Tag Archives: Tiger Zinda Hai

Movie Review: Tiger 3 (2023)

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2.5 Stars (out of 4)

Watch Tiger 3 on Amazon Prime

The latest entry in Salman Khan’s Tiger action franchise, Tiger 3, is in keeping with the two previous films, both in terms of quality and theme. What’s new is that the announcement of the YRF Spy Universe — which happened a few years after the second Tiger film, 2017’s Tiger Zinda Hai — means that Tiger 3 features a cameo by Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan and a preview of what’s next for Hrithik Roshan’s Kabir from War.

Tiger 3 picks up with the semi-rogue Indian spy Tiger (Khan) on a mission to rescue fellow RAW agent Gopi (Ranvir Shorey, from Ek Tha Tiger) in Afghanistan. With his dying breath, Gopi reveals that Tiger’s wife — semi-rogue Pakistani spy Zoya (Katrina Kaif) — is working with a terrorist outfit.

Tiger is surprisingly quick to believe his friend over his wife, but Gopi’s intel is partly correct. Zoya is being blackmailed by her former mentor and ex-deputy director of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, Aatish Rehman (Emraan Hashmi). Rehman has a vendetta against Tiger and Zoya, and he poisons their son Junior (Sartaaj Kakkar) to get them to do his bidding.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Irani (Simran) has proposed demilitarization talks with India, and Rehman is determined to stop the talks and seize control of Pakistan’s government for himself. He forces Tiger and Zoya to steal nuclear codes in exchange for the antidote for Junior. The married spies are rendered traitors in the eyes of the nations they love.

The screenplay relies heavily on news broadcasts to convey information, so seemingly everyone around the globe knows secret agent Tiger’s identity. This is extra weird since it’s very easy to disguise one’s self in this world. Zoya fist-fights Tiger while he’s dressed like a roadie for Lynyrd Skynyrd, and she doesn’t recognize him until he pulls off his fake beard.

As in previous Tiger films, Zoya’s action scenes are the highlights. This includes the bathhouse towel fight sequence that featured prominently in the movie’s trailer. In the film, the bathhouse scene is intercut with shots of Tiger rappelling down a clock tower, which blunts some of the effect of the towel fight (perhaps deliberately — the franchise is named after Tiger, not Zoya, after all).

Tiger’s action scenes are fine, but they lack the dynamism that Kaif brings to Zoya. Further, the cameo by Shah Rukh Khan’s wisecracking Pathaan emphasizes just how little there is to Tiger’s personality. This is a franchise that relies on the audience’s pre-existing affection for the leading man.

As in Tiger Zinda Hai, Junior exists when the plot needs him to, then disappears. Tiger 3 even introduces another surrogate son character in the second half of the film who likewise appears on-screen until his plot utility runs out.

What Tiger 3 does have going for it that earlier films didn’t is a compelling villain in Aatish Rehman, played with great presence by Hashmi. Rehman puts Tiger and Zoya in seemingly impossible situations, keeping the tension high throughout.

Perhaps the biggest selling point of the Tiger franchise is its dedication to the idea that peace between India and Pakistan is a worthwhile goal. Across all three movies, Tiger, Zoya, and their teams work together to save lives and prevent war. It’s a welcome respite from the violent nationalism that pervades so many Hindi action films these days.

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Movie Review: Pathaan (2023)

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3 Stars (out of 4)

This is a review of the Extended Edition of Pathaan playing on Amazon Prime

Pathaan delivers exactly what you’d expect from a blockbuster action entertainer starring Shah Rukh Khan as a super spy. The newest entry into the Yash Raj Films “Spy Universe” of pictures — which also includes Ek Tha Tiger, its sequel, and War — features Khan as the title character. He goes by a nickname given to him by Afghani villagers he saved from a missile decades earlier when he was simply a soldier, before he started working in intelligence.

Pathaan founded a special sub-unit within RAW consisting of fellow soldiers previously deemed too damaged emotionally or physically to continue working in the armed forces. With a renewed sense of purpose, the members of the JOCR (pronounced “joker”) unit embark upon India’s most dangerous covert missions.

JOCR’s main enemy is Jim (John Abraham), the former partner of Hrithik Roshan’s character Kabir in War. After being betrayed by the Indian government, Jim commands a team of mercenaries contracted by a Pakistani general to retaliate against India for revoking Kashmir’s special status. Jim is more than happy for the chance to get his revenge.

In a movie that is blatantly patriotic, Jim’s status as a former Indian soldier and spy makes him a more compelling villain than if he was just a random foreign adversary with a grudge. Jim forces Pathaan to consider whether the country that he loves really loves him back and raises the question as to what a nation owes its soldiers in return for their sacrifice. It’s a thoughtful counterpoint to the many blindly patriotic films released these days.

