The Bollywood movie Pathaan by Actor Shah Rukh Khan is favourably appreciated by both supporters and critics

Pathaan, the latest film by Bollywood superstar ‘Shah Rukh Khan’, debuted in India to a lot of excitement and positive reviews. After a four-year absence, Khan makes his glorious return to the cinema in the long-awaited spy thriller.

The movie, which came out on Wednesday, is already expected to be the first huge blockbuster of 2023, according to analysts.

The movie’s plot has been criticised by some as being over the top and stupid, but others have claimed that Khan has managed to resurrect his magic on the big screen.

John Abraham and Deepika Padukone both play major parts in Pathaan.

The thrilling story of Pathaan, an affable Indian detective played by Khan, who is on a mission to prevent a bunch of terrorists from assaulting India, is told in the movie. More than ‘50 million people’ have watched its trailer since it was released on January 10.

According to critic Taran Adarsh, the movie had the highest opening for a Bollywood picture, with a release on close to 8,000 screens globally.

Mr. Khan tweeted on Wednesday that “25 single-screen theatres in northern India” were reopened to show the movie after being closed because of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Uday Bhatia called the movie “a maximally exciting spy actioner that piled spectacle on the ridiculous show” in his review for the Mint Lounge newspaper.

As Khan appeared on screen, videos from the theatres captured supporters dancing and jumping with excitement.

However, the movie has been dogged by controversy from the beginning, and on Wednesday, demonstrations against its release erupted in various places.

Thirty people were accused of causing damage to public property and attempting to stop movie shows in the Belagavi district in the southern state of Karnataka.

Right-wing activists in the state of Haryana were accused of pulling down movie posters from a mall.

Hardline Hindu organisations were enraged by the movie’s Muslim title, Pathaan, before it ever came out. In addition, Padukone’s appearance in a ssaffron-colouredbikini was controversial in the song Besharam Rang, which means disgraceful colour in Hindi. Given that saffron is a colour connected to Hinduism, right-wing organisations charged Khan with disrespecting them.