Tiger Zinda Hai: Why you Should not miss this thriller

Tiger Zinda Hai, a sequel to Ek Tha Tiger, stays true to its origins, going by the trailer. It has all the Salman Khan elements – well-choreographed action sequence, one-liners and close-up shots of the hero in slow motion.

Said to be inspired by true events, Ali Abbas Zafar’s directorial is set in Iraq, where a group of 25 Indian nurses are captured by a terrorist outfit and the Indian government decides to send their Research and Analysis Wing agent Tiger to save the hostages.

Here are the reason why you should not miss this flick..

1) Katrina Kaif plays a Pakistani spy

Yes, that’s right! She plays a Pakistani and that too, a badass one. There’s no stereotyping, no preconceived notions as to how Muslim/Pakistani girls are supposed to behave like and lucky for us, Katrina is believable in the character. She’s looking like a regular girl, in a sleeveless black shirt and pants, possessed with a slight accent making its way in her Urdu – which is acceptable and something I completely relate to!

The best part though: she plays heavy-duty strong – and it’s not just about blazing bloodcurdling guns and killer moves. Not that we don’t want our very own version of Lara Croft: tomb raider – but its more the mind-set surrounding Pakistani girls that’s been touched upon.

2) There’s a strong sense of diversity

A minute into the trailer and you just know that the plot is not revolving around a contest between unlike ethnicities or a deadly encounter between India and Pakistan. Phew!

The promo, in fact, radiates partnerships, and exudes a union of dissimilar religions and backgrounds – all coming together to combat terrorists – and there’s no underlined, in-your-face-stress on the terrorists being Muslim. Okay one of them is called ‘Usman’ – but Islamic State butchers for instance do have names we’re familiar with. The fact of the matter is that the focus of the flick is on a cluster of divergent folk teaming together in harmony to take down the BAD guys. It’s good against evil – not Muslims versus Hindus or Shias battling Sunnis or Christians against Jews. I repeat, it’s good against evil. You know what I mean? Voila to that!

3) Salman Khan unveils trend-setting dialogues

Love him or hate him, but it’s humanly impossible to not notice the (gorgeous and timeless) guy – and don’t pretend you’ve never had the urge of reiterating his iconic lines to friends, family and maybe even your boss – think ‘Zindagi mein teen cheezein kabhi underestimate nahi karna – I, ME and MYSELF’ (that wouldn’t sit too well with the boss!).

From ‘Ek baar maine commitment kardi toh phir mein apne aap ki bhi nahi sunta’ to ‘Mujhpe ek ehsaan karna, mujhpe koi ehsaan mat karna,’ you must admit, Salman kick-started a trend of power-packed lines and punches that have left fans, globally, going gaga – aching for more of these mini life lessons. If you didn’t know that already, there are memes dedicated to Sallu’s sharp one-liners! Salman-isms are as real and binge-worthy as Han Solo’s witticisms in Star Wars – yes I made that comparison – and yes, I adore them both.

4) The message yells  ‘We stand for peace’

The message of peace might leave you ranting “been there done that” but lets get real folks – there’s hardly any amity stratums brewing between Modi’s rigid government and Pakistan’s wonky state of affairs so any initiative that encourages the concept of concord between these countries (or may I say brothers that just don’t get along) almost appears like an olive branch. At least to me. And I’m a pacifist, just like many of you reading this. All I’m saying is grab those olives and make some hummus together. It’s delish!

5) The action elements competes with Hollywood

From utilising nifty frames to the employed pragmatism of action sequences – you’re going to get this air of ‘okay this movie looks kinda Hollywood’. The point I’m trying to make here is that the arson you’ll witness or the gunfire you’ll observe, somehow don’t come across as cheesy – not even minutely – which is a rare circumstance!

The film is releasing December 22!

Also, here’s the trailer…