It helps that John Abraham plays Jim as a fun and charismatic villain.

During Pathaan’s quest to stop Jim’s dastardly plan, he is both helped and hindered by Rubia (Deepika Padukone), a Pakistani agent working undercover as one of Jim’s lackeys. For evidence that Pathaan is not a movie grounded in gritty realism, one need look no further than Rubia’s spy wardrobe, which consists mostly of bustiers and swimwear. Even her flight suit shows cleavage.

Pathaan‘s periodically goofy tone requires a certain amount of buy-in, but this is a movie made for an audience already fond of its leading man. Instead of simply saying, “Ow,” when he’s punched, Pathaan whines “Ow ow ow,” evoking memories of some of the less macho heroes Khan has played in the past. You’re never not aware that you are watching Shah Rukh Khan, but that’s part of the fun.

In terms of action, Pathaan is at its best during scenes of close-quarters fighting, as when Pathaan is introduced or when he’s aided by a special guest while on a prison transport train. The larger scale set pieces — which involve innumerable helicopters — are not as impressive, but that’s less of a commentary on their quality but a factor of CGI-fatigue. Even the most novel computer-generated sequences look like the weightless, manufactured stunts they are at this point (and that goes for most Hollywood action blockbusters as well).

Since suspension of disbelief is such a big part of Pathaan, it’s best just to enjoy the film for what it is. The cast looks hot, the dance sequences are sexy, and good triumphs over evil — not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.

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Streaming Video News: April 11, 2018

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I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Amazon Prime with almost three dozen additions to the streaming catalog (everything above Bumm Bumm Bole under the “Newly Added” section of the page). Just the other day I had a Twitter conversation about Shemaroo Entertainment making some of their titles available on Prime, and they went ahead and added even more movies, including Shah Rukh Khan’s Yeh Lamhe Juddai Ke and the meh 2011 romantic comedy Tere Mere Phere. Tiger Zinda Hai is now available, too, in both regular High Definition and Ultra High Definition (UHD).

I also updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix to include The Tiger Hunter, which stars Danny Pudi as an Indian immigrant building a life in Chicago in the 1970s. The movie played at a number of film festivals in 2016, including the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. IFFLA 2018 starts today, and you can view the lineup here. If you can’t make it out to LA for the fest, the Hindi Titus Andronicus adaptation The Hungry is available on Amazon Prime.

For everything else new on Netflix and Prime — Bollywood or not — check Instant Watcher.

Streaming Video News: April 6, 2018

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I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Amazon Prime because Tiger Zinda Hai is now available for streaming. Katrina Kaif has some stellar action scenes in this sequel from late last year.

While I’ve been on hiatus, Amazon also added Shah Rukh Khan’s Deewana to the Prime catalog. Netflix made a bunch of new additions as well, including the entertaining 2017 remake Ittefaq and the superhit Om Shanti Om. Check the “Newly Added” section at the top of my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix to see what other titles have joined the streaming service within the last month.

Have a great weekend!

Bollywood Box Office: February 2-4, 2018

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Padmaavat held onto more than half of its opening weekend business after adding 28 theaters in its second weekend in North America. From February 2-4, 2018, Padmaavat earned $2,438,930 from 354 theaters ($6,890 average), according to Box Office Mojo. That puts Padmaavat‘s total at $8,900,499, making it the third highest earning Hindi film in North America ever after just eleven days. Bollywood Hungama reports slightly lower weekend and total earnings of $2,191,185 and $8,663,321, respectively — still good enough for third place all time.

By the time the highest earning Hindi film of all time in North America — 2016’s Dangal — finished its second weekend in theaters, it had already earned 73.9% of its eventual total ($9,126,258 of $12,357,576). Remarkably, the second ranked movie on the list — 2014’s PK — had earned virtually the same percentage of its eventual total by the end of its second weekend: 73.8% ($7,785,486 of $10,550,569). If Padmaavat follows the same trajectory as those two films and is already 73.9% of the way toward its total, that would give it final earnings of $12,043,977 or $11,723,032, depending on whether you believe Box Office Mojo’s or Bollywood Hungama’s numbers. A lot depends on how much Pad Man affects Padmaavat‘s business starting this Friday. It seems reasonable to assume that Padmaavat will pass PK for the #2 spot but fall short of overtaking Dangal for first place. We shall see.

