Mumbai, Aug 25 (IANS): A new motion poster featuring Bollywood actor John Abraham as the villain from the much-awaited film 'Pathaan' was unveiled by the makers on Wednesday. It starts off with a bomb blast and then reveals the actor behind the smoke, standing his ground and holding a gun amid the sparks and flames.

The new asset follows the release of the film's teaser, Shah Rukh Khan's look and a glimpse of Deepika Padukone.

Siddharth Anand, the director of the film, said in a statement: "Every announcement of 'Pathaan' is like revealing a piece of an epic puzzle, in front of the curious eyes of the fans and audiences, leading right up to our release day. We aspire for every asset of 'Pathaan' to be a big talking point mainly because, we fortunately, have the content to create that buzz."

Talking about his decision to cast John as the villain, the director said: "John Abraham is THE antagonist, THE villain of 'Pathaan'. And I have always believed in the fact that the villain's projection should be as big, if not bigger than that of the hero's.

"Only when the villain is massive, can the tussle between them be spectacular. And we have an extraordinary battle when SRK takes on John! We wanted to present John in a super slick avatar."

The director is happy with the kind of response the film's assets have garnered, "The first looks of SRK, Deepika Padukone and now John, truly represent the zone we want the audiences to view the film in. People have now just got a taste of the world of 'Pathaan'. This truly is just the tip of the iceberg and I can assure you that nothing can prepare you for the action spectacle that is coming your way."

'Pathaan' is set to release on January 25, 2023 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.