John Abraham gears up for 'mission of a lifetime' in 'Pathaan' 1st look

After the success of "Ek Villain Returns", Bollywood star John Abraham is once again armed and dangerous as the antagonist of the upcoming action film "Pathaan".

The movie is headlined by superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who returns to the big screen after a gap of five years. Directed by Siddharth Anand of "War" fame, "Pathaan" also stars Deepika Padukone.

Abraham shared his first look from the film in a Twitter post on Thursday.

"The mission of a lifetime is about to start. Celebrate #Pathaan with #YRF50 only at a big screen near you on 25th January, 2023. Releasing in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu," he wrote.

The hero is only as good as the villain, said Anand.

"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 said in a statement.

The release of Abraham's first glimpse as the villain comes a month after the makers unveiled Padukone's look.

Anand, also known for "Bang Bang!", "Bachna Ae Haseeno", and "Salaam Namaste", said the audience has only seen the tip of the iceberg with the posters of the "Pathaan" star cast.

"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... I can assure you that nothing can prepare you for the action spectacle that is coming your way," he added.

A Yash Raj Films production, the movie is slated to hit the screens on January 25 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.