Real locations, true story—'Tiger Zinda Hai' director recalls shooting challenges
As the action thriller Tiger Zinda Hai celebrates its seventh anniversary, director Ali Abbas Zafar has opened up about the film's journey in an interview with Zoom. He attributed the film's success to its plot and lead actor, Salman Khan. The film also starred Katrina Kaif, Paresh Rawal, and Kumud Mishra and is the second film in the Tiger franchise.
Zafar discussed the challenges of 'Tiger Zinda Hai'
Zafar called Tiger Zinda Hai a "very special film" for all of them. He stressed on being accurate while showing real events, "It was based on a real event, so we had to be careful with the facts." "Taking the story of characters Tiger and Zoya where Kabir Khan had left them in Ek Tha Tiger was a huge responsibility and to do it with scale thrill and action was even more challenging."
The struggles of shooting on real locations
Speaking about shooting on-location, he elaborated, "It was difficult for sure. We shot in Abu Dhabi, Austria, Greece, and Morocco." "Real locations always come with their own problems but when we saw the end result on screen it looked stunning." He also praised Khan's improvisation skills, saying they brought freshness to his performance. "He is the real-life Tiger...shooting with Salman was a pleasure."
'The plot and Salman made it a success'
Zafar also expressed his happiness with the film's result. "Looking back seven years later, I would say all the hard work was worth it. The film turned out the way we had envisaged it," he said. "I guess it was the story that did the trick...it was the plot and Salman which made it a success," he added.
