Tiger 3 Review

A tiger, as they say, never changes its stripes. Ah well, review done, just see Tiger 1 and Tiger 2, and we'll call it a day. Unfortunately, that is not what we agreed on when I started writing for fullhyd.com - so here we are.

Tiger 3 is a continuation of the story of Avinash "Tiger" Singh Rathore (Salman Khan), set after the events of War and Pathaan. This is the shared Yashraj Films' "Spy Universe", after all - and we fully expect Salman, Shahrukh and Hrithik to fly in and out of each other's films until they all end up in a mega budget joint film à la the Avengers. Maneesh Sharma is the third new director for the third Tiger film, an unusual but dependable choice for the franchise. Despite cutting his teeth with romantic comedies, the director's last outing at the box office was also a decently-liked thriller.

On-and-off RAW agent Tiger is hot on the heels of an ISI double agent as revealed by his former frenemy Gopi Arya (Ranvir Shorey), and the constant doubt is messing with his perfect family life with his (also an) ex-spy wife Zoya Humaimi-Rathore (Katrina Kaif) and son Junior (Sartaaj Kakkar). Forced into being an accomplice for a heist that threatens not only the national integrity of Pakistan, but also to disrupt any chances of peace talks between India and Pakistan, Tiger is thrust into the middle of an international conspiracy by rogue ex-ISI agent Aatish Rehman (Emraan Hashmi).

Tiger 3 is a very, very loud movie - not by chance, but with meticulous planning and calculation. This is a film that will put the larger-than-life persona that is "Salman bhai" front and centre, something much-needed by his fans after a string of duds like Radhe and Antim, with carefully crafted cameo moments to enhance his presence. It sort of works - Tiger 3 is the exact sort of escapist fantasy that a majority of mainstream Bollywood audiences walk into theatres for. The plot is wafer-thin, but that is a moot point because the target audience hasn't paid for the overpriced tickets for a sensible storyline. No, it is all about the movie's lead pairing alongside its explosive action sequences - that it dishes out with gleeful abandon.

It's easy to find faults with mainstream Hindi masala entertainment as a critic, because the plot is generally full of holes and the characters rarely see their plans go as expected. The laws of physics are never an issue, plot armour protects the people's favourite stars from injuries that would cripple a normal human being... it does not take a genius to point out all things wrong with a movie like Tiger 3, especially considering it is a part of a franchise that features plenty of outlandish elements to begin with.

But it all goes away when you're swept into the emotion of the audience when their favourite stars come onto the screen. Be it Salman Khan here in the Tiger movies, or Hrithik Roshan in War, or Shahrukh Khan in Pathaan - the only thing that matters is the spectacle itself. And that is one area where Tiger 3 definitely does not lack. Salman Khan is back with the stoic act (until he has to tear up, at least), and Katrina Kaif matches him word for word. Her Zoya occupies the frame almost as much as Tiger himself, and she is definitely the yin to his yang. Emraan Hashmi looks menacing enough, but his character ends up turning into an almost caricature-ish level of a villain despite starting out promisingly with links to the lead pair's past. The rest of the cast ably add to the spectacle - with some surprising nuanced restraint being portrayed by Simran as Pakistan PM Nasreen Irani. We were certainly taken aback by such a character in a Tiger film, credit where it's due.

High production values, complete with lush cinematography and stylised stunt choreography, help in adding to the spectacle, though it is let down by Pritam's rather unmemorable soundtrack. Surprisingly, there is only one song in the movie - and another one during the credits. That leaves the movie's 156-minute running time almost completely frenetic, with nary a spot to breath and think about it. It works until it doesn't, and the film drags on by the end. The emotional moments end up being unintentionally humourous, especially when Tiger has to cry or is moved by unexpected acts of patriotic fervour (in and from the very last place you'd expect it from).

But that is not what the target audience cares about. Completely ignoring the risk of repeating myself, I'll reiterate - it is all about the spectacle, and as far as that goes, Tiger 3 is going to get lapped up by the masses.