Ek Tha Tiger

Ek Tha Tiger is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Kabir Khan and co-written by Khan and Neelesh Misra, from a story by producer Aditya Chopra. Produced and distributed by Yash Raj Films, it is the first installment in the YRF Spy Universe. It stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ranvir Shorey, Roshan Seth, Girish Karnad, and Gavie Chahal. In the film, Avinash "Tiger" Singh Rathore, an Indian spy, is tasked with recovering information before it is gained by Pakistan, but is sidetracked after falling in love with Zoya Humaimi. Ek Tha Tiger marks the third collaboration between Kabir Khan and Yash Raj, after he directed Kabul Express (2006) and New York (2009), and the first collaboration between Yash Raj Films and Salman Khan. The last film to be presented by founder and filmmaker Yash Chopra, it had a complicated production process, with delays, rewrites, and several cast members attached at various points. Principal photography began in August 2011 and lasted until July 2012, with filming locations including Dublin, Havana, Bangkok, Istanbul, and Delhi. The film's music was composed primarily by Sohail Sen, with the soundtrack's lead single and the film's theme song, "Mashallah", composed by Sajid-Wajid. Originally set for release in June 2012, the film was theatrically released worldwide by Yash Raj on 15 August 2012. Ek Tha Tiger received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. Ek Tha Tiger set numerous box-office records in its theatrical run, grossing worldwide. It was the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2012, is the 36th highest-grossing Indian film of all time, unadjusted for inflation, and set the then-record for the highest-grossing domestic opening weekend, with . The film won Best Special Effects at the 14th IIFA Awards and won five People's Choice Awards, including Best Film, Best Actor for Khan, and Best Actress for Kaif. A sequel, Tiger Zinda Hai, was released on 22 December 2017. A third film, Tiger 3, was announced in June 2018. Salman later reprised his role in a cameo in the 2023 film Pathaan, starring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead and directed by Siddharth Anand, which serves as the fourth installment of a planned spy universe, making Ek Tha Tiger and Tiger Zinda Hai also the first two films in the universe, with the third being War (2019), also directed by Anand.