Tiger Tiger Burning Bright!

3 *** movie!

Look what the Santa Claus brought back —Tiger Zinda Hai! A Salman- Kat movie can warm up any  winter, but didn’t quite…

Where did it lose it stars?!

It’s a Salman movie, and yet it made me go to sleep in the end sequences!! Unbelievable, ‘coz I don’t remember the last time I slept while watching a movie. To give it the benefit of doubt, it had been a really long day for me and I had gone for a 11 p.m. show. But still….I love movies, and I have a capacity to watch them well into the wee hours of the morning.

I guess what made me sleep was the endless fight and action sequences, which was about the only thing in the whole movie. A one line story, and then just showing off the ‘mastery’ of Hollywood style explosive, bazooking, rocket launching, staccato of bullets and action sequences. Overkill kills! And How!

That’s probably 1 star lost. Now the other…

The Phantom’s Eden that the movie tries to sell you. A world where the RAW and ISI work together on a common mission. For Aman in the world! Well, it’s the season of Santa Claus and it’s lovely to believe that Santa does exist J

But puhhlease!! Do not bend backwards to give a proxy message on behalf of the neighbouring country that they stand for PEACE! That’s a little too much to digest for the patriot in me. Given, that it’s a bold and tricky movie to make, stoking the coals of Islam terrorism in a masala Bollywood film, and all…But for insurance sake, the director covered his back by almost glorifying the terror head by long scenes justifying his birth as a terrorist.

And then of course, in the name of humour, RAW agents use code words like Tu Tu Tu Tu Tu Tara – Aa Gaya dost Hamara. I almost died by the flippancy of the whole thing. But, well it’s a Salman movie and anything goes.

So what do we give the stars for?

My first star, for the opening sequence of Salman Khan!! It was an entry worthy of his stature. It gives the audience something that Hindi movies don’t. An awesome fight with a pack of wolves in the snow peaks of Austria. An edge of the seat drama with gnarling wolves salivating for the Tiger’s cub, Junior. The cool sledding and the chase on the snow slopes with a challenge to not kill the wild wolves was really something. Of course, it was over the top too. But I can happily grant Salman any Supermangiri.

The next star would be for the H2SO4 that Salman and Kat brew up! All said and done, I love seeing the two of them together. And to see them as husband and wife, that was rich!

Katrina looks stunning, and she can pack quite a punch with her action sequences. If I say she looked more lithe and killer than Salman, I would not be stretching it too far. Salman on the flip side looks all bloated up and beefed up and meaty. But he still is Salman and not Shahrukh. Ouch! That was mean.

And the next star for the overall movie.

It’s really not a bad movie. It has stunning visuals, a thrilling plot, a very predictable story and some great action. Too much action though. And too much trivialization of covert operations by our defense services.

Watch it in the Christmas cheer! You may forgive it its follies. Hey! Who knows, you may even love it.

Please do share your views about the movie with me too, ‘coz I really love to know which movie works what with different people.