Defending Salman Khan-starrer Tiger 3’s storyline, south star Simran discusses the messaging behind the actioner
Salman Khan in Tiger 3; (right) Simran
While the Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif-starrer Tiger 3 is a fitting action-packed instalment of the long-running spy franchise, the film opened to mixed reviews from both critics and the audience. While the action has been lauded, the story, not so much. It didn’t sit well with many that Pakistan has been showcased as a peace-loving country. When questioned, Simran, who plays the role of Nasreen Irani, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, counters, saying that the idea of the film is to “give hope and spread positivity”. “Humanity comes first, even before the boundaries that we have drawn and made different countries. When women and children are killed [in the name of war], humanity dies. [In the film], Tiger goes on to save another country’s PM, at the cost of his family and his life. I think we all have a Tiger within us somewhere. If we want to give people some hope, we have to fight to save humanity. Then the boundaries don’t matter.”
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The actor, who was last seen in the R Madhavan-starrer Rocketry: The Nambi Effect and Manoj Bajpayee’s Gulmohar, is thrilled to be part of the Yash Raj Films franchise. “The role came with a huge responsibility. A lot of research and prep went into it before we began shooting. Even if there is just a paragraph of dialogue, it can’t be uttered randomly. It has to be imbibed, understood, and conveyed with authenticity,” says the actor, adding that she was honoured to play such an important part in the film.
Tiger 3 completes a hattrick for her in Hindi cinema. Next up, Simran has Shonali Bose’s Notorious Girls with Revathy and Nandita Das. She has also wrapped up the shoot for director duo Raj-DK’s Citadel with Varun Dhawan and Samantha. While the Hindi projects are yet to hit the screen, Simran is looking forward to seeing people’s reactions to her action scenes in Dhruva Natchathiram with Vikram, which releases on November 24. Unlike Tiger 3, in the Tamil film, Simran plays “an agent working for a cause”. Having worked with the Ponniyin Selvan star in last year’s Mahaan, she says, “Vikram is a versatile actor. He undergoes drastic transformations for his characters and gives it his all. It is always great working with a determined actor like him.”