Ek tha Tiger – Movie Review

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August 18, 2012 by Mithil

 

It was 16.00, that meant I had 6-1/2 hrs to burn before I get onto plush AC ventilated bus to get out of Bengaluru. I was stranded in a unknown city with little knowledge of whats what.  My friend whatsapp’ed me suggesting I go catch a movie (why didn’t that strike me first?). Half an hour later I am in this particular mall, climbing the escalators all alone, passing through the extremely expensive lustrous shops, acknowledging few pretty faces till I reached the counter smiling and with buzzing excitement. I looked over the pamphlet to search for shows convenient for my time limit. Bourne was too late, TDKR already saw and there was just Ice Age 4 and Ek Tha Tiger. I have been once a Salman Khan fan, but then something happened and also I grew up. I never hated him, but the mindless stunts he pulled in his previous movies didn’t qualify him either into my good list. I was one of the lucky few to have survived the scare of Bodyguard and Ready in my friend circle. So evidently I went to get the tickets for IA-4 which by the way had some great reviews. But that unfortunately didn’t pan out as it was supposed to, the show was starting late and it crossed my time limit. Heavyhearted and vulnerable I was forced to invest my next 21/2 hrs in a Salman Khan movie.

Salman Khan as Tiger in the movie is a ethically drawn, hardworking RAW intelligence agent. On his mission to observe a certain scientist and his activities which are very suspecting, he falls in love with a girl named Zoya (Katrina Kaif). Suddenly Tiger is off the radar of Indian intelligence agencies, of course with the girl. Thereafter it’s all about chases and deception, how Tiger subterfuges the agencies to reach desired ending. I have to admit this first that ETT is not what I thought it would be. It was something new and refreshing from Salman Khan. Unlike other movies of his in recent times, this one doesn’t much  rely on his perceived superhuman abilities or supposed crackling humour. It starts off well with the chase sequence over the roofs, it’s spectacular to see such Jason Bourne type action cultivated into this movie. Later on the movie doesn’t get that grip to hold onto the attention. Although it’s laden with scenic location’s and beautiful sets, the flow of plot doesn’t seems to be uniform. More then  spy thriller this is romantic story sparred over 3-4 picturesque cities. The tag thriller never suits the movie as it is predictable every now and then and the sense of mystery which is what I thought would be the focal point is never intended in the first place. Nevertheless it comes alive in the final moments with 2 chasing sequences finely pictured and are real pleasure to watch. Unlike his previous movies, Salman doesn’t overplay the character of the protagonist, keeping him simple and subtle in comic timing. His portrayal has the precise  mixture of Jason Bourne and James Bond. Complementing him Katrina Kaif does get Zoya properly, however in some parts her ineptness is noticeable. Girish Karnad and Ranvir Shorey are well sourced and they do contribute heavily.The much lauded Salman – Katrina chemistry doesn’t interest me that much, rather in a very straight manner I found Salman – Ranvir chemistry more enjoyable :). I haven’t seen much of Kabir Khan but he is yet to impress me. The music is below par, it does little to evoke any interest although the background work is well done. The cinematography trumps in this movie with well shot sequences that will leave you with awe.

I wouldn’t try to recommend this to anybody who is not a Khan fan, it can be very boring 2hrs. Others who have enjoyed the likes of Ready and co this  could give you reason to clap and  blow whistle in the theatre. Don’t go thinking it’s a spy thriller cause it’s not.