Ek Tha Tiger

FASTER than Usain Bolt, more charming than Rudolph Valentino and able to leap from building rooftops gracefully.

Salman Khan does these and more, including stripping off to show off his torso and wiggling his hips to dance music.

However, his two most impressive feats are stopping a runaway electric tram with only his jacket, and becoming Evil Knievel to jump into an aircraft that's just taken off.

Salman plays Indian spy Tiger, who's never taken a day off in 12 years and hasn't had time for romance.

His next assignment takes him to Ireland to keep an eye on a professor (Roshan Seth, who appeared in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), who may be leaking missile secrets to Pakistan.

His first introduction to the professor's assistant, Zoya (Katrina Kaif), is by way of her lithe body and wiggly buttocks. Which tough guy could resist that?

To cut a long story short, Tiger falls for Zoya, who is revealed to be a Pakistani spy. The movie purports to show him killing her, but I knew that this flick wouldn't dare to portray our dear hero as a heartless killer.

The two run off together but not before triggering an international manhunt from the two countries. They attempt to lie low in Havana but those Cuban robbers just can't stay away from a handsome Indian couple.

When Tiger's boss asks him why he ran off, he says that he's now choosing his heart over his mind. Dear viewers, this is an eye-opener.

The movie wants us to believe that love will conquer all and even makes a case that Romeo and Juliet will bring two spy agencies that hate each other to the table to tackle a common enemy.

This was my first Salman movie, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by his clownish antics, cute dialogue, non-stop roller-coaster action and his chemistry with Katrina. The final part must be because the two used to date each other.

Katrina shows that she's no shrinking violet as her character beats the hell out of some baddies.

I also liked the travelogue feel of the movie, which takes viewers to New Delhi, Ireland, Istanbul and Havana.

The dance scenes in Ireland and Cuba are colorful and full of verve, and they reflect the cultures of the countries. For example, there's a salsa beat to the music in Cuba. For this, credit goes to director Kabir Khan.

However, the movie's interminable length, implausible action and cheesy love theme will get you down.

Love transcends boundaries, but it can only get you so far with viewers.

** Movie Magic With Jeff Lee (blogspot and Facebook)

Brilliant plot which has been poorly executed till the first half. Bollywood directors seems to be poor in setting up stories (like Players vs. The Italian Job) and that's where this movie takes a beat. The movie bores you till death with poor story flow, pathetic dialogues, mistimed punches, dragged and unrealistic chases/fights. Even the heroics of Salman Khan and acting icon like Girish Karnad could not wake you up.

But come second half and the movie has everything you can expect in this kind of movie. The surprizing twists n turns in the story (reminds me of RACE), perfectly timed punches and very well executed fight sequences will make you change your opinion. For Salman Khan and Katrina fans, its a must watch. Rest might save their money for something better.

To start of with, I didn't like the previous 2 movies of Salman, viz. Ready and Bodyguard. But Ek tha Tiger for me, is a pleasant entertainer. Kabir Khan after 'Newyork' does a good job as a director again. Credit goes to him coz he makes Tiger a very charming character like Chulbul Pandey and Salman Khan executed it precisely.

Salman is at his best, both in romance and action. Katrina looks gorgeous and has equal screen time. She has performed well. Both the leads are in the best costumes, specially in songs. Cinematography is top-notch. The screenplay works at a decent pace though some cinematic liberty has been taken in the storyline. I wasn't bored throughout. The action is excellent, thanks to stunt crew from Hollywood. Music is OK. Its one of the good films of Salman and a must watch.

Definitely a one time watch.... Watch it in theaters for: 1)All the action sequences(specially Kat in second half...it even beats the BOND series) 2)Mesmerizing Salman-Kat Chemistry....(Even they look awesome here :D ) 3)Few witty dialogs about Indo-Pak relations(Its from a common man's heart specially the one at the end) 4)Salman Salman and Salman....("kya TIGER!!!....TIGER to kutte ka naam hota hai..") He portrays an extraordinary spy who's needs are as ordinary as our's(After long time he play a common guy)...Its all about sallu-kat romance and love with a strong flavor of action(Best part of movie)

Please don't search for following : 1)LOGIC 2)LOGIC 3)LOGIC Just don't expect logic or loads of twists...keep your brains out and enjoy the film!!!

