Movie Review - Ek Tha Tiger (Hindi) - An apologetic spy-thriller!!

A globe-trotting spy, pulling some gravity-defying stunts, and being archetypal himself - massive virility, with heart. That’s the right combination for a crackerjack commercial potboiler. And if Salman Khan is at the helm of affairs, it raises ones expectations sky high. But anyone, even a kid, who knows even the most inferior works in the spy-thriller genre, will realize that Ek Tha Tiger is a scar on the face of that genre.

The grand Independence Day/Eid attraction from Yashraj Films banner is a shard in the guise of an espionage film. The first time collaboration of YRF and Salman Khan seems to turn futile. The film neither got fodder for cranial nerves nor the much needed twists-and-turns element to qualify as a spy-thriller. Salman Khan as a RAW officer could not justify the two extremes of such a role - A hero with a moral edge or a ruthless spy. He’s just a mawkish, inane Intelligence officer who believes romance is a panacea that can cure even the worst of all problems and restore world peace. Director Kabir Khan has transformed the most laudable spy-film genre into a mere collage of action sequences.

Three people should be (dis) credited for making such a film. What was born as a story based on secret investigation in Aditya Chopra’s mind was given the shape of a screenplay by Neelesh Mishra and Kabir Khan. The writing falters in every scene and is the film’s biggest undoing, without leaving a trace of reality. Some unrealistic situations are conveniently thrown in to push the story and to make ground for some inevitable action sequences. The flaws in the script are easily fathomable. The film starts with a high-octane fight and chase sequence in northern Iraq and switches locations frequently and becomes a mundane journey of people caught in anticipated situations, out of which they escape in the most anticipated way.

Though the action sequences in Ek Tha Tiger are slick, they fall flat with the repeated use of Bollywood's stereotypic tool - slow motion frame. Aseem Mishra’s cinematography, in terms of scale and depth, has some moments of glory. But in visualization it falls prey to banality and misinterpretations. Every international location is bound to have a postcardish introduction: Havana – An azure blue sky with a smoky tinge; Istanbul - Bazars and mosques; Dublin – Bagpipes and Scottish costumes. Technically, Ek Tha Tiger looks damn expensive for visuals and locations, but there is no intrigue or novelty. As ardent fans of Hindi cinema we watched such artificial colors, cuts and frames many a time. If the cinematography department have had expanded its horizon the movie would have been a seminal work in film-making in the respective genre.

In the first half, Salman Khan looks cool-as-a-cucumber and has some endearing moments that tickle the funny bone. This is an improvement over the brawny persona he portrayed in his previous films in recent past. But as the movie reaches the end, the primitive Khan emerges out and his new avatar quickly fades out. Katrina Kaif gets a role that’s almost equal in length to that of her co-star, but she could not pull it off with poise giving her a dumb-wittish shade. In spite of the superficial mystery in her character, she does not surpass the Barbie doll image she’s patented all through her films. The supporting cast does not need any mention for their sheer redundancy. Ranvir Shourey's character only exalts Sallu bhai's heroism and does nothing else. A great actor such as Girish Karnad is wasted for craving daal fry and telling Salman – “Apni dil ki nahi dimaag ki suno.”

Bottom-line: Ek Tha Tiger is one of the screenwriting nightmares of Bollywood. If there’s an Indian version of Razzies, the film will be unanimously awarded the “Worst Screenplay of the year.” What starts as an adrenaline rushing entertainer transforms into a saga of dull romance. Now I feel that Agent Vinod lives up to its name and can be called a classy spy-thriller, and is better than Ek Tha Tiger. The action sequences in Ek Tha Tiger may rake in the moolah and also give some whistles for their deft execution, but that’s not enough to stop it from being a damp squib. Adding insult to injury amidst all the mismatched set pieces is the message of Indo-Pak peace. Watch this film if you are a fan of Salman Khan and for its visuals, locations, Mashallah song (if you've got patience to wait till the end credits) and well choreographed action sequences. This film will stay till eternity in the annals of Bollywood history as Ek Tha “Ek Tha Tiger”

My Rating: Expectation - 8/10; Reality - 4/10