Tiger 3 Review: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Emraan Hashmi Starrer Is The Same Old Patakha With Bigger Dhamaka!
To watch in theatres or not? Find out!
Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and Emraan Hashmi starrer Tiger 3 hit the theatres on the occasion of Diwali on November 12, Sunday. Directed by Maneesh Sharma and produced by Aditya Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films, Tiger 3 is the direct sequel to Ek Tha Tiger and Tiger Zinda Hai and the fifth film of the YRF Spy Universe. If you’re wondering if the film is worth watching on the big screen, here’s our review. Fair warning, watch it in theatre only if you can leave your brain at home or else it’s going to be a snoozefest. Having said that, this time the film has more action, less story and kickass performances.
The Plot Of Tiger 3
Set after the events of War and Pathaan, Tiger 3 continues the story of Salman Khan’s RAW Agent Avinash Singh Rathore aka Tiger and his wife, Katrina Kaif’s ex-ISI Agent Zoya. When someone from Zoya’s past enters the life of the spy couple and threatens their son, life as they knew it goes for a toss. After he saves an Indian agent, Tiger is told that his wife might be a double agent. Once the seed of doubt has been sown, Tiger tracks every single move made by Zoya to find out the truth but it’s only when he goes to Russia on a mission that he finds out that Zoya is working with people from the other side.
It is soon revealed that Zoya is doing what she’s doing to save their son, Sartaaj Kakkar’s Junior who has been poisoned by the man from her past, Emraan Hashmi’s ex-ISI Agent Aatish Rehman. FYI, Aatish has a personal grudge against Tiger and Zoya and he not only wants revenge but also has ulterior motives. In order to save their son, Zoya and Tiger are tasked with a mission that results in Tiger being caught and accused of being a traitor. The film then follows Zoya and Tiger as they try to prove that they’re not traitors, and save the peace treaty between India and Pakistan and bring Aatish’s truth before the world. But will they win this race against time? You’ll just have to wait to find out.
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Performances
Salman Khan as Tiger aka Avinash Singh Rathore: NGL but Salman Khan has grown old and I’m totally, absolutely bored of watching him do the same old unrealistic action but this time around, I surprisingly did not mind watching him pull some truly impossible moves because Tiger 3 reveals a more vulnerable and emotional side of Tiger as he fights for his son but it’s still not enough. Salman’s Tiger lacks the rawness of a parent but continues to uphold the tough exterior of a spy as usual. Thik hai, ab I’m willing to compromise.
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Katrina Kaif as Zoya: Katrina Kaif’s Zoya truly takes the action up a notch or a few notches as she fights the fights that she fights even in a towel. What more can I say? Katrina Kaif’s action was at par with that of Tiger’s. I’ll go as far as saying that Katrina’s Zoya’s action sequences were not just intense but they were also realistic. Nowhere did it feel like Kat’s character was simply ornamental or performative. In fact. her origin story had my attention and made me want to know more about her. It humanised Zoya and her flawed character in this part made her extra special.
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Emraan Hashmi as Aatish Rehman: Oh, where do I even begin. Emraan Hashmi shines as the villain and how! The actor 100% nailed the role of Aatish Rehman and looks every bit menacing yet appealing every time he’s on the screen and let’s not forget his kickass dialogue delivery. The salt and pepper hair adds to his overall appeal. The actor definitely roared louder than Tiger in his role of villain in Tiger 3. However, the writing of his character was also flawed and lacked depth. Emraan’s Aatish’s anger is justified with a small flashback but it still lacks depth. If only his character was baked a little more and explored a little more, I would feel more involved in his story too. This sort of made him seem like a shallow character and if it wasn’t for Emraan’s acting, there was no saving this character or this film for that matter.
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Also Read: Amid Rashmika Mandanna’s Deepfake, Katrina Kaif’s Tiger 3 Towel Fight Morphed Pic Goes Viral. We’re Enraged!
Supporting Cast
Tiger 3 also stars Revathi as Chief of RAW, Simran as Pakistan Prime Minister Nasreen Irani, Riddhi Dogra as Aatish’s wife Shaheen Baig, Vishal Jethwa as Hassan Ali (Tiger and Zoya’s adopted son), Sartaaj Kakkar as Tiger and Zoya’s son Junior, Kumud Mishra, Anant Vidhaat Sharma, Neeraj Purohit, Danish Bhat, Chandrachoor Rai, Ranvir Shorey and more in supporting roles. IMHO, every actor in the supporting cast is known for their skilled acting but every single actor seemed wasted including the Kumud Mishra and Vishal Jethwa who are known for their nuanced acting. The supporting cast was definitely underutilized considering their potential.
