Shahrukh and Salman in Pathaan: Cameo, Box Office and What Next

Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan shared the screen in Pathaan, released on 25 January 2023, where Salman made a cameo as his spy character Tiger. Shah Rukh returned the favour in Tiger 3 later that year. Pathaan earned an estimated Rs 1,050 crore worldwide, and a planned Tiger vs Pathaan film was reportedly shelved in February 2026.

When this story first ran in November 2020, Pathaan had just been announced as Shah Rukh’s comeback after Zero (2018), and Salman’s cameo was only a report. The film was delayed by the pandemic and finally reached theatres more than two years later. Here is an updated look at the Shah Rukh and Salman pairing, how Pathaan performed and what is next. For more film news, see our entertainment section.

Quick facts: Pathaan

Detail	Fact
Release date	25 January 2023
Director	Siddharth Anand
Producer	Aditya Chopra, Yash Raj Films
Cast	Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Dimple Kapadia, Ashutosh Rana
Salman Khan’s role	Cameo as Tiger (Avinash Singh Rathore)
Worldwide gross	About Rs 1,050 crore (estimated)
Streaming	Extended version on Amazon Prime Video from 22 March 2023

Shah Rukh and Salman in Pathaan: what the cameo was

Salman Khan’s involvement was confirmed in November 2020, soon after filming began in Mumbai. In the film, he appears as Tiger, the RAW agent from Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), and helps Pathaan escape during a train action sequence.

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The scene was one of the most cheered moments in theatres. It also confirmed that Pathaan was part of Yash Raj Films’ Spy Universe, a connected series of action films that began with Ek Tha Tiger and continued with War (2019).

Why Pathaan took more than two years

Shooting started in November 2020, moved to Dubai in January 2021 and was paused in April 2021 during the second wave of COVID-19 and the Maharashtra lockdown. It resumed in June 2021, a schedule in Spain followed in early 2022, and reshoots were done in October 2022.

The original plan for a Diwali 2021 release, reported at the time, was dropped. The film finally opened over the Republic Day weekend in 2023 in standard, IMAX and 4DX formats.

How Pathaan performed

Pathaan became one of the biggest hits in Hindi cinema. It earned an estimated Rs 1,050 crore worldwide, including about Rs 654 crore in India, against a reported budget of Rs 250 crore. It marked Shah Rukh Khan’s return to the screen as a lead after more than four years.

2023 turned out to be a landmark year for him. Pathaan was followed by Jawan and Dunki, and he later won the National Film Award for Best Actor for Jawan, shared with Vikrant Massey.

Shah Rukh Khan in Tiger 3

The favour was returned in Tiger 3, released in November 2023 around Diwali, where Shah Rukh appeared as Pathaan to help Salman’s Tiger in an action scene. This mirrored the Pathaan cameo and kept the Spy Universe link going.

YRF Spy Universe films in order

For readers who want to watch the connected films in sequence, here is the release order so far:

1. Ek Tha Tiger (2012): Salman Khan introduces Tiger.
2. Tiger Zinda Hai (2017): Tiger returns with Katrina Kaif’s Zoya.
3. War (2019): Hrithik Roshan as Kabir, with Tiger Shroff.
4. Pathaan (2023): Shah Rukh Khan’s spy, with Salman’s cameo.
5. Tiger 3 (2023): Tiger’s third film, with Shah Rukh’s cameo.
6. War 2 (2025): Hrithik Roshan returns, with Jr NTR.

Pathaan and Tiger 3 are the only films so far in which both Khans appear as their spy characters.

Shah Rukh and Salman’s earlier films and cameos together

The two stars have a long history of appearing in each other’s films:

• Karan Arjun (1995): both played lead roles as brothers.
• Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998): Salman played Aman in an extended guest role.
• Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam (2002): Salman had a supporting role.
• Om Shanti Om (2007): Salman appeared in the “Deewangi Deewangi” song.
• Tubelight (2017): Shah Rukh made a cameo as a magician.
• Zero (2018): Salman appeared in the song “Issaqbaazi”.
• Pathaan (2023) and Tiger 3 (2023): cameos as their spy characters.

What happened to Tiger vs Pathaan and Pathaan 2

Yash Raj Films announced a film bringing the two spies face to face, Tiger vs Pathaan, in April 2023. According to reports, the project was shelved in February 2026 due to budget concerns. A sequel, Pathaan 2, is reported to be in development with Shah Rukh and Deepika Padukone, though no release date has been confirmed.

Shah Rukh’s next release is King, directed by Siddharth Anand, which also stars Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan and Suhana Khan. In September 2026, Shah Rukh confirmed on X that King will release on 24 December 2026. Read more about the stars in our people section.

Further reading: Mumbai Mirror,.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Wikipedia: Pathaan, NewsBytes on King’s release date, Wikipedia: Tiger 3.