Woot! So excited to have something to be excited about! I stayed up late special for this release, and wrote most of this post in advance so I could just plug in the link.
Shahrukh is the greatest and this is the best song from the best movie that ever was or will be! (written one hour before release time, as is traditional for fan complimentary comments)
In reality, I am curious about this song because he and Dips haven’t co-starred for quite a while, he hasn’t done that many songs with Vishal-Shekhar, and of course we haven’t seen SRK in a song in AGES. His last movie (Zero) I did not like, but the song sequences were generally pretty high standard. And of course the one before that (JHMS) I LOVED and the songs were spectacular. So naturally my hopes are very very high for this. Let’s see what happens!
And now it has released!!!
first reaction: For once, they released it with subtitles from the beginning instead of making us wait. Maybe because of the multi-language release?
Second reaction: There seems to be something wrong with the film quality? All the faces look sort of off somehow. But maybe that’s because I’m watching it the second it releases and the quality will improve later.
Third reaction: SRK looks like a troll. I think it’s the wig? He’s got a fake hairline that is lower and straighter than his natural hair line and it makes his whole face smaller and just BLECH. The one big in the middle where he has his natural hair, the shirtless flashback/forward, looks fine. It’s just a really bad wig in the dance-y bits, I think.
Fourth reaction: This feels really similar in almost all ways with “Ghungroo” from Siddharth Anand’s last movie, so I’m assuming it has a similar place in the plot? Some sort of idyllic memory when everyone was undercover pretending to be tourists but actually spies?
Fifth reaction: Shahrukh can salsa, too bad he looks like a troll
dontcallitbollywood 
Pingback: New SRK Track Trailer!!!!! Besheram Rang! I Stayed Up Late For It!!!! - Zeerangi Entertainment
I think it’s the sides and temples of the wig that make it look super weird. There have to be enough photos of his younger hairline to allow them to copy it so I don’t see why they didn’t. Unless it’s a bad wig on purpose to show it’s a disguise???
LikeLike
That’s the only theory I find logical!!! My guess is that it’s a Don 2 situation where he has dramatically different hair for most of the film so they have to use a wig for bits of it because he can’t change his hair that much. But in Don 2, you could suspend disbelief and accept it was really hair, but in this one it looks just so wiggy. Plus the hat, plus the sunglasses, it feels disguise-y.
LikeLike
Hmmm… the 20 yr age difference comes off as inappropriate in this one.
Not his first wide age gap with a costar, but it usually seems built into the storyline as a meant to be may-december (HNY, JHMS, RnBdJ, Chennai Express?). But here she’s dancing/dressed/behaving like a 20s/early 30s in a tik tok video, but he looks obviously late-50s and yet obviously leering at her.
Actually if you switch vaani’s footage from the War song with deepika’s footage in the Pathaan song, both music videos would make more sense.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! This is the least mature and most pure boring sexy Dips has ever looked, and the oldest and grossest SRK has ever looked. Very strange. Especially when you compare it with Lovely, where Dips was actually playing a Naach girl, and yet felt more of a personality to her and SRK felt less gross and leering.
I watched it again this morning and it still looks odd in their faces. Maybe they used purposefully fuzzy filming to make SRK’s face look younger? But that made Dips look younger too so suddenly she’s, like, 23 and he looks at best late 40s.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed. Her dancing is more Twerk girl than Naach girl here. And her swimsuit is more basic (in the way that gen z uses the word basic) than fashion forward or interesting (see vaani’s swimsuit in that War song for comparison). In fact, this feels like SRK in a Salman Khan song video.
To your point about fuzzy filter, take a look at Deepika’s Wikipedia profile photo. She actually has wrinkles and a bit of sagging & puckering skin now – which i’m so glad she’s ok with showing in her wikipedia profile! So IRL she actually looks 40+ now whereas she looks 15 yrs younger in this video, bordering on gen z and def acting like it. The IRL version of Deepika would have looked so, so much more appropriate with SRK here.
I’m reminded of Dear Zindagi, and how inappropriate it would have been if SRK had leered at Alia or responded in kind to her character’s crush on him.
That being said, the video is saved by the salsa at the end, in which they dance elegantly and respectfully with each other.
