Basic plot idea
A Pakistani General Aatish Rehman vows to destroy democracy in Pakistan and attack India with his own terror outfit. He targets Tiger and Zoya's family for a personal grudge against them which traces back to 2011.
What works
Performances have been great here. It's Salman Khan who pulls the film on his shoulders. His sheer screen presence lifts up even the dullest scenes. His action is great as well. Salman unexpectedly acts well with full conviction even in emotional scenes. His chemistry with Katrina Kaif is another highlight. Katrina Kaif too impresses with her act and action, also shines in emotional scenes. Katrina's towel fight sequence in the turkish bath has been simply amazing. Action is really good, especially the choreography and the stunts. The camera work is equally good. Although there are no one take sequences, the action is well shot throughout. The vfx department has done a great job unlike in Pathaan, where some scenes simply looked fake due to poor cgi. The music is good, if not great. There are only two songs in the entire runtime, which do not break the pace of an already dubious writing. The background music is good enough and prioritises the character well with the upbeat music. The climax fight designed with red light is enjoyable.
The geo political issue of Pakistan has been very well disclosed here. The makers have dared to point out the truth, that no matter whether the general public of Pakistan wants peace or not, there's no future for Pakistan if their government continues to fear their army and their army continues to produce anti socials. They have shown how only Pakistan army has wrongly intervened whenever there has been talks of a Peace Treaty between India and Pakistan. Frankly, I did not expect such facts and messages to be put forward in a big budget star studded mainstream commercial hindi film. Kudos to the makers for the same. A scene at the end where Pakistani girls play the Indian National anthem with classical musical instruments feels good.
What doesn't work
Although the story (Tiger trying to save Pakistan's democracy) itself isn't surprising or out of the box (which isn't always the need) what the makers required is a gripping screenplay and a terrific execution. Sadly, none of that happens. The screenplay by Shridhar Raghavan has been average. Quite a few plot points are picked from Pathaan and have been used here in such a way that you can't help but only draw comparison between the two films. Had the screenplay been engaging, we wouldn't feel the same at all. The character writing of Emraan Hashmi has been average. Also, his motivation and exact reason to attack India is half baked. He is given less screen time as well. Even the core story of Tiger trying to save Pakistan's democracy is edgy as we do not feel or understand the urgency or importance of the story. We do not feel for the democracy of Pakistan in the first place. I mean, if that's the story you have, the writing should've been far more convincing. The relation between Zoya and Aatish plays an important role at the beginning, which actually sets up the story. But when that relation reference needed to peak at the time of climax for a dramatic end and for a 'look, the tables have turned' kinda moment, it just didn't take off. The pacing is an issue as well, making the film inconsistent. The first half starts well but is so sleek that it's no less than a Hollywood action film, and that takes away the fun of watching an Indian commercial film. The first half doesn't give any serious mass moments. There are twists that do not work as expected and thus the scenes lack grip. The action goes on but you don't feel much. This sleekness makes the first half quite slow as well. The editing has been fine, not quite up to the expectations. The action goes on happening without any mass or any high moments. The direction has really been average here. The overall thrill factor of the film is heavily diminished mainly due to weak direction. Maneesh Sharma just cannot pull off a film of this scale and it's proven yet again with Tiger 3. He is not able to establish the universe well with Tiger 3, which somehow got going with Pathaan. The sensibility of making an action film seems to be missing in him. The action sequences will entertain you but the execution seems average. The way the fight sequences are carried out and are brought to an end do not seem too convincing. The overall execution of the film is not that great as well.
Special Mention
Shahrukh Khan as Pathaan comes to save Tiger from a Pakistani jail, and what follows is an over the top and fun to watch huge action sequence. Directed in an average manner, the scene gets hugely elevated by the two superstars and their action.
Hrithik Roshan as Major Kabir Dhaliwal and Ashutosh Rana as Col Sunil Luthra are also revealed at the end. Although the scene has no relation with the story of Tiger 3 whatsoever, it teases War 2 in a big way.
Conclusion
Tiger 3 is a Diwali special big ticket popcorn entertainer, which is majorly carried by the performances of the lead star cast, especially that of Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and Emraan Hashmi. It's only due to the performances that you wouldn't feel the average direction. Tiger 3 will be enjoyed by people in theatres nonetheless.
Recommendation
7.5 / 10