Just two days before the film’s release, Tiger Zinda Hai landed in political trouble with Maharashtra Navnirman Chitrapat Sena warning cinema owners against booking all shows for the film and thereby denying slots to two Marathi films and other parties like the Congress and the Shiv Sena joining in the controversy. But no matter how much political trouble Salman Khan starrer finds itself in, one thing is certain that his loyal fan-base wouldn’t miss the film for the world.

Ever since the film was announced, the fans went into a tizzy for more reasons than one. Some were desperately waiting for the onscreen union of ex-flames Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, while others had hopes pinned on Salman’s high-octane action scenes. Several behind the scene videos- whether it’s Salman battling a wolf or Katrina prepping up for action sequences- have been doing the rounds of social media and making the fans only more curious. All that comes to a conclusion as the film hits the theatres today.

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the film marks the second installment of the Tiger franchise after the 2012-film Ek The Tiger. Both Salman and Katrina reprise their roles of intelligence agents- Tiger and Zoya. While Tiger is an Indian agent, Zoya happens to be a Pakistani spy and both travel to five different countries, fighting against the odds in order to save the nurses who’re taken hostage by ISIS in Iraq.

As depicted in the trailer, the film is based on a real-life incident wherein 46 nurses were held hostage by ISIS in Iraq in 2014. The film has been shot across various destinations including Austria, Greece, Morocco, Abu Dhabi and India and if the reports are to be believed, the entire cast and crew has really pushed themselves for the respective parts.

Salman’s last big-screen outing Tubelight failed to leave cash registers ringing at the box office, so much so that the actor reportedly had to compensate for the loss. But it’ll be interesting to see how much money does the Christmas-release rake in.

Will Salman Khan’s Tiger return with a roar? Will Salman-Katrina’s onscreen chemistry set the temperature soaring? Will the plot be intriguing enough to justify the genre of spy-thriller? Will action sequences be impressive enough? Will Ali Abbas Zafar’s directorial break box office records and emerge as the highest grosser of 2017? Kriti Tulsiani from News18.com is inside the theater to find out.

It's a tad bit difficult to take eyes off screen, not for its plot or twists, but for the visual spectacle that #TigerZindaHai is.

— Kriti Tulsiani (@sleepingpsyche2) December 22, 2017

Katrina Kaif as Zoya might not be as impressive with her emotions but she sure is a delight when packing a punch. #TigerZindaHai

— Kriti Tulsiani (@sleepingpsyche2) December 22, 2017

Special word for Paresh Rawal. He lights up the frame and evokes genuine chuckles when you begin to find the continued heroism of Tiger tedious. #TigerZindaHai

— Kriti Tulsiani (@sleepingpsyche2) December 22, 2017

Also. Iranian actor Sajjad Delafrooz who plays ISC Commissioner Abu Usman is doing a fine job but his fluency in English and Hindi is a little disturbing for the character. #TigerZindaHai

— Kriti Tulsiani (@sleepingpsyche2) December 22, 2017

#TigerZindaHai screen count…
India: 4600
Overseas: 1100
Worldwide total: 5700 screens#TigerZindaHai economics…
Cost of Production: ₹ 130 cr
Prints & Advertising: ₹ 20 cr
Total: ₹ 150 cr

— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) December 21, 2017