“Choti bachi ho kya’? – This line caused a stir on social media a couple of years ago, just when Tiger Shroff’s film, Heropanti 2 was up for release. However, little did Shroff and the team attached to the film would have anticipated that the meme, which was a dialogue from the original Heropanti (2014) would be the only thing that actually made an impact as opposed to the film itself. Post-COVID-19 times have been tough, incredibly tough for an array of actors – who seem to have lost the usual connection with the audiences.
By no means does that insinuate that the fandom or love for these superstars has seen a dip. Especially for someone like Shroff. The man, who serves as an inspiration and role model to millions out there for the sheer dedication he puts into his fitness, and lifestyle while being disciplined and relevant. But much to the chagrin of the actor, the post-pandemic era has been a total lull when it comes to the movies.
Shroff, who was, more often than not delivering a film every year was affected by the pandemic’s wrath even at the beginning of it. His mega film, Baaghi 3 released on 6th March 2020, when the virus scare had already seeped into many and this affected the collections of the film.
Since then, it has been a forgettable four years for Shroff as not only has he only delivered three films thus far – but all of them have been absolute duds. What went wrong? A question that Shroff would particularly be mulling over and scratching his head about.
His action prowess, breathtaking athleticism and gymnastics, fluid dance moves, and obvious good looks seemed to be enough for the audiences to flock into the theaters and watch him. Somehow, this was not sufficient enough anymore and that showed. Heropanti 2 and Ganapath were incredibly bad films – there is no doubt about it. But so were Baaghi 2 and Student of the Year 2 – but they still brought in the numbers (with SOTY 2, not huge numbers but respectable).
Parallelly, you have to admire Shroff too. The man admits and acknowledges his limitations like few A-listers do. However, these limitations seem to be finally ‘limiting’ the possibilities of his box-office presence. One might argue that event films or commercial potboilers have worked best post-COVID-19, and that is true. However, there is a distinct difference where mega films cannot just be eye candy, or slo-mo entry sequencing anymore. Substance and character to an extent where suspension of disbelief makes sense is pivotal in these masala films now more than ever.
The recent debacle of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan was a shocker where it seemed like two otherwise A-list superstars (Shroff and Akshay Kumar), both struggling at the box office, teaming up together, might just be what they needed for fireworks to explode. Did not happen. But was it really shocking? It served as another reminder for filmmakers who continue to rely on the externals and take the audience for granted with mediocre storylines and cliched tropes.
It is interesting to notice that overall, in a career that now spans a decade, Shroff has only done 11 films. It would have made much more sense if you saw these films being laborious, demanding, and time-consuming. Not the case with any of them. It would be a bit premature to say that Shroff needs to have the alarm bells ringing but he does need to wake up and smell the coffee. The usuals aren’t working for him, and while he wouldn’t need a 360-degree change in the way he chooses and does films, he does need some introspection that helps him innovate.
As of now, Shroff has entered the cop universe and will be seen alongside a starry ensemble cast in Singham Again later this year, and has the seemingly delayed Mission Eagle. He also announced Baaghi 4 recently. This direction continues to be worrisome, where there isn’t much scope for the aforementioned innovation or willingness to reinvent himself but there is hope that Tiger roars again.