the decision to director Siddharth Anand and producer Aditya Chopra, noting their firm belief in its power. “If people liked it, the credit should go to Siddharth Anand, Aditya Chopra, and Sridhar Raghavan for pushing it through,” he stated.
Pathaan, also starring Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, shattered records under Yash Raj Films, cementing its status as a Bollywood milestone.
