From Tiger to Pathaan to War 2: Yash Raj Films' six-pack spies, zero surprises

The six instalments of YRF’s spyplex, including Pathaan and War 2, offer six solid reasons why it needs a retirement plan, writes Angel Rani.

Blame it on Salman Khan. Thirteen years ago, he planted the first seeds of spy cinema for Yash Raj Films... seeds that sprouted into a six-pack (sometimes eight) spectacle. The studio made hay while the abs shone.

Salman’s Tiger roared thrice — ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ and ‘Tiger 3’ (which, let’s be honest, purred more than it pounced).

In between, Hrithik Roshan declared ‘War’ and picked up the torch as Kabir, the rogue agent who seemed to have meandered off a Milan runway. His protege-turned-nemesis Khalid (Tiger Shroff) was equally shredded, and equally allergic to sleeves.

Then came ‘Pathaan’, and it was Shah Rukh Khan’s turn to defy gravity and dismantle villains, all while rocking a man-bun. His RAW agent flirts, fights and joins forces with Deepika Padukone’s ISI agent.

Cut to 2025: ‘War 2’ is here, with a Jr NTR upgrade and a further logic deficit.

So far, six babies from the YRF stable have milked the espionage genre dry. And as always, national security rests in the hands of bronzed men zip-lining across continents in designer leather. Intelligence? Optional. The real weapon is swagger, preferably delivered while walking away from a fireball in slow motion.

While you are busy drooling over RAW’s unofficial modelling division (what else to do during nearly three hours of frenetic pulp?), a femme fatale looms on the horizon. ‘Alpha’ is waiting in the wings — a female-led espionage saga with Alia Bhatt and Sharvari Wagh at the helm. Looks like we are in for more women who don’t smudge their mascara, even during missile strikes.

Now, if we care to dissect the women of YRF’s spyverse, they mostly end up as agents of distraction. Not their fault, though. It’s a testosterone-soaked instalment, where men get arcs, and women get ambiguity, accessories and probably a beach song.

By now, we are used to watching them twirl, pout, and occasionally land a punch, while the plot marches on without them. From 2012 to 2025, most female characters in the YRF spyverse have felt ornamental — except, perhaps, Katrina Kaif’s Zoya.

Zoya was the blueprint (‘Ek Tha Tiger’). An ISI agent with actual agency, she fought, fled and flirted with equal finesse. She was the rare woman in the series who didn’t just exist in the shadow of Salman’s shirtlessness. 

Zoya stayed loyal and lethal in ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ and ‘Tiger 3’. She shot terrorists, saved hostages and leaned less on glamour. 

Sigh. Most of Zoya’s groundwork was undone by Naina (Vaani Kapoor) in ‘War’. A dancer with a tragic past, she was inserted for emotional fluff. Her spy credentials were nonexistent, and it was more cameo than character.

Then came Deepika Padukone’s Rubina in ‘Pathaan’. An ISI agent with eyeliner sharper than her agenda, she betrayed, redeemed and danced in ‘Besharam Rang’. Sure, she was a spy with potential, but it was her bikini that became the franchise’s most memorable prop.

Kiara Advani’s Kavya in ‘War 2’ ticks all the usual boxes — bikini, romance, vanishing act. In what is widely dubbed the franchise’s weakest link, she waltzes across Europe’s landmarks like a spy moonlighting as a travel influencer.

Just like its half-baked women characters, most of these movies have had a chequered relationship with romance too — the most classified threat in the spyverse. Borderlines and butterflies have always coexisted in this ecosystem. Diplomacy may be dead, but desire thrives in the rubble of geopolitics. Whether it’s Zoya and Tiger flirting mid-blast or Rubina and Pathaan decoding each other’s allegiances, love across borders has never looked so... choreographed.

But do real agents cross hearts the way they cross enemy lines — especially the ones leading to Pakistan? Do they really save the world between bouts of smouldering eye contact? We know the answer. The makers do too. But what counts is ka-ching. The YRF spyverse has raked in nearly Rs 2,900 crore at the global box office. So when heroes cross over — like Tiger casually striding into Pathaan’s turf — it’s more about star-stacking and crowd-pulling. Creative fatigue? You bet.

The six instalments we have endured so far double up as six solid reasons why this spyplex needs a retirement plan. It hit rinse-repeat mode ages ago, and every new film is just another glossy rerun with a bigger budget and fewer surprises.

Will Alia Bhatt’s upcoming ‘Alpha’ shift the terrain? History urges caution — we have been burned before, and we have seen too many “strong female leads” reduced to strong female silhouettes. Yes, there is buzz. But unless someone is infiltrating the writing room with actual ideas, it’s shaping up to be yet another mission in mediocrity.

Maybe it’s time to debrief, decompress and grant the spyverse the overdue exit it’s been dodging — with all the legacy it believes it owns.