(This is Part 3 of a three-part series investigating the #BoycottPathaan trend. Click on the links below, or through the navigation bar at the top of your screen, to read the other parts.)

Following our investigation into the trend, we found: 

1. The first call to boycott the film was made in August 2020 – this is even before any official announcement was made. 

2. Over the last two years, these calls have grown louder with several events leading to major spikes. For example, Aryan Khan’s arrest in October 2021. 

3. As per our research, the ones supporting these calls are either associated with the right-wing Hindutva ideology or are among those demanding “justice for Sushant Singh Rajput.”

4. We also noticed a major spike in the trend after the release of the film’s song Besharam Rang on 12 December. 

5. BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said that the song was "shot with a dirty mindset," suggesting a ban on the film in the state.

A targeted effort like this is said to have affected the box office fortunes of films like Laal Singh Chaddha in the past. What impact will it have on Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone's Pathaan?

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