Critiqued: Ek Tha Tiger

Salman Khan is back! And with a bang. After taking a mini-hiatus to deal with his health issues, the action king is back in style with his latest venture, Ek Tha Tiger. The character is loosely based on a former RAW  (India's version of the CIA) agent and Salman Khan is joined by one of Bollywood's most red hot actresses, Katrina Kaif. Supporting roles are played by Ranvir Shorey, Girish Karnad and Roshan Seth. Directed by Kabir Khan, this is Salman Khan's first venture with Yash Raj Films.

As you would expect from a Yash Raj film, there is definitely a romantic theme to the film. But coupled with that is Salman's on screen charisma and Katrina in a never before seen role. Both had to endure some pretty heavy physical training from what we hear and the action sequences are simply fantastic. The stunts and action sequences are a first for Bollywood. The film was also shot in 5 different countries across 3 continents and some of the settings were absolutely beautiful. This is also a trademark of Yash Raj films in addition to the romantic theme. There were times we felt the romance slowed down the pace of the film a bit, but the action more than made up for it. Salman Khan is his usual self with his comic lines on the one hand, and the macho man on the other. Katrina's performance was definitely stellar and gave Salman's character a run for its money. We were more than impressed with the way she handled herself. Special mention also goes out to Ranvir Shorey who supports Salman's character with a lot of emotion and comedic relief at times. Most of the songs seemed pretty short in length and were all shot in different locations which gave them a very unique feel.

As we watched the film, we got that Mr. and Mrs. Smith vibe but we doubt that would detract from the numbers at the box office. It has all the makings of a mega hit and we are pretty certain it will cross that 100 crore threshold quite soon. Even if a romantic thriller is not your cup of tea, go watch the film for the locations and most definitely for the action. It will be worth it.

Our Rating: 

Ek Tha Tiger is currently playing at the Satyam, INOX and PVR cinemas in Chennai.