Ek Tha Tiger

Salman Khan today has become synonymous with 100 crore business, and in case of Ek Tha Tiger the expectation is a double century. Kabir Khan the director couldn’t have asked for more, Salman as Hero, Katrina as Heroine, Yashraj as producer and a good story with a budget of 75 crores.

So what can go wrong, well the screenplay of course, and I believe Yashraj didn’t had any money left to take services of an editor. So what could have been a beautiful movie became more of a caricature.

Ek tha Tiger starts like it is expected to be, a fully fledged action sequence in the roads of Iraq/Iran or some country, and Tiger returns India ready to go for the next mission, on the next mission he encounters the beautiful Katrina Kaif, and trouble starts as he has to choose between his country or his girl.

I won’t go further to reveal the story, but I felt disappointed after the show, what I expected to be a action movie was more of a romantic one, granted the movie was about the love story of a spy, but as the backdrop was of RAW and ISI, a certain amount of conflict between these two agencies was missing, even the way these agencies operate was never given much importance. But the saddest part is even the romantic portions of the movie are not impressive, as they say; there is no chemistry between the lead pair.

The first half is a drag, and you feel trapped in a time zone where story denies moving. In the second half the momentum improves but by that time you realize that the director had a wafer thin plot and minimum story to back it.

Although the action sequences are amazing, especially the opening one and one later in Cuba, a few laughs come here and there, but the movie lacks the depth that was required for this story, and the intensity that was required for the love story, Tiger who is should to be a seasoned spy, suddenly becomes a soft hearted trusting human being, ditto to the characterization of heroine, no background, no character development, just get her into pretty dresses and audience will forgo logic, maybe that’s what the director thought.   

Girish Karnad and Ranbir Shorry provide good support, even performance wise lead pair is also ok, but the director had wasted a beautiful opportunity, as even though the overall movie is alright, the expectations are not matched.

At best it is a onetime watch.

Rating **.