Ek Tha Tiger (2012) Review: Romance First, Spying Second

Is Ek Tha Tiger worth watching?

It depends on what you want from a spy film. Ek Tha Tiger is an enjoyable, good-looking star vehicle and an essential starting point for the Tiger franchise, but as espionage it is mostly surface. Kabir Khan gets real chemistry from Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif and shoots his European locations like a travel advertisement. The reservation is that the plot is flimsy, the tradecraft is decorative, and the romance does almost all of the work.

What is Ek Tha Tiger about?

Tiger (Salman Khan) is one of India’s top intelligence agents, a loner who has given his life to the job. His new assignment takes him to Dublin, where he is to keep watch on an Indian scientist (Roshan Seth) whose activities have raised the agency’s suspicions. The mission gets complicated when Tiger falls for Zoya (Katrina Kaif), a Pakistani woman who works as the scientist’s caretaker, and duty and desire begin pulling him in opposite directions across a border neither of them can ignore.

Girish Karnad plays Tiger’s boss and Ranvir Shorey his colleague and sidekick. Ek Tha Tiger is directed by Kabir Khan, in Hindi, and runs 133 minutes. It was released in August 2012 and became the first chapter of Yash Raj Films’ spy universe, which later took in Tiger Zinda Hai, War and Pathaan.

A love story wearing a spy’s coat

Kabir Khan is more interested in the romance than in the mission, and the film is better for admitting it. The long middle section in Dublin plays like a gentle love story, with Tiger adopting a cover as a clumsy, charming outsider and Zoya slowly warming to him. The scenes have a lightness that suits both stars, and the cross-border dimension gives the relationship a low hum of tension that most Bollywood romances lack.

What the film does less well is espionage. The surveillance plot is set up briefly and largely forgotten, and the intelligence agencies are sketched with broad strokes. There is little sense of procedure or danger in the quieter stretches, which makes the eventual shifts into action feel less earned than they should.

Salman Khan’s softer action hero

Salman Khan plays Tiger with his familiar swagger, but the film finds a quieter register for him too, especially in the romantic scenes, where he is more awkward and self-mocking than in many of his action roles. Katrina Kaif is the livelier presence: Zoya is witty and poised, and Kaif gives her a spark that keeps her from being a mere love interest.

The supporting cast is solid if underused. Ranvir Shorey adds some welcome humour as Tiger’s partner, and Girish Karnad brings gravity to his few scenes as the agency chief, though neither has much to play.

Glossy set pieces, uneven momentum

Visually, Ek Tha Tiger is a very handsome film. Dublin and Istanbul are shot with a bright, polished sheen, and the songs, including the hit “Mashallah”, are staged as extravagant postcards. A handful of chases and rooftop fights are energetic, even if the choreography has since been outdone by the franchise’s later instalments.

The trouble is pacing. At 133 minutes the film sags in its middle hour, and the songs, pleasant as they are, stall what little narrative drive the spy story has. The final act raises the tempo but relies heavily on coincidence and Salman Khan’s star power to carry it over the line.

Who should watch Ek Tha Tiger?

It is ideal for Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif fans, for viewers who enjoy a Bollywood romance with action on the side, and for anyone working through the spy universe from the beginning. The violence is stylised and mostly bloodless, with gunfights and brawls rather than anything graphic, making it suitable for teenagers and family audiences comfortable with mainstream Hindi action.

If you want to follow the thread:

• Pathaan, a later entry in the same spy universe, much bigger and more action-driven.
• War, which pushes the franchise towards pure stunt spectacle with a rivalry at its centre.

The verdict

Ek Tha Tiger is a charming, glossy and fairly shallow spy romance whose main achievement is its lead pairing. It sags in the middle and never takes its espionage seriously, but as the origin of a major franchise and a showcase for its stars, it is an easy, pleasant watch for the right audience.

Rating: 3/5