As "Ek Tha Tiger" celebrates its 13th anniversary on August 15, 2025, director Kabir Khan reflects on the film's significance as the "first heartbeat" of the YRF Spy Universe. Released in 2012, "Ek Tha Tiger," starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, not only became a major commercial success but also laid the foundation for one of Bollywood's most ambitious and successful franchises.
The film centers around Avinash Singh Rathore, also known as Tiger, a RAW agent, who is sent to Dublin to observe an Indian scientist suspected of sharing nuclear secrets with Pakistan's ISI. There, he meets and falls in love with Zoya Nazar, a caretaker with a hidden past. "Ek Tha Tiger" was a groundbreaking film, marking the first collaboration between Yash Raj Films (YRF) and Salman Khan. It earned ₹320 crore worldwide at the box office, against a budget of ₹75 crore, becoming one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films.
Kabir Khan has spoken about the creative process and some initial challenges he faced while working with Salman Khan on "Ek Tha Tiger". He noted that the film wasn't completely under his control, but the collaboration led to a great understanding between them, which later facilitated their work on "Bajrangi Bhaijaan".
The YRF Spy Universe has expanded since "Ek Tha Tiger" to include several successful films. "Tiger Zinda Hai" (2017), directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, continued the story of Tiger and Zoya. "War" (2019), directed by Siddharth Anand, starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff, was initially released as a standalone film but later integrated into the spy universe. "Pathaan" (2023), again directed by Siddharth Anand and starring Shah Rukh Khan, further solidified the universe, with interconnected storylines and character cameos. "Tiger 3" (2023), directed by Maneesh Sharma, brought back Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, with appearances from Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan, further intertwining the narratives. The universe is set to expand with "War 2" in 2025.
The YRF Spy Universe includes comic books, graphic novels, and video games. The franchise has a total budget of approximately ₹1115 –1325 crore and has grossed an estimated ₹2892 crore.
