Tiger 3: A Lackluster Sequel That Fails to Capture the Magic of the Original

Tara and Tiger, two well-known leading roles in Hindi movies, are sons-in-law of Pakistan. Pakistan has always been portrayed in the Gadar films as enemy No. 1, one that Tara Singh, played by Sunny Deol, needs to enter at all costs using both lung power and a hand pump in order to save his wife in the first movie and his son in the second. However, the Tiger franchise has envisioned an unlikely alliance between its intelligence agencies, R&AW and ISI, to defeat a common enemy. This alliance has been sparked by our resident Bhaijaan Salman Khan in the role of Tiger. Naturally, that followed the romance between Pakistani spy Zoya (Katrina Kaif) and Indian agent Tiger, who in the first movie chose each other over their respective countries and went on to spend two more missions defending their respective countries.

Tiger must save his "sasural" in Tiger 3, the most cliched title in the Tiger franchise (whose first two movies were called Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017)). History has repeatedly shown that Pakistan is always vulnerable to a military takeover. And that's exactly what Tiger (as well as Zoya) are racing against the clock to stop. India is only a minor player in the Tiger 3 story, as Tiger squares off against the native bad guys of the neighboring country in a clash that our witty lead actor best describes as "saas-bahu ki tu tu main main." Similar to Pippa, which was released last Friday, Tiger 3 also has an almost hero complex, with Tiger asking his colleagues Indian operatives for assistance in rescuing Pakistan from internal conflict. The Indian operatives, who are faithful to both their country and Tiger, do not betray each other in the end, while the Pakistanis do.

The spine of the Tiger flicks has been this kind of subdued nationalism, supported by jaw-dropping action sequences and seeti-maar language. In Tiger 3, both are somewhat present, but not in the wholesome manner that one might anticipate. Aside from a few well-done action scenes, which include Tiger's entrance scene, which, like the first two movies, is packed with enough excitement that the 7 a.m. crowd goes crazy with just a shot of the keffiyeh around his neck and a glimpse of his eyes.

— the first half has an unusually bloated and boring feeling (which might also be used to characterize Salman). Additionally, Tiger 3 has a familiar vibe to it, from action to drama, plot twist to end song, especially considering that it follows Pathaan in the highly anticipated Yash Raj Films Spy Universe.

According to Marvel/Avengers lore, the movie begins as Zoya's origin tale. However, it then oddly pushes Zoya back to the background, with the exception of a few action scenes that Katrina masterfully performs in a way that only she can, and brings Tiger back to the fore. Salman, to be honest, seems lazy and indifferent in several sequences, displaying the spark for which Tiger has been renowned only in select situations and moods.

One of those moments occurs during the much-discussed cameo, which also happens to be Tiger 3's unique selling point and will deservedly draw the majority of people to theaters even if nothing else does. If Tiger had rescued Pathaan by hanging himself upside down from a train's roof in Pathaan, Pathaan, with his man-bun intact (his self-promised haircut at the end of Pathaan has obviously not materialized), arrives in a freight crate that doubles as a cable car and gives the movie a much-needed boost of adrenaline. With clever one-liners and self-deprecating quips, Tiger and Pathaan provide ten minutes of pure value for the money. Tiger really comes to life in Pathaan, where Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan deliver brilliant comedy and incredible action.

A nod to Sholay's well-known bicycle, which serves as a leitmotif for Jai and Veeru's unwavering friendship, is also included. Even though their interactions are the funniest in the movie, Anckur Chaudhry's remarks lack the punch and self-awareness of Abbas Tyrewala's language from Pathaan. However, this is without a doubt the best part of Tiger 3, and we are eagerly awaiting Tiger and Pathaan's fight in Tiger vs. Pathaan, which is scheduled to film in January.

Aside from that, the Tiger 3 ride is only worthwhile in a few other scenes. Some of them, particularly the action scene in the Turkish hamam with the towel, are Zoya's. When it comes to action movies, Katrina is always more entertaining to watch than Salman, and this movie is no exception. High-stakes fight scenes naturally fit Katrina's physique, demeanor, agility, and attitude, and she moves through them with elegance and ease. Emraan Hashmi, who debuted in the franchise as the new adversary, is given a compelling character, although he isn't allowed much room to grow as Aatish Rehman. To his credit, Emraan succeeds in giving Aatish a real, believable personality whose evil deeds in the present are motivated by a terrible event from his past.

And then there's the other much-discussed appearance at the end credits, where Hrithik Roshan plays War's Kabir for a minute or so. He participates in an action scene whose world-building will make you think of Hawkeye's fight with the Yakuza in Tokyo during the Tokyo scene in Avengers: Endgame. Though it appears to be more of a lead-up to War 2 than a tie-up with Pathaan or Tiger, the moment is still worth waiting for.

Apart from that, Salman—whose super agent persona has evolved into a hybrid of Bond, Bourne, Hunt, and Reacher—is the sole focus of Tiger 3's attention. The line "Main Diwali pataakho se nahin, mithai se manaata hoon" is probably the finest way to describe the character's tooth loss to the man he is hitting.

The lack of edge is primarily due to Maneesh Sharma's guidance. With only Shah Rukh's Fan approaching what can be called semi-gritty cinema, Sharma's filmography consists mostly of rom-coms like Band Baaja Baaraat and Shuddh Desi Romance. He lacks the vision and dexterity to marry action to plot as effortlessly as his predecessors Kabir Khan and Ali Abbas Zafar did, something that Siddharth Anand almost always nails.

The plot of Aditya Chopra and Sridhar Raghavan, like most espionage movies worldwide, with a few notable exceptions, is overly influenced by other spy movies. There are a number of well-known genre clichés, including the nuclear launch codes theme from Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, the vault penetration from almost any other spy movie, and more.

Because of this, Tiger 3 falls short of expectations, even if it is a well-meaning movie overall and has some interesting moments. Its "Mission Timepass" plotline, in which Revathy appears as Tiger's employer and pays homage to James Bond's M, serves as a metaphor for much of the movie. This excursion serves as evidence that the Tiger franchise is in need of some serious excitement. However, as Tiger puts it: "Tab tak Tiger haara nahin, jab tak Tiger maraa nahin..." Let's go on to Number 4, but please make it better!

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.