Having started with some interesting b/w visuals playing over the 70mm and some baritone-heavy vocals discussing certain unknown facts regarding the secret agencies like RAW and ISI and relating them with our very own protagonist Tiger, an ace secret agent, Ek Tha Tiger, with a lot of promise of being full with lotsa Kabir Khan antics, starts roaring. And it has proved yet again that Bollywood can float on stupidity alone as long as it’s backed up by a superstar. As the dialogue in GoW2 goes- “Hindustan me jab tak cinema hai, log chutiye bante rahenge“!
So here’s the Low IQ plot- Tiger (Salman Khan) a RAW agent, has been sent on a new mission, where he has to keep an eye on a scientist who RAW believes may be providing valuable information to ISI, and owing to this Tiger starts getting involved with a dance teacher Zoya (Katrina Kaif), who’s also a part-time caretaker of the scientist’s house. But cupid strikes at the wrong time, and how/where/what of their love story forms the (hollow) trunk of a story.
With the director compromising at every step, and shaping up the movie around the mega star’s comfort zone, the biggest production company of the country also plays role in providing rich production values and showcasing exotication. Till the very end, the screenplay suffers various unwanted twists and turns. Whenever the director in Kabir Khan tries to wake up, any unneccessary dance sequence will come up or some over the top action scene will interrupt. Whenever some delicate words try to set the mood, bring an unintentionally funny line, bracketed as a ‘punch’. Need we remind you again that this is an out and out Salman Khan movie?
And here’s a salute to Salman Khan. He sort of redefined ‘stardom’ and brought ‘heroism’ back in bollywood, few years back with the likes of ‘Wanted’ and ‘Dabangg’. He has now emerged a full fledged ‘brand’ as even the Yash Raj banner seems to have compromised, and they simply forgot that the star has stolen the show in some south Indian remakes, and you are NOT making any escapic south Indian fare. Entertainment simply got superficial with this compromise.
Narrative is extremely simple, and gets unfold in a simpler manner. Plot is predictable to the core. Even the wildest twist in the story can be easily predicted. And as soon as second half manages to show some promise, the shock comes in the form of an abrupt climax. Some fine moments and decent acts are there for sure. But they fail to hold the interest of a viewer for long. Good background score is a plus but uninspiring and unnecessary songs come as downers. Cinematography is good but the narrative does injustice to it by not giving any particular location some importance. Action scenes, again, are stupid. Especially the train sequence, where Tiger stops the fast-paced train using his suit (and once the train is stopped, dusts the same suit off and wears it again), is as thrilling as watching a dog poop over a waterfall! Level of supreme disappointment reached.
Salman Khan, well, is charismatic and oozes charm. He has plenty of his ‘typical’ moments which can witeness some seetis and taalis, and make up for his clueless epressions in romantic and emotional scenes. To make a point, he falls simply flat in these departments, getting it tough to even hit the likeable mark. Katrina Kaif, looks chubby in some frames while maintains her heavenly beauty in the rest. And yes offcourse she is set to garner applause for the action sequences, the only other thing she has to do in the movie apart from looking gorgeous. Ranvir Shorey and Girish Karnad are good in the respective roles, but are kind of wasted.
So does the movie entertain??
Well, depends.
If the movie is not taking itself seriously, then even the viewers should not. But yes, if you’re one of the “Dekh Sallu bhai screen pe aaya maar seeti” types, you my friend, will be thoroughly entertained.
The movie could have been much better with such an interesting premise, but rather it ends up making a fool of itself. Ek Tha Tiger could have been a worthy watch if it was having some of ‘edge of the seat’ moments with a secret agent having a ‘living on an edge’ type of life.
Having started with some interesting b/w visuals playing over the 70mm and some baritone-heavy vocals discussing certain unknown facts regarding the secret agencies like RAW and ISI and relating them with our very own protagonist Tiger, an ace secret agent, Ek Tha Tiger, with a lot of promise of being full with lotsa Kabir Khan antics, starts roaring. And it has proved yet again that Bollywood can float on stupidity alone as long as it’s backed up by a superstar. As the dialogue in GoW2 goes- “Hindustan me jab tak cinema hai, log chutiye bante rahenge“!
So here’s the Low IQ plot- Tiger (Salman Khan) a RAW agent, has been sent on a new mission, where he has to keep an eye on a scientist who RAW believes may be providing valuable information to ISI, and owing to this Tiger starts getting involved with a dance teacher Zoya (Katrina Kaif), who’s also a part-time caretaker of the scientist’s house. But cupid strikes at the wrong time, and how/where/what of their love story forms the (hollow) trunk of a story.
With the director compromising at every step, and shaping up the movie around the mega star’s comfort zone, the biggest production company of the country also plays role in providing rich production values and showcasing exotication. Till the very end, the screenplay suffers various unwanted twists and turns. Whenever the director in Kabir Khan tries to wake up, any unneccessary dance sequence will come up or some over the top action scene will interrupt. Whenever some delicate words try to set the mood, bring an unintentionally funny line, bracketed as a ‘punch’. Need we remind you again that this is an out and out Salman Khan movie?
And here’s a salute to Salman Khan. He sort of redefined ‘stardom’ and brought ‘heroism’ back in bollywood, few years back with the likes of ‘Wanted’ and ‘Dabangg’. He has now emerged a full fledged ‘brand’ as even the Yash Raj banner seems to have compromised, and they simply forgot that the star has stolen the show in some south Indian remakes, and you are NOT making any escapic south Indian fare. Entertainment simply got superficial with this compromise.
Narrative is extremely simple, and gets unfold in a simpler manner. Plot is predictable to the core. Even the wildest twist in the story can be easily predicted. And as soon as second half manages to show some promise, the shock comes in the form of an abrupt climax. Some fine moments and decent acts are there for sure. But they fail to hold the interest of a viewer for long. Good background score is a plus but uninspiring and unnecessary songs come as downers. Cinematography is good but the narrative does injustice to it by not giving any particular location some importance. Action scenes, again, are stupid. Especially the train sequence, where Tiger stops the fast-paced train using his suit (and once the train is stopped, dusts the same suit off and wears it again), is as thrilling as watching a dog poop over a waterfall! Level of supreme disappointment reached.
Salman Khan, well, is charismatic and oozes charm. He has plenty of his ‘typical’ moments which can witeness some seetis and taalis, and make up for his clueless epressions in romantic and emotional scenes. To make a point, he falls simply flat in these departments, getting it tough to even hit the likeable mark. Katrina Kaif, looks chubby in some frames while maintains her heavenly beauty in the rest. And yes offcourse she is set to garner applause for the action sequences, the only other thing she has to do in the movie apart from looking gorgeous. Ranvir Shorey and Girish Karnad are good in the respective roles, but are kind of wasted.
So does the movie entertain??
Well, depends.
If the movie is not taking itself seriously, then even the viewers should not. But yes, if you’re one of the “Dekh Sallu bhai screen pe aaya maar seeti” types, you my friend, will be thoroughly entertained.
The movie could have been much better with such an interesting premise, but rather it ends up making a fool of itself. Ek Tha Tiger could have been a worthy watch if it was having some of ‘edge of the seat’ moments with a secret agent having a ‘living on an edge’ type of life.