Returning with the sequel of EK THA TIGER (2012) featuring a wounded Tiger after the debacle of TUBELIGHT, director Ali Abbas Zafar incorporates a terrifying real life incident in his script related with the abduction of Indian nurses in Iraq by the ISIS terrorist group in 2014. But sadly, never treats his film as any exciting, edge of the seat, espionage thriller, focusing only on his lead man and the well shot action sequences, simply forgetting everything else related to the genre or the key basic plot.
So if you think here we will get to see some well-written engaging plan executed by the team chosen by our Tiger to rescue the group of nurses from Iraq, then there is nothing as such in the film. And it’s all about explosive action sequences coming one after another, throwing the logic out of the window even when the conflict is supposed to be with an internationally known terrorists group based on a real life incident.
Giving you a fair idea, the team reaches the target place, begins its operation so conveniently and then the action takes over with no stoppage of any kind, till the nurses get easily rescued hosting the two flags together making everyone happy in India, Pakistan and abroad taking good care of each and every business territory.
The director neither focuses on the state of nurses struggling for their life in those scary conditions, nor is able to make you feel any terror for the deadly organization creating trouble all over the world. In fact all he remains interested throughout the film is his lead hero, the camera movements, the action reportedly executed by a foreign team and guns and guns alone but nothing else.
Extensive use of English (in a painfully long sequence in the beginning) and other language later with Hindi subtitles also work as a big hindrance to the pace often. Besides, such is the childish level of its script that the makers even use an ages old trick of (so easily) poisoning the entire food of the fanatic group, as if the opponents were some kind of local chain snatching goons and not ISIS terrorists. Plus lack of any relief moments further add to the dullness post the initial good interaction with the entertaining kid.
A typical Salman Khan film from start to finish, no doubt Salman is in his elements here performing the action he does the best inviting the shouts and whistles. But it really depends, if that is the only thing one wishes to see him doing taking the shirt off. Personally I always love to see him doing a lot more, which is sadly not to be found anywhere in the present film.
Leading the supporting cast, Katrina is just there with her straight faced look adding nothing at all in the entire film. Angad Bedi, Kumud Mishra, Girish Karnad and more perform their given roles well without making any major impact. But both Sajjad Deafrooz as the baddie and Paresh Rawal catch your attention well, though Sajjad fails to spell the expected terror on the screen talking through his expressive eyes.
Disappointing with its action oriented approach ruining the potential plot, TIGER ZINDA HAI actually gave me only three silver linings to be honest. One, a soothing song ”Dil Diyan Gallan” – though I still cannot figure out how characters in a Hindi film suddenly start singing or thinking in Punjabi. Two – the pulsating background score of Julius Packiam. And three – the one dialogue, where the terrorist leader clearly confesses that his movement has nothing to do with any Religion, but its all pure business!
Coming to TAKE OFF (Malayalam), the other Indian film made on the same subject released in 2017, it will be a sheer disrespect to even compare TIGER ZINDA HAI with such a brilliant, outstanding film that deserves to be seen as a must.
And I feel that should say it all in terms of comparative quality and content indicating the keen followers of good cinema.
Rating : 1.5 / 5
(Note: The article was also published on UC-News Mobile App in December 2017)
(Beyond The Review by Bobby Sing)
The sequel to EK THA TIGER (2012) coming after a gap of five years is a perfect example of how a ‘star-led commercial venture’ completely ruins an otherwise potential plot based on a real life event.
Revealing the actual scenario, here at one end director Ali Abbas Zafar thoughtfully adapts the scary ‘Indian Nurses Abduction’ incident of 2014 in his sequel TIGER ZINDA HAI, but on the other simply forgets to give any kind of emphasis on their tragic story at all and just exploits it as a ‘useful patriotic plot’ to desperately win over Khan's fans living at both sides of the border and abroad.
Despite being a spy-adventure, the film neither provides any adrenalin rush nor is any entertaining action packed thriller moving at a flat pace throughout with no excitement whatsoever. The proceedings get completely exhausted in a painfully stretched length reaching a predictable climax and just the well-choreographed action sequences and the gunshots keep you awake along a fiery Salman.
In short, the film actually isn’t interested in telling you anything about what exactly happened with the group of Nurses in Iraq, brutally using them as a mere plot and nothing else. So in case you are really interested in knowing or watching a ‘not-to-be-missed’ gem showcasing the incident in a brilliant, outstanding manner then watch Malayalam film TAKE OFF at the earliest, available at the leading online portals with English Subtitles…… and do yourself a favour.
The continuous issue of Increased Ticket Prices
Unless every increase in ticket price of a biggie is not equalised by a similar reduction in prices for the smaller films....., such practice is nothing but an OPEN UNCONTROLLED LOOT by the Multiplexes for which even the Industry remains silent as they too get an extra share of the pie as a prize for forgetting and not thinking about the general audience.
But addressing the issue, BTC will continue to deduct one star from the ratings of such venture revolting against the blunt exploitation.
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