Other Hindi films showing in North American theaters:

  • Tiger Zinda Hai: Week 7; $2,473 from four theaters; $618 average; $5,931,673 total
  • Mukkabaaz: Week 4; $84 from one theater; $75,968 total

Sources: Box Office Mojo and Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Bollywood Box Office: January 26-28, 2018

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The wait was worth it for Padmaavat, which just had the best opening weekend for a Bollywood film in North America, dethroning 2014’s PK ($3.6 million). From January 26-28, 2018, Padmaavat earned $4,430,255 from 326 theaters ($13,590 average), based on figures provided to Gitesh Pandya by the film’s distributor, Viva Entertainment. That’s the second best international opening weekend for a Bollywood movie, behind 2016’s Sultan, according to Bollywood Hungama. Adding in the $507,266 from the 295 US theaters that carried the movie on Thursday, January 25, Padmaavat‘s total already stands at $4,937,521.

Final figures for all films aren’t in yet, but Padmaavat‘s per-screen average earnings are more than double those of any other movie showing in North America over the weekend, based on Box Office Mojo’s estimates. Padmaavat is also poised to finish in third place at the global box office, according to Variety. That’s a helluva weekend for a movie that some factions hoped would never see the light of day.

Other Hindi movies showing in North America this weekend:

  • Tiger Zinda Hai: Week 6; $14,004 from twelve theaters; $1,167 average; $5,920,011 total
  • Mukkabaaz: Week 3; $24 from one theater; $75,884 total

Sources: Box Office Mojo, Gitesh Pandya, Variety, and Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Opening January 25: Padmaavat

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After many trials and tribulations, the epic period drama Padmaavat (nee Padmavati) finally hits Chicago area theaters on January 25, 2018.

Padmaavat — which has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 44 min. — opens on Thursday in the following formats at the theaters listed below:

IMAX, 3D, and standard: AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington

3D and Standard: AMC River East 21 in Chicago, AMC Showplace Niles 12 in Niles, AMC Dine-In Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, AMC Showplace Naperville 16 in Naperville, AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge, and AMC Loews Crestwood 18 in Crestwood

3D only: Regal Round Lake Beach Stadium 18 in Round Lake Beach and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville

Standard only: MovieMax Cinemas in Niles and Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison

Tiger Zinda Hai carries over for a sixth week at the South Barrington 24.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:

Bollywood Box Office: January 19-21, 2018

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The North American box office quietly chugged along without any new Hindi movies to lure patrons into theaters during the weekend of January 19-21, 2018. Tiger Zinda Hai closed its fifth weekend with $43,600 from 24 theaters ($1,817 average), bringing its total to $5,884,047. Given its decent per-screen average — and the fact that Padman shifted its release date from this coming Friday to February 9 — Tiger Zinda Hai should stick around in a handful of theaters for another weekend.

Mukkabaaz has earned a decent amount for a movie in really limited release: $72,427 so far following a weekend that brought in another $9,759 from seven theaters ($1,394 average). That total belies a comical disparity in the contributions from the United States and Canada, with Canada accounting for just $972 after two weekends of release.

1921 earned $838 from five US theaters, bringing its total to $7,850. Its performance so far is comparable to that of its predecessor, 2016’s 1920 London, which posted first- and second-weekend per-theater averages of $426 and $197, respectively. 1921 averaged $458 and $168 in its first two weeks in theaters.

Fukrey Returns earned $72 from one theater in its seventh weekend of release, bringing its total to $396,604.

Source: Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

In Theaters: January 19, 2018

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No new Hindi films open in the Chicago area on Friday, January 19, 2018, making way for next weekend’s double feature. MovieMax Cinemas in Niles carries over 1921, and the AMC South Barrington 24 gives a second week to Mukkabaaz. Both theaters hold on to Tiger Zinda Hai for a fifth weekend.

Other Indian and Pakistani movies showing in Chicagoland this weekend:

Bollywood Box Office: January 12-14, 2018

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The first new Hindi releases of 2018 met very different fates in their opening weekend in North America. Mukkabaaz fared the better of the two from January 12-14, 2018, collecting $39,489 from 17 theaters ($2,323 average). Canada’s contribution to that total was $470 from a single theater, though to be fair, the film already played in the country last fall during the Toronto International Film Festival.

The weekend’s other new release, 1921 — the latest sequel in the 1920 horror franchise — only opened in the United States, where it took in $4,583 from ten theaters ($458 average). Eek!

Tiger Zinda Hai wrapped up its fourth weekend here with $94,725 from 49 theaters ($1,933 average), bringing its total to $5,775,529. Fukrey Returns got a sixth weekend at a single theater, earning $205 and raising its total North American earnings to $396,389.

Source: Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama