Ek Tha Tiger

The first time in Salman's long & illustrious career that he has worked with Yash Raj. Ek Tha Tiger naturally raised huge expectations. Were they fulfilled? Read on..

Ek Tha Tiger is essentially a montage - mostly of action & chase sequences, and a couple of songs thrown in. Yes, the action is absolutely top-notch, and the visuals esp the cinematography are to die for. Yes, the performances are largely adequate - Salman, Girish Karnad, Ranvir Shorey and Roshan Seth in a cameo; but it is Katrina who is the winner in the performance stakes - whether it is matching Salman kick for kick in action sequences or doing some real daredevil stunts (at least that is what I gather - and boy, she looks really cool in the action sequences).

But at the end of the day a solid storyline and a good screenplay are crucial in how a film turns out. Aditya Chopra himself is listed as one of the story-writers - but I am sorry to say that the storyline is really a downer - I mean, yes, there are a couple of twists, but none that an experienced movie goer would not have been able to guess . Kabir Khan - I had high hopes from u after Kabul Express & New York. Better luck with your next film. I also realize now why YRF were keen on Salman Khan for this film - if anyone can still make such a sorry script work and bring in the crowds, it is him.

My rating is a 3 stars. 1 each for Katrina, the Action/Stunt directors & the cinematographer... very disappointed with the poor story & direction.

Salman shooting villains as he slides backwards down a flight of stairs is amazeballs.

Roger Moore's film Octopussy can boast of these stunts which were done decades before Ek Tha Tiger.

Moore catches an aeroplane while riding a horse.

Moore does a sliding on the rail of steps while shooting villains.

I saw this for the first time recently n was pleasantly surprised. I had seen part 2 in theatre without watching this part.

The film has a different take on the spy genre with some good action but the parkour stuff is lousy.

We have people jumping from high heights n land straight on both feet without hurting ankles or any injuries. The film has some unnecessary n irritating slow mo stuff. It has some lovely locations.

Salman shud have opted for weight loss n shud hav hired a good stylist. He is very overweight in this film n his baggy trousers outdated.

The film lacked fine editing.

FASTER than Usain Bolt, more charming than Rudolph Valentino and able to leap from building rooftops gracefully.

Salman Khan does these and more, including stripping off to show off his torso and wiggling his hips to dance music.

However, his two most impressive feats are stopping a runaway electric tram with only his jacket, and becoming Evil Knievel to jump into an aircraft that's just taken off.

Salman plays Indian spy Tiger, who's never taken a day off in 12 years and hasn't had time for romance.

His next assignment takes him to Ireland to keep an eye on a professor (Roshan Seth, who appeared in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), who may be leaking missile secrets to Pakistan.

His first introduction to the professor's assistant, Zoya (Katrina Kaif), is by way of her lithe body and wiggly buttocks. Which tough guy could resist that?

To cut a long story short, Tiger falls for Zoya, who is revealed to be a Pakistani spy. The movie purports to show him killing her, but I knew that this flick wouldn't dare to portray our dear hero as a heartless killer.

The two run off together but not before triggering an international manhunt from the two countries. They attempt to lie low in Havana but those Cuban robbers just can't stay away from a handsome Indian couple.

When Tiger's boss asks him why he ran off, he says that he's now choosing his heart over his mind. Dear viewers, this is an eye-opener.

The movie wants us to believe that love will conquer all and even makes a case that Romeo and Juliet will bring two spy agencies that hate each other to the table to tackle a common enemy.

This was my first Salman movie, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by his clownish antics, cute dialogue, non-stop roller-coaster action and his chemistry with Katrina. The final part must be because the two used to date each other.

Katrina shows that she's no shrinking violet as her character beats the hell out of some baddies.

I also liked the travelogue feel of the movie, which takes viewers to New Delhi, Ireland, Istanbul and Havana.

The dance scenes in Ireland and Cuba are colorful and full of verve, and they reflect the cultures of the countries. For example, there's a salsa beat to the music in Cuba. For this, credit goes to director Kabir Khan.

However, the movie's interminable length, implausible action and cheesy love theme will get you down.

Love transcends boundaries, but it can only get you so far with viewers.

** Movie Magic With Jeff Lee (blogspot and Facebook)

The trailer is a bit misleading. The movie is showcased as a spy thriller/suspense sort of a movie with little love/romantic angle, so the viewer might expect a lot of action. But it turned out to be a love story and the whole movie revolves around it. Of whatever action there is, its because of two lovers trying to be together and not a spy trying to steal valuable information or anything. Its very well put together, and Katrina has acted well, loved her in this role and she looks like a charm considering she didn't use any makeup for this one. I went with 4 other guys, all of them were disappointed, I wasn't, I cant say its good, nor can say its bad, its a bit above average, hence 6.If the trailer showed Salman holding hands with katrina showing her the stars rather than him shooting people, and the intro line was something like "Two lovers......." rather than "RAW and ISI.............", than people wouldn't have expected so much love/romance and wouldn't be disappointed. People found it slow since love/romance is slow, and a few would also have a problem seeing Salman in a much lighter shade as compared to boastful/salman focused movies like Dabangg/ready/bodyguard. Its definitely a one time watch, if its playing on TV, i'll watch it, not change the channel, it does strike a chord.

To start of with, I didn't like the previous 2 movies of Salman, viz. Ready and Bodyguard. But Ek tha Tiger for me, is a pleasant entertainer. Kabir Khan after 'Newyork' does a good job as a director again. Credit goes to him coz he makes Tiger a very charming character like Chulbul Pandey and Salman Khan executed it precisely.

Salman is at his best, both in romance and action. Katrina looks gorgeous and has equal screen time. She has performed well. Both the leads are in the best costumes, specially in songs. Cinematography is top-notch. The screenplay works at a decent pace though some cinematic liberty has been taken in the storyline. I wasn't bored throughout. The action is excellent, thanks to stunt crew from Hollywood. Music is OK. Its one of the good films of Salman and a must watch.