(Except for that standard-issue “bollywood hand swipe across the upper and lower chest” – which I’ve always found too risque, but which has been in use in BW choreo since at least the ’80s.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! My first thought was “did Dips get really terrible plastic surgery?” and then I remembered the new Cirkus song where she looked like herself. So it’s just a weird weird filter and style choice, not Dips herself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So while I don’t like the song – I gotta give Dips credit in that I felt throughout the music video she was in character, and that character was confident spy girl. From the way the shots are set up she knew he was looking at her and she wanted him to. I mean inconspicuous people don’t hump yoga mats. So the age difference didn’t bother me, though it was obvious. She seemed young, but I didn’t think she seemed like a child.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Oooo! If the set up ends up being that they are both undercover, him as a gross old man and her as a sexy young thing, and they are just nodding to each other to acknowledge the scheme, that I would love.
LikeLiked by 3 people
My impression: Deepika HAS to act the way she did because she had to attract gazes we don’t see. It’s a plot between SRK and her (both on the same side) to make someone believe that she could seduce Pathan.
Interestingly, she wears the same skirt in two different situations (the bra has another colour).
That’s why I’ll wait for the movie…if my idea works then I would laud the way she and ShahRukh were picturised.
I had the feeling of the kind of chemistry that they do know each other rather well.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, that would be awesome! Doesn’t work with SRK dancing with her later, but maybe that is a dream scene bit?
LikeLike
To your point, if this scene is not a romance but instead it’s colleagues or spy and villain, or any other non romance pairing, then no complaints from me.
And IMO Deepika does a good job as Twerk girl, she seems very natural & comfortable doing those moves.
LikeLike
Not on board with the choreography in which Deepika humps her yoga mat.
I’m also wondering if he’s looking bad/weathered on purpose? We can always hope.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! Dips has gotten much better at isolating her muscles and doing the booty pop, but it’s not really a dance move that works well for a WHOLE SONG.
LikeLike
no comment from my side until I know the plot 😉
LikeLike
Fair!
LikeLike
This is such bad choreography and it makes the film look bad. Deepika’s outfits also look bad and make her look bad. I feel the film will be bad but all of us SRK fans will still convince people to go.
LikeLike
Yes! Dips’ outfits are so unflattering. And just odd, the decision to highlight a side-boob? And, like, the side of her torso? The clothes feel like they are there to reveal parts of her body rather than cover it, but the parts it reveals doesn’t make sense either.
LikeLike
Yes, yes! Those were my first thoughts:
– Who did this choreography? It sucks and I hate it
-Dips clothes are too revealing and bad taste. She is the Queen and doesn’t need to show that much on screen. Sure, we don’t know the story and who her character is but still. Also she is is so sexy even in the simple clothes, she doesn’t need this OF attire.
-SRK’s hair is strange.
LikeLike
Yes! Deepika would have been so much more beautiful and sexy if she was wearing flattering clothes, instead of these skimpy things that just show skin. For example, the side-book swim suit had to be pulled tight top to bottom in order to show the side book without falling off. Which means we lost her waist and any sort of graceful figure, just to get a little more skin.
LikeLike
I know, I feel the stylist doesn’t understand sexy. Sexy is when you seem to always have the enough skin showing to keep mystique but still make yourself desirable. Here the skin show is random and completely makes Deepika look awkward + removes any sex appeal.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly! Sexy is making the body look good, not just looking at the body. Dips in particular has an unusual body, very very long waist and legs. If you show off either the legs or the waist, amazing. Both, sort of detract from each other. And that swimsuit is ridiculous on her, the least flattering look for her in particular. I think maybe Anushka could pull it off and look great, but it’s not for her.
LikeLike
I didn’t find the outfits unflattering. But I did find the choreography BORING.
LikeLike
I did love him in the bits in white shirt though
LikeLike
You made me rewatch and yes, he looks better in the white shirt than the black! I really think it’s just a bad bad wig. Maybe on the day they filmed in the white shirt, it was pinned on slightly better?
LikeLike
They did do something with the hairline in the front. But I never thought I’d like man-buns (even after Jason Momoa) until Besharam Rang *Shrugs*
LikeLiked by 1 person
I recognize that I stand alone in loving SRK in long hair, wig or natural, I like a wild looking SRK. But I hated the song, even though I thought Dips looked hot, it was, for the most part, dull.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe it was the choppiness that makes the choreography look so bad? And maybe that will go away in the real edit versus the trailer edit? And maybe this will become a graceful lovely dance moment?
