The King's Mane: Siddharth Anand on Shah Rukh Khan's Iconic Pathaan Look and Those Brad Pitt Buzzes

It's always amusing, isn't it, how the internet can conjure up the most unexpected comparisons? And for once, when the talk shifted to Shah Rukh Khan's rather distinct long-haired look in his blockbuster film 'Pathaan' and Brad Pitt's strikingly similar, though more recent, appearance for an upcoming F1 movie, well, the director himself, Siddharth Anand, couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

You see, the chatter online, and honestly, quite a bit in the media too, had been relentless. People were quick to point out the uncanny resemblance: the flowing locks, the rugged charm, that certain je ne sais quoi both superstars seemed to exude. It was a viral moment, a little bit of cinematic serendipity, you could say. But for Anand, the man behind 'Pathaan's' monumental success, it was simply... funny.

When pressed on the matter, Anand, known for his sleek action thrillers, just laughed it off. "Look, for us, Shah Rukh Khan is King, he's God," he declared, making it abundantly clear where his loyalties, and perhaps his reverence, lay. And, frankly, who could argue? SRK's presence on screen is, in truth, unmatched, a phenomenon unto itself.

But beyond the playful hero-worship, there was a point Anand wanted to underscore: the timeline. He clarified that the decision for SRK's long-haired look in 'Pathaan' was made long, long ago—months, even a year, before any glimpse of Brad Pitt's F1 film avatar ever saw the light of day. So, while the visual echoes might be striking, it was, quite simply, a coincidence of cinematic style rather than any conscious emulation. The idea, you could say, was genuinely organic to 'Pathaan's' narrative, conceived far ahead of time.

The film, of course, went on to shatter box office records, cementing SRK's status yet again and proving that sometimes, all you need is the King himself, a compelling story, and yes, perhaps a really good haircut (or lack thereof, depending on your perspective). And now, with 'Pathaan' a roaring success story, Anand is already setting his sights on his next ambitious venture, 'Fighter,' starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone. But for a moment there, the internet, and a director's good-natured laugh, gave us all something delightful to talk about.