Sometimes, in a movie, you get exactly what you expect. Nothing more, nothing less. There are no surprises, no disappointments and nothing extraordinary. That’s exactly what Tiger 3, the third instalment of the love story of Indian R&AW agent Tiger and ex-ISI agent Zoya, delivers.
Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif wear their roles comfortably even if their crackling chemistry has taken a backseat to pushing forward Yash Raj Films’ spy universe, of which Tiger and Zoya are now a part. But one can’t really complain when all the romance is replaced by high-octane action and new partnerships that threaten to bring the house down even at a Diwali morning showing of the film.
This time around, Tiger is still going on missions while Zoya is a stay-at-home mom… or is she? Is she really working against Tiger, or is there a bigger reason behind it? Will Tiger choose family over country, or will he manage to save both? The answers are exactly what you expect them to be. The franchise, this time being steered by Maneesh Sharma, keeps the globetrotting feels with our favourite spies travelling from Austria to Turkey to Russia, riding motorcycles on rooftops, fighting in hamams and executing impossible stunts. The race this time is to clear Tiger’s name as a rogue agent, stop the assassination of the Pakistani prime minister and thwart a military coup in our neighbouring country.
Salman might not be taking off his shirt this time around but his keffiyeh is still in action, drawing ceeti-taalis as per usual. He punches and pummels with gusto, never letting his fans down. Katrina, who has already proved her action mettle in the past two instalments, ups her game further, her towel-clad Turkish bath hand-to-hand combat being one of the standout action sequences of the film. We even get a bit of a backstory for Zoya, and it makes one wonder if there isn’t a spin-off worth exploring with her. If anyone in the YRF spy universe deserves a spin-off, it is Zoya.
As expected and exactly when expected, Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan drops in, in all his flying hair and quippy glory, to lend a helping hand when Tiger is in a pickle — cue the hoots, hollers and wolf whistles. The bromance witnessed in Pathaan is very visible in the vastly entertaining 15 minutes or so the two are on screen together fighting baddies. Psst! The other guy in the spy universe (apparently this is a spoiler) shows up only post-credit in a very Batman-esque sequence, so stay for the end-credit nacha-gaana.
What is unexpected about Tiger 3 is the scene-stealing bad guy Aatish Rehman, played with delicious dark shades by Emraan Hashmi who also looks the part with his dark clothes and grey-flecked beard. A disgraced ex-ISI agent with close ties to Zoya’s past, Hashmi’s character is given background and motive to make him a little more than the run-of-the-mill bad guy. While there is a satisfactory one-on-one standoff between Rehman and Tiger, the main thrill is the one-upmanship that goes on as each tries to thwart the plans of the other. That’s twice the Tiger franchise surprised us with a villain to talk about, Sajjad Delafrooz’s Abu Usman in Tiger Zinda Hai being the other. Maybe Marvel should take notes on how to up the villain game.
Going back to the expected and delivered, there is a healthy dose of patriotism, both Indian and Pakistani, and enough peace and prosperity talk to make everyone happy, the whole movie hall getting to their feet when Pakistani kids, unexpectedly, play an instrumental version of the Indian national anthem, being a case in point.
Tiger 3 proves that getting exactly the bang you expected for your buck is sometimes all you need. And if there is a Tiger 4 in the making, it is exactly why you will sign up for it too.