Ek Tha Tiger

About the film

Ek Tha Tiger (transl. There Was a Tiger) is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed and co-written by Kabir Khan and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films. The film stars Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, with Ranvir Shorey, Roshan Seth, Girish Karnad, and Gavie Chahal in supporting roles and the first installment in the YRF Spy Universe. It follows an Indian intelligence agent, codenamed Tiger, who is sent to Dublin to observe a professor suspected of sharing nuclear secrets with Pakistan. While on the mission, Tiger falls in love with the professor’s caretaker Zoya, who harbours a secret of her own.

The film marks Khan's first collaboration with Yash Raj Films and is the third directorial venture by Kabir Khan with the studio following Kabul Express (2006) and New York (2009). It was also the final film presented by Yash Raj Chopra before his death. Principal photography took place between August 2011 and July 2012 in international locations including Dublin, Havana, Bangkok, Istanbul, and several Indian cities. The soundtrack was composed primarily by Sohail Sen, with the track "Mashallah" composed by Sajid–Wajid.

Plot

Avinash "Tiger" Singh Rathore, an Indian intelligence officer working for the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), is tasked with eliminating Rabinder, a fellow agent who has defected to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), during a mission in Iraq. Disillusioned by the constant violence of his work, Tiger expresses a desire for a less combative assignment. His superior, Shenoy, subsequently sends him to Dublin to observe Anwar Jamal Kidwai, an Indian scientist suspected of sharing sensitive missile technology.

Posing as Manish Chandra, a writer researching Indian academics abroad, Tiger travels to Ireland with his handler Gopi. He attempts to gain access to Kidwai by befriending Zoya Nazar Jung, the scientist's part-time caretaker and a dance student at Trinity College. Tiger and Zoya develop a rapport that evolves into a romantic relationship. She invites him to a college production of My Son, Pinocchio, which she has choreographed. Around the same time, Tiger is attacked by an unknown assailant, raising suspicions that his cover has been compromised.

On the day of the play, Tiger spots the attacker and chases him through the city, ultimately stopping a tram accident in the process. Gopi simultaneously reports suspicious activity at Kidwai's house. There, Tiger discovers that Zoya is in fact an ISI agent assigned to extract Kidwai’s research. Despite her refusal to defect, Tiger allows her to escape after fending off Feroz, an ISI agent revealed to be the mystery assailant.

Production

After Kabir Khan was announced as director to a then-untitled action film, he approached Shah Rukh Khan with a draft of the screenplay. Although interested, Khan could not star in the film due to scheduling conflicts with Don 2 (2011) and Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012). This allowed the film's screenplay, which had been completed in November 2010, to undergo changes well into shooting, including as late as February 2012. In May 2011, several reports confirmed Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif would star in a film titled Ek Tha Tiger. It would be Khan's first venture with Yash Raj Films, and the pair's fourth film together, after Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? (2005), Partner (2007), and Yuvvraaj (2008). In order to begin filming, Khan had to postpone the development of Sher Khan, a yet unrealized project he began developing with his brother, Sohail Khan. Khan was paid a reported ₹32 crore (US$5.99 million) to star in the film. Kaif, who only appeared in one action film prior to Ek Tha Tiger (2008's Race), performed her own stunts.

Kabir Khan wrote scenes specifically to include Trinity College, considering it "a character of repute"; he had previously visited the university in mid-1995 to interview then Irish President Mary Robinson. According to Avtar

Panesar, Vice President of International Operations at Yash Raj, all locations were ultimately motivated by the screenplay, stating "if it fits the script, if it works, we then make use of the country as a location".

Music

Sohail Sen composed six out of the film's eight-song soundtrack, although the film's end credits song "Mashallah" (and its remix) was composed by Sajid–Wajid. Julius Packiam composed the film score after his previous associations with Khan on Kabul Express (2006) and New York (2009). Neelesh Misra, Anvita Dutt and Kausar Munir wrote the lyrics, and its remixes were produced by Joshilay. The soundtrack was released by YRF Music on 27 June 2012.

Marketing

The film's poster was released in August 2011, and the first theatrical trailer was released in May 2012, debuting alongside the release of Ishaqzaade, another film produced by Yash Raj Films and Aditya Chopra. The trailer received over a million views on video sharing platform YouTube within two days of its release, making it the platform's most-viewed trailer for a Bollywood film at the time. As part of a publicity campaign for Trinity College, parts of the film and behind the scenes footage was shown in India, while interviews of South Asian students, university lecturers, and Ek Tha Tiger crew members were done.

The cast embarked on a limited domestic promotional tour, conducting press conferences in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow. They also signed a promotional deal with soft drink company Thums Up, where Khan and Kaif appeared in commercials. The company also sponsored an expanded tour in mid-2012, with the cast also visiting Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Allahabad, Agra, Meerut, and Ghaziabad.

Key details