Tiger 3 review: A strictly average film that is the weakest in the YRF Spy-Verse… so far

Walk out of Tiger 3 and try to recall the most memorable scene from the film, and you might draw a blank. And there isn’t much to spoil, so consider this your spoiler warning.

Maybe Emraan Hashmi’s menace leaves a mark, but there is little beyond that. The songs are weak, the plot twists are not exactly thrilling, and there is little new about the action.

Even the deaths and the betrayals — yes, there are a few — fail to rouse emotions. And weirdly, Tiger has more on-screen chemistry with Pathaan than with Zoya!

But let’s look at things in a bit more detail, especially how Maneesh Sharma taking over the director’s mantle from Kabir Khan (Ek Tha Tiger) and Ali Abbas Zafar (Tiger Zinda Hai) has changed things.

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The story

Tiger is alive and well, as are Zoya and Junior. Maithili Menon (Revathi) has taken over from Shenoy, and tasks Tiger with rescuing an old colleague, who divulges some devastating information with his dying breaths.

In time emerges a threat from Tiger and Zoya’s past: Aatish Rehman. This disgraced ISI boss’ eventual goal is to gain dictatorial control of his country.

He uses both Tiger and Zoya to that end, exacting both personal and — in his eyes — patriotic revenge in the process.

Now, Indian films in general and Bollywood films in particular have not evolved enough to deliver a body blow like Avengers: Infinity War. Thus, with the foreknowledge that our heroes will emerge not only unharmed but also victorious, we — the viewers — bank on other questions like “how” to deliver the entertainment.

And that’s where we are let down.

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Audio-visual blandness

Now, cinematographers Sahil Bhardwaj and Anay Goswami do a competent job of the outdoors, as visual effects meld well with actual footage for establishing shots.

However, their hands might have been tied when it came to the direction the story was taking or the manner in which the plot was being taken forward. More on that in a bit.

But first, the acting. Salman Khan is at his wooden best, and not even his best swag can elevate the character of Tiger.

In fact, the only time he is really enjoyable on screen is when he pairs up with Pathaan for an escape: The banter really lights up the mind, but it is one of the only bright spots in the movie.

Even Katrina Kaif is not at her best. Heck, one connects more with the younger Zoya, as seen at the beginning of the film!

The others do not have much to do by way of acting, but they do shine when given the chance. Look out for a vulnerable Kumud Mishra when he realises he has to change the compromised frequency, or Anant Vidhaat — who played Sultan’s nervous assistant in Sultan — as he exudes courage in the face of death.

Vishal Jethwa is underused, and Revathi sparkles in that “buttering” scene.

The actor to look out for, obviously, is Emraan Hashmi, whose portrayal of Aatish Rehman is equal parts restraint and panache.

Sound-wise, the background score is strictly in the background, except when the themes of the heroes and the villains are played. One exception, though, is the score as two protagonists fight on screen: The juxtaposition of the softer notes with the action is poignant.

As for the songs, none of them seem to get you humming. People only sit through “Le Ke Prabhu Ka Naam” to get to the mid-credits scene.

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Behind the scenes

Aditya Chopra came up with the story for Tiger 3. And given how personal the film was for its central characters, a sincere effort was made to ensure that it would connect with the viewers as much as the previous films of the YRF Spy-Verse — especially Pathaan or Tiger Zinda Hai before it — did.

Shridhar Raghavan, who wrote the screenplay for Pathaan, fulfils the same role in Tiger 3. Yet, something is missing. Somehow, gone are the dialogues and witty banter (from Abbas Tyrewala for Pathaan to Anckur Chaudhry in Tiger 3): Instead, we have inane lines that make Salman Khan’s Tiger sound even more wooden. The near-absence of meta jokes and callbacks also rankles.

However, what hurts most is the decisions the on-screen “spies” take.

Now, before you point out that James Bond is also a spy, and would have been made — or worse, neutralised — very fast because of his antics, let me remind you that there is at least a certain degree of cerebral activity involved in each 007 film. And that began with Sean Connery sticking a strand of his hair on a closed almirah to detect tampering in the very first James Bond film, Dr No.

Here, however, we have Tiger venturing further into enemy territory during his first rescue mission instead of escaping with the rescued person! In another instance, the group of protagonists gives a betrayer free rein despite knowing his intentions well in advance. Elsewhere, the antagonist — a seasoned spy — fails to take a hint that any thinking viewer would have spotted miles away.

Oh, and the plot armour is impenetrable in this one! Protagonists somehow dodge point-blank shots, and the minions of the antagonist seem to have been instructed not to fire their guns. This would have been a much smaller story with a very sobering ending otherwise.

As for character treatment, almost all appear one-dimensional, with little development throughout the film. The forced national anthem at the end is the cherry on the cake of mediocrity which is Tiger 3.

And that’s the baffling part. Maneesh Sharma made his directorial debut with the superbly entertaining blockbuster Band Baaja Baaraat, and his last outing was Fan — a nicely crafted film with Shah Rukh Khan in dual roles that somehow didn’t click with the viewers.

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Final thoughts

Fans of Salman Khan, of course, will wax eloquent about the star. However, that star’s brilliance could well be on the wane if he chooses films like this and Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan.

Tiger 3 is probably the weakest film in the YRF Spy-Verse so far. And that includes the flaky popcorn entertainer that was War.

There were times when I involuntarily reached for the right-arrow key to get to the conclusion of the scene — like the bath-house fight sequence — before I realised I was sitting in a cinema hall.

Visit the theatre only if you must. Otherwise, wait for the OTT release.

(Views expressed here are personal.)