Timed for release on
Eid, Salman's presence ensures a big collection at the box office,
irrespective of how the movie actually turns out. Most multiplexes screened shows at hourly intervals
across screens to make the best of the long weekend.
Salman Khan plays
Tiger, a much sought after RAW field
agent who has spent a decade away from home in many adventurous missions. Upon returning from Iraq, Tiger is
assigned the task to collect information
about an Indian-origin Irish professor
(Roshan Seth) facing suspicion of
selling missile secrets to Pakistan.
On his mission, he falls in love with Zoya (Katrina
Kaif) who is soon revealed to be an ISI
agent trying to hack into the professor's computer. At this point, it
seemed as if the film would go the 'Mr.
& Mrs. Smith' way, but rather sticks to its roots as a love story. Now,
the two agencies, RAW & ISI are out to finish off Tiger & Zoya.
There are claims
that story was inspired by real-life spy
Ravindra Kaushik who is said to have served in the Pakistan Army and passed on
valuable information to India. The similarity
with the story would be that Kaushik fell
in love with and married a local
Pakistani girl, an uncanny resemblance with Ek Tha Tiger.
Talking about
performances, Ranvir Shorey does a good
job as Gopi, Tiger's friend and fellow agent who is later sent by his
bosses to hunt down Tiger. Girish Karnad
returns to the big screen after a long time and he plays Tiger's boss
Shenoy. About Katrina & Salman's acting, lesser said the better. In any case, Salman's role is not as annoying or silly as most of his
other roles are and he takes off his
shirt only once.
The good part in
the film is some awesome stunts and stunning visuals, the latter being the signature style of its director Kabir Khan,
best remembered for 'Kabul Express'. The desert scenes are filmed in Turkey stand out, the best are those filmed in Cuba with a 60's charm. The good part
is let down by a sloppy writing in some
parts and a general lack of suspense
or thrill, something germane to an espionage setting.
Although the film may perform well due to its star-cast
and timing of its release, it will never
be considered a good film by any segment of the audience. While the lack of an engaging story will not
interest the discerning type, the lack
of good songs that flow with the story will
not go well with the masses. The popular song 'Mashallah' is played with the closing credits, a time when most
people leave the movie hall.
Verdict: Salman fans may love the film and his critics may flay it, some may just watch it for Katrina. At
best, this entree will pass off as an average
pastime flick.
Rating 5/10: Typical romance flavored with
espionage; a pastime flick
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