LikeLike
The truth? I’m so happy to see SRK on the screen that I found him very handsome, although some images are intervened. It even seems that the hooked nose disappears in some shots. did you notice? I liked the song. It stayed in my mind. The singer’s voice is beautiful! I look forward to the movie to give context to the video. I am happy about this return.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is great seeing him onscreen again
LikeLike
agree, I really thought the female singer’s fuller ever-so-slightly husky voice matched well with deepika’s persona here.
LikeLike
I wasn’t ever expecting to like Besharam Rang. I’m just not a fan of the long hair and beard look. I’d take SRK from the Burjeel Holdings ad over Pathaan every time, but that’s just personal preference. I think the song is catchy and enjoyable but I’d need more context to decide if the visuals make sense or not.
I saw someone point out that the orange skirt she’s wearing at the end of the song looks like the one she has on during the tiny clip of her fighting in the teaser. So that’s an extra tidbit to speculate about.
LikeLike
Oooo, that is a good tidbit!!!! If this ridiculous song is followed by a massive shoot out in which they realize they are both undercover spies, I will be happy.
LikeLike
Meh. This song annoyed me. The song is repetitive, the Spanish chorus makes sense mostly in terms of consummation, if that’s what they’re going for? It has that prefab pop vibe. The gyrating I agree with everyone else – feels neither Spain nor Dips, misuse of both. I was happy to see SRK in an actual role, and doing actual dance moves. Hoping they both have enough of a character to have fun with, and that they don’t do the whole killing off the sexy female lead to motivate the male lead thing.
LikeLike
Sidharth Anand used Katrina really really well in Bang Bang. She was silly, but the whole movie was silly, and she was FUN. And got as much or more screentime than Hrithik. I’m hoping theyw ouldn’t have cast Dips if they didn’t have something big for her to do.
LikeLike
If it’s like Bang Bang I’ll be happy!
My husband says this is Mallorca, for what it’s worth.
LikeLike
The hottest moment for me is the little ‘aadaab’ he does to Deepika! The song is worth it for that alone! I like the song a lot though. I didn’t think so after hearing it the first time, but to my surprise the hook was stuck in my head and now I’ve been humming it a lot. I don’t have enough superlatives for Shilpa Rao! I love how this song is like a ghazal, just remove the beats, and the tune and lyrics fit right into one.
I have never been a fan of the dehydrated-with-abs and long stringy hair look, so I have to set that aside to appreciate him. He looks the best with the bun. White and green shirts are great. The loose frazzledstrands are a no no! Deepika looks and acts the part. Which brings me to plot speculation. Your scenario makes sense. Or she is a spy and has been tasked to contact Pathaan and bring him out of hiding. This is her trying to catch his attention. I think he knows she’s a spy but is maybe pretending he doesn’t.
But the aadaab, so sexy!
LikeLike
Agree on the Aadaab 100%!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
YRF has now released a 5 sec snippet of just the adaab exchange from the song.
– could be a signal to viewers that this isn’t a romance
– &/or be a political statement from YRF, to showcase a Hindu and a Muslim sharing an adaab greeting.
LikeLike
Or a response to the internet going “that is the sexiest moment in the song!!!!” but probably your options are more likely.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Here are all my incoherent thoughts on the song and video:
– First of all, the song is bad. Period.
– It is so obvious that Deepika isn’t wearing any underwear and idk how to feel about that
– SRK is one of like 3 people in the entire world who looks good with a man bun
– This is literally Ghungroo. Everything about those two videos are the same.
– I am also a fan of the salsa!
– But those gyrations at 2:40 ruined me. I tried so hard to contain my yelling when I watched it before work at 6:30 am and failed but she still hasn’t said anything to me
– One of my students from last year has the last name Pathan. I’ve probably mentioned this before, but now promo is in full swing and she still visits me regularly, so idk how to handle this lol. I know she’s an SRK fan, at least.
Idk if you posted about the other song, but it is also bad. And YRF dropped the full audio album and it’s just those two songs and a couple instrumentals. Which makes me sad because the instrumentals are good but not the songs with vocals. I wasn’t mad that the War soundtrack was short because it was great. But I’m disappointed that it’s a short soundtrack and a bad soundtrack, especially for the SRK comeback.
LikeLike