To us, the lines also appear to match Gen Z lingo without being corny. “Sometimes, jyada ho sakta hai. You could cross over. But that’s why we rewrite. Audiences are coming to the film to be entertained, so you must strike a balance. Over time, experience teaches you to be in control of your craft.”

It’s this experience that saw him deftly handle the scenes where both Khans—Salman and Shah Rukh—share the screen. How does one not overshadow the other? “It’s delicate. It’s Shah Rukh’s film. It’s called Pathaan. But it’s Salman [who is also in the frame], and Tiger [Salman’s character from his spy franchise] has taken the trouble to come here [in this film]. We had to make sure that the audience didn’t feel cheated. It’s not about catering to actor egos, it’s about the audience experiencing the joy of watching the two interact. I followed Aditya’s and Siddharth’s brief and wrote words that would enhance what they wanted to do with those scenes.”