Introduction
Remember the time when lead actresses had nothing to do in an Indian Hindi commercial action film, other than playing the love interest of the lead actor, cry in a couple of scenes, and dance in some others? Well, that has changed a long time ago for the greater good, but do you remember since when did this transition really got going? Or, since when did actresses start to break away from the typecasting and kick some butt? 'Ek Tha Tiger', released in 2012, stands tall as one of the most prominent films that sparked this shift. Directed by Kabir Khan, this film starred Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif in the lead roles, with Girish Karnad, Ranvir Shorey, and Gavie Chahal playing supporting roles. Apart from being Salman Khan's first ever collaboration with Yash Raj Films, this film later on became the first instalment of the massy and messy YRF Spy Universe as well! 'Ek Tha Tiger' completes it's 13th anniversary today, and that being said, let's jump into the review where I would be discussing whether this film holds up in 2025.
P.S- Spoiler Alert as usual :)
Basic Plot
An Indian secret agent falls for a Pakistani spy, and they both decide to lead a secluded life thereafter. Problems arise when the intelligence agencies of both countries get behind them.
Positives
Performances and Direction
Kabir Khan has done a fine job in crafting a spy-action romantic film that manages to tick almost all the boxes under 132 minutes. The characterizations have been done really well too, especially when you see Katrina's character Zoya. To justify the inherent British accent during her dialogue delivery (something she's been repeatedly called out for, pre Ek Tha Tiger), she was given the role of a British girl with Indian origin, who's also a teacher at The Trinity Dance Academy- enough meat to defend her accent! Kudos to the designing of Khan's character Avinash Singh Rathore a.k.a Tiger as well, as that works as a surprise package. You won't see him beating people like a Terminator without getting his shirt torn, hair-style damaged, and being touched by the enemy. Instead, he plays a character who plans his combat accordingly, gets beaten as well, and has a heart at his core that values feminism (very unlike Salman Khan). If you feel director Kabir Khan presented Salman Khan differently only in Bajrangi Bhaijaan- boy oh boy, I would definitely suggest you to watch this film to get rid of your misconception, as this is where Salman Khan's image breaking began! Both Salman and Katrina look good together and so does their on-screen chemistry, that spans across countries & landscapes, and within songs & humor, in this film. Writer Neelesh Misra has added drama, emotions, and humor in the screenplay that works in favor of the film. You would definitely feel for the leading pair towards the end of the movie and would want to see these two characters listen to their heart, irrespective of the oddly disparate characters they both play- Such is the level of impact Salman and Katrina manage to evoke with their act! The idea of emotions driving a film forward had positive impacts on the entire narrative, which validated the deeds of the leading pair in the film.
Music, Action, and Theme
The music by Sohail Sen and Sajid-Wajid was absolutely on point and the album of this film is easily stands out as the best among the other Spy Universe films. They spontaneously push the narrative forward with songs, capable enough to match every mood that the writing covers. The background score by Julius Packiam, especilaay the 'Tiger theme', is a solid banger that generates the right amount of mass-moments when combined with the fight and parkour sequences, in this otherwise subtle actioner. Talking about action, it is more than commendable not just by 2012 standards, but by the present day standards as well. Action director Parvez Shaikh crafted some nice car chase scenes, hand to hand combats, gun fights, and parkour as well, which really uplifted the standard of action in Indian cinema. The scenes are well choreographed and BGM synched which gives them a mighty edge, besides being visually stunning.
What I particularly liked about this film is it's feminist theme, where the lead actress isn't just confined to do what actresses have traditionally done, and thus, fights back vehemently whenever there's a need. The entire narrative shift from a conventional 'damsel in distress' to a rather cool 'damsel out of distress' was one of the big selling points of 'Ek Tha Tiger'. Katrina effortlessly endowed her character, Zoya, with some nice fight choreography, parkour, and mind-games as well to misguide the intelligence agencies! She helps Tiger fight their enemies and backs him up whenever required, which advocates Tiger and Zoya's love for each other, hence, justifying the screenplay.
Underwhelming Aspects
Reckless execution and ending
One can check out the list of films directed by Kabir Khan and easily find Ek Tha Tiger to be the odd one out. He directed documentary-thrillers like Kabul Express (2006), and New York (2008)-was roped in to direct this film, and in spite of this film becoming his biggest blockbuster up to that date, he did not continue to direct action films, and instead, made films like Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) and Tubelight (2017). I know he also has a Phantom (2015) in his kitty, but that doesn't take away the fact that action was never Kabir Khan's forte. So, talking about the execution, it's not bad in particular, especially when combined with the fact that the film, very much achieves what it promised, I felt like Kabir Khan could've detailed the ending and treated it with more care. When the plot and the leading pair's decision becomes clear towards the end of the film, it takes a turn, hurried enough to just leave you with a feeling of partial complete-ness. The last 25 minutes of the film witnesses a lot of happenings- full blown action, insane parkour stunts, hand to hand fights, a lot of gunning, crazy car chasing, double crossing and what not. Seriously speaking, you needed to give this entire madness some more time to cook before serving it hot, but sadly, that doesn't really happen. As many as three action set pieces go on happening one after the other, and in spite of the story saying that they aren't taking place on the same day, you won't feel like that, and instead, the scenes look like extended portions of one another with the entire double crossing angle being merely included and developed in some respite scenes between the action. This gave a roller-coaster feel to the viewers which inhibited the overall intended impact of the film. There's also a catch with the ending, which feels a bit incomplete. Though two sequels followed, 'Ek Tha Tiger' was conceived 13 years ago as a standalone. Ignoring the later films, it stands as a well-intentioned spy-action drama, torn between being an action film and a romance. There's also this issue of this film being not as documentary-centric as it's teaser suggested it to be. The trailer did some work to give the audience an idea about what to realistically expect from this film, but the difference between what the teaser suggested and what the film provided is huge. These many things when combined, contributed to this film being in a position where it held less value without a sequel. Things did change for good in 2017 with the release of 'Tiger Zinda Hai', but before that, things were incomplete.
Conclusion
Slick camera work- fast paced editing- stunning international locales- tight writing with globetrotting adventure- nicely choreographed action and some serious parkour- and all of this, bound with a heart that's unapologetically Indian. This is the description that summed up 'Ek Tha Tiger' in 2012, which later on, went to become the grammar of every Spy Universe film that followed. This is also the only film in the Spy Universe which benefits from some of the spy elements (even if generic), as all the other films in this universe are essentially action-adventures with very little respect to spy traits. Surely the recent films did very well in uplifting the usual framework in every way possible- 'Ek Tha Tiger' was the genesis of all and hence, it surely deserves the special mention. Although the film had a hurried ending—and, not to forget, pacing issues in the second half—Kabir Khan’s film wins in more aspects than it loses, ultimately living up to expectations and delivering the intended entertainment. All said and done, Ek Tha Tiger continues to be relevant in 2025, majorly due to it's themes, cast performances, production design, and a new attempt in the action genre.
Watch Out For
- Action scenes
- Cast Performances
- Production design
- Music
WTF Rating
7/10