Pathaan, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, is set to be released in India on January 25 and begin its theatrical run. One of the first major Bollywood releases of 2023, the action thriller is part of Yash Raj Films’ expanded YRF spy universe. With Pathaan, Shah Rukh Khan returns to a lead role in a mainstream film after more than four years after 2018’s Zero. The film is directed by Siddharth Anand and Shah Rukh Khan plays an exiled field worker from the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) who is brought back to fight a private terrorist organization.
Interesting, Pathan will be released in India in the popular IMAX format and is also the first Indian film to be released in the novel Immersive Cinema Experience (ICE) format recently unveiled in the country. Both formats promise to enhance the cinematic experience – read on to learn how and where to experience Pathaan in ICE and IMAX formats.
What is Immersive Cinema Experience (ICE)?
The new ICE format promises to immerse viewers in an expanded and enhanced viewing experience without detracting from the film director’s original vision of the film. This involves the use of color lighting panels to add continuously changing lighting effects that blend with the content on the screen itself. This is visible in the viewer’s peripheral vision and doesn’t distract from what’s on screen, but complements it by reducing the amount of dark space around the screen.
Films such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Batman were published in this format. Pathaan is the first Indian film to support ICE format and viewers can enjoy this in supported cinemas. Currently only two theaters in India support the ICE format, both located in the Delhi-NCR region. PVR Ambience in Gurgaon and PVR Promenade in Vasant Kunj are ICE enabled and will show Pathaan in operation with this format.
What is IMAX?
Viewers can also watch Pathaan in the much better known and widely used IMAX format. An acronym for Image Maximum, IMAX screens are present in theaters across India in several cities and regions, and Pathaan is shown in this format on supported screens.
At its core, IMAX is a proprietary system that combines the use of high-resolution cameras, film formats, projectors and cinemas with large aspect ratio screens. This is typically 1.43:1 or 1.90:1 depending on venue and screen size, but can vary widely. This also usually involves steeper seating arrangements, and the overall experience is intended to be more cinematic and immersive than in a regular theater.
Pathaan is expected to be released on Amazon Prime Video in India on April 25th Details of the OTT release revealed in the course of a legal matter regarding the film. For now, however, viewers can enjoy the film in cinemas across India.