Any reason why those critics would have praise for 'Ek Tha Tiger' is because they were promised a share of its opening success. But just as its box-office smashing opening, it begins on an impressive high in a sequence that is supposedly shot in Iraq with some stunning cinematography. The breathtaking location is supported by a well choreographed action sequence atop roofs of the low structures and bazaar streets. However, once we are introduced to this R.A.W. Agent named 'Tiger', it all starts going downhill from there. Dublin, Havana, Istanbul, London or New Delhi no longer resemble those breathtaking visuals we had seen in Iraq. It's as though the cinematographer and director had changed for the rest of the movie. The action starts looking amateurish and the R.A.W. Agent loses his credibility of being an agent at all. With its non-existent story-telling, weak direction and Salman's stiff, expression-less portrayal, one loses respect for 'Ek Tha Tiger' and rather appreciates several aspects of its predecessor of R.A.W. Reference, 'Agent Vinod'.

After he is done showing off his macho physique in the Delhi neighbourhood upon his return from Iraq, Tiger is keen on jumping to his next assignment that takes him to Dublin, on the trail of a professor (Roshan Seth) who is reluctant to meet anyone but his own dog. Tiger meets Zoya (Katrina Kaif), who introduces him to the professor, he falls for her, digresses from his mission completely, sings a song or two and is then shocked to find out Zoya's true identity who is actually.... wait for it..... an I.S.I. Agent!! Kabir Khan plays 'New York's surprise story once again while Tiger gets all gloomy back in New Delhi. His next mission takes him to Istanbul where he decides to elope with Zoya, right under the noses of R.A.W. And I.S.I's officials. Then, by switching identities and putting up incredulous disguises that makes Salman look like Suryavanshi all over again, they escape to Cuba where they stupidly pose in action in front of the camera for the world to see. Once again, they're on the run in undisclosed locations and false identities. R.A.W.'s chief, (Girish Karnad) thus concludes the theme of the movie – Ek Tha Tiger. If this was lame to read through, you have no idea how it is to sit through the film when the action simply becomes laughable with conspicuous body doubles doing all the work for our senior citizen Tiger. These sequences also involve him jumping from an airborne motorcycle into the open door of an already flying airplane in a choppy CGI shot. Rajnikant's jaw must've dropped as well.

Kabir Khan never had it right after the opening sequence. If this is the story that Aditya Chopra comes up with, then it's time he hands over all creativity back to his father. The plot has no complexity whatsoever and Tiger's weakness as a dedicated R.A.W. Agent simply dampens the already struggling plot. Compare all this to Shriram Raghavan's slick 'Agent Vinod' - The plot was convoluted for being a spy thriller, the romance never became too serious and it never digressed the film's focus which revolved around the agent's mission. The action was more credible and so was Saif's portrayal as a secret agent. 'Ek Tha Tiger' makes 'Agent Vinod' look like it was made under the MGM banner with Martin Campbell directing it.

Katrina Kaif does well in her role as an I.S.I. Agent. Although, she looks too beautiful to be taken seriously as one. In the Mashallah song, Katrina looks like a gift from the Gods to mankind. Salman Khan looks much older than ShahRukh Khan did in Ra.One and his physique is perhaps so bulky that his movements are even more restricted. For a simple jump from the first storey, he needs a body double. His movement in action and dance is just so stiff that it robs the essence of the character he is playing. To the extent that agent Tiger is too Salman- ish rather than the other way round. Yet, he has done his best in portraying a character that wasn't even well written to begin with. Ranvir Shorey is the most fun to watch though. His performance is brilliant as Tiger's support and he brings the humor as well as the seriousness in the film. Girish Karnad seems a bit extreme as the chief of R.A.W. while he devours Tiger's special Daal and sulks about his lost love. But we'll take that since we haven't seen him in a while.

Sohail Sen's music will be remembered for the arabic tune of Masha-allah and for Mohit Chauhan's melodious singing in Saiyaara to some fine tunes.

Director Kabir Khan has reportedly used Salman's advice while filming 'Ek Tha Tiger' and certainly that did not help his cause. While he had the potential to create something superlative with such a cast and the promise of the opening sequence, he washed it all down with the ridiculous action sequences that followed, the frivolous plot-line and poorly written characters. It seems like anything goes for success these days and 'Ek Tha Tiger' is a shining example that audiences can decide the fate of any film. With its ginormous collections already, there is no need to contribute more to its makers' wallets. You can wait a while and watch it on Zee or Doordarshan....

• 5.55 on a scale of 1-10.