Verdict: SRK, Salman Khan’s Bromance, Katrina Kaif’s Action, Emraan Hashmi’s Villain Saves This Film
Let’s start with what works for this film before I go on to explain what doesn’t. I’m honestly still not over Katrina Kaif’s action sequences. It’s pretty evident that the actress pushed herself as much as she claimed to have (maybe even more) to nail the intense action scenes. And despite all the kicks, punches, bullets and whatnot being thrown around, the actress does not falter with her expressions. Apart from Katrina Kaif, Salman Khan’s character’s action sequences also seem to be exaggerated in Tiger 3.
NGL, I know most of you must be thinking how this spy film franchise has the most unrealistic action scenes and trust me I get it. I too had a moment when I was questioning the creative liberty taken by the makers when Salman’s Tiger jumps off a cliff to grab onto a helicopter while the main rotor (fan on top of the helicopter) was rotating. I mean, seriously? But come to think of it, aren’t action thrillers all about unrealistic action scenes where the hero survives after being beaten to near death? Chodo yaar, thodi creative liberty to banti hai.
The first half of the film is fast-paced and doesn’t give you time to even think about the plot and what’s going on. By the time you get your head around what’s happening, you’ve probably missed out on any loophole if there is any. The mind-bogglingly intense action sequences don’t give you enough time or energy to spot the errors. But that’s only in the first half.
Tiger 3 begins to fizzle out in the second half when the action sequences seem too stretched as if they’re being kept to kill time. It’s very much like Tiger’s first mission in the film, Mission Timepass. But it’s easy to forgive all that because Emraan Hashmi’s villain will keep you hooked with his mysteriousness (doesn’t mean you’ll feel invested in him because he’s still a shoddily written character, bas Emraan ka kamaal hai). And honestly, you’ll probably still be hungover with Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan badass cameo.
Also Read: Leke Prabhu Ka Naam: Tiger 3 Track Sung By Arijit Singh Has Salman’s Swag And Katrina’s Sexy Moves!
Truth be told, dialogues kaafi blah the, but I’m willing to forgive it all because of how Salman’s Tiger and SRK’s Pathaan’s bromance was romanticised. Shah Rukh Khan’s udti zulfein and the way Tiger and Pathaan were doing aankhon hi aankhon mein baatein, I must say their chemistry wasn’t sizzling, it was fireworks. The background score also made sure to romanticise their “moments” and the way the action sequences were designed made it seem like a dance sequence. Tiger and Pathaan were so much in sync that they had me thinking these two could tango or have a full-blown romance and I might even be up for it. Sorry, Zoya but Tiger has better chemistry with Pathaan.
Anyhow, back to how the second half begins to unravel because of shoddy writing. As Zoya and Tiger head out to save Zoya’s maika, the sub-plots and who’s double-crossing who and who’s planning what starts to get extremely overwhelming. But dekho, baki jo bhi ho, we all know how cliché and predictable such films can be. The stretched action sequences in between and predictability really made me want to doze off every now and then but I managed to stay awake thanks to the Latte and some truly pulsating and thrilling action sequences that kept me up. But NGL the last bit just had me wishing that Aatish and Tiger’s showdown would finally come to an end. To add to it, the stretched screenplay makes me feel like I’ve watched two films because this time Tiger and Zoya have too much happening in their lives and the shoddy editing of the film isn’t helping.
Fir bhi, ab I have to give Tiger 3 starring Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and Emraan Hashmi 3 stars out of 5 because of the impeccable performances and badass action. Here’s to hoping the next film explores the interpersonal relationships between the characters in this film franchise as well as the relationship of the characters in the YRF Spy Universe apart from a simple cameo. Aur suno, don’t forget to wait for the end credits because this Diwali gift has another dhamaka in store for you.
Psst…Tiger 3 star Ridhi Dogra opened up about her work and personal life in an exclusive chat with Hauterrfly on The Male Feminist. Check it out below.
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