Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'Pathaan' books 2023 Republic Day eve for release

Mumbai: "Pathaan", which marks Shah Rukh Khan's return to the movies after over four years, will be released on January 25, 2023.

Yash Raj Films, the production house behind the much awaited film, announced the release date of the "action spectacle" on Wednesday via a video on social media.

Billed as "a high-octane spy thriller", the film is directed by Siddharth Anand of "War" and "Bang Bang" fame. It also stars Deepika Padukone and John Abraham.

The date announcement video teases a glimpse of Shah Rukh in the avatar of Pathaan as co-stars Deepika and John give a sneak peek into the titular character.

The clip, a little over 1 min-long, opens with the Indian flag flying high in a mountainous terrain, with John standing next to a bike.

He says, "Apne desh mein hum naam rakhte hain apne naam ya jaati se, par uske paas inmein se kuch nahin tha."

"Yahan tak ki uske paas apna naam rakhne wala bhi koi nahin tha. Agar kuch tha to bas ye desh, India," adds Deepika, as she walks around a burning battleground surrounded with tanks.

What follows is the only voice over by Shah Rukh, who further teases the story of "Pathaan", both the film and his character.

"To usne apne desh ko hee apna dharm maan liya aur desh ki raksha ko hee apna karam. Aur jinka naam nahin hota, unka naamkaran unke saathi kar dete hain. Ye naam kyun pada? Kaise pada? Iske liye thoda sa intezaar kijiye. Jaldi milte hain, 'Pathaan' se," he says, as the date of the film's release appears next.

Shah Rukh's last release was 2018's "Zero".

"Pathaan" will be released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.