Logic Takes a Backseat but Tiger Roars Louder in This Second Installment

By Avik Basak




What do you expect when you step into a theatre to watch a Salman Khan film? I do not know about you but I expect a loud cheer when the title shows up, another louder cheer when ‘Bhai’ makes his entry, loud applause and cheers whenever ‘Bhai’ delivers a ‘masaledar’ line and a powerful dose of entertainment with a somewhat okay story. You will get it all in Tiger Zinda Hai, the sequel to Ek Tha Tiger.


After a successful experiment in Bajrangi Bhaijaan and a screw up in Tubelight, the actor goes back to his vintage avatar in this second outing as Tiger. And staying true to his track record, he does not disappoint his ‘fans’ as he does what he does best, delivering wholesome entertainment.


The film showcases ex-RAW agent Tiger who is now retired and lives in the Austrian Alps with his wife Zoya, the ex-ISI agent and his son whom he calls, “Junior”. He is then approached by the RAW chief, his ‘beloved’ Shenoy sir to embark on a mission to rescue a group of Indian nurses who were taken hostage by the ISC (You know what they mean by that acronym).


Like the first instalment, the logic is still weak here as the plot raises a lot of questions such as, why RAW did not catch Tiger if they knew his location, considering how eager they were to kill him in the first one? Is there no one in RAW who possesses the same skill set as him to do the job instead of him? How does he have a son of that age when only just eight years have passed since the first film? But the most ridiculous part comes when they show ISI and RAW working together. I mean seriously? Seriously!


Then again, common sense was never part of the deal, after all, it is a ‘Bhai movie’, remember? So, if we could look past these “small” hiccups, Tiger Zinda Hai is surprisingly an improvement on its predecessor. Yes, it is overlong at 2 hours and 41 minutes but there is not a single moment here that can bore you. The unnecessary songs that made Ek Tha Tiger all the more sluggish are missing here as there is only one romantic song near the beginning, with the chartbuster, “Swag se karenge sabka swagat” accompanying the end credit roll.


Writer-director Ali Abbas Zafar does well notwithstanding the logic part as he maintains the fast narrative throughout the movie’s long runtime and he is well complemented by the editor Rameshwar S. Bhagat. Julius Packiam once again makes a mark with his remarkable background score but what impressed me the most is Marcin Laskawiec’s cinematography as his usage of light, darkness, camera movements and lenses give the film a technical height.


As I said earlier, Salman is in excellent form here and rules every single frame he is in, while Katrina does not have much dialogue but she is impressive in her action sequences. The big baddie played by Iranian actor Sajjad Delafrooz is also very convincing and menacing but it is the supporting cast including an excellent Kumud Mishra and a brilliant Paresh Rawal that provides Tiger Zinda Hai with an added edge.


Overall, Tiger Zinda Hai is definitely worth a watch if you are looking for action, thrill and above all, entertainment but do not expect any proper reasoning or logic as that is put into the backseat by a louder roar from the Titular protagonist.


3.5 Stars Out of 5 from Me... 

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