YRF Spy Universe

YRF Spy Universe is an Indian media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of spy action films, which feature various fictional RAW agents. The films are produced and distributed by Yash Raj Films.

Overview
The shared universe, which initially started out as a single movie series for the Tiger films, later was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.

The first film Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and its sequel Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) centre on a fictional RAW agent played by Salman Khan. War (2019) tells the story of a RAW agent played by Hrithik Roshan who goes rogue. Before making War, producer Aditya Chopra and director Siddharth Anand came up with the idea of merging these films and creating a shared universe by crossing over the characters who all belong to the RAW. However, War was still made as a standalone film without directly connecting to the first two Tiger films—supporting the idea of creating a proper foundation for the War characters before a proper crossover.

Pathaan (2023) starring Shah Rukh Khan as the titular character and a RAW agent, directed by Anand, is the first film to have characters appearing from both the Tiger franchise and War. It is the fourth film in the SPY Universe and the first YRF film to have a crossover.

Tiger 3 (2023) starring Salman Khan is the fifth film in the YRF Spy Universe, directed by Maneesh Sharma. It is the sequel to Tiger Zinda Hai (2017). It was released on 12 November 2023 on Diwali.

Ek Tha Tiger (2012)
RAW agent Avinash "Tiger" Singh Rathore, is sent to Dublin to observe an Indian scientist who is suspected of sharing nuclear secrets with the ISI. He meets and falls for his caretaker Zoya Nazar, a girl with a dark past.

Ek Tha Tiger is the first instalment of the shared universe and was released on 15 August 2012 worldwide. The film earned ₹325 crore worldwide against a budget of ₹75 crore, becoming one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films by international gross.

Tiger Zinda Hai (2017)
Tiger and Zoya rejoin forces with RAW and ISI in order to rescue a group of nurses, who are held hostage by ISC, an Iraqi terrorist organisation headed by Abu Usman.

Tiger Zinda Hai is the second instalment of the shared universe, and is based on true incidents that happened in 2014 the abduction of Indian nurses by ISIL. Tiger Zinda Hai was released on 22 December 2017 and made a new non-holiday record in India as it collected ₹34.1crore nett on its first day. It went on to collect ₹35.30 crores gross on the second day. The film recorded the second-highest day of all time. It netted Rs 154 crore in its first four days in India. The film grossed ₹565crore worldwide becoming the eighth highest-grossing Indian film. At the 63rd Filmfare Awards, it won for Best Action.

War (2019)
Major Kabir Dhaliwal, a former soldier and a skilled agent, goes rogue after a mission to catch a terrorist named Rizwan Ilyasi goes awry. However, his boss sends Khalid, another soldier and Kabir's student to track him down.

War is the third installment of the shared universe, which was commissioned after the success of the previous films, and was directed by Siddharth Anand, starring Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff and Vaani Kapoor in lead roles. It was released on 2 October 2019, coinciding with the Gandhi Jayanti. Proving to be similarly successful to the first entry in the series, the film emerged as a huge box office success, becoming the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2019 and one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.

Pathaan (2023)
Pathaan, an exiled RAW agent is assigned to take down Jim, a former RAW agent-turned-leader of "Outfit X", a private terror organization that is planning to spread a deadly lab-generated virus dubbed "Raktbeej" across India.

Pathaan is the fourth installment in the shared universe directed by Siddharth Anand, and the first YRF Spy Universe movie to feature a mid-credits scene. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in the lead roles. Salman Khan reprises his role as Tiger in a cameo appearance. It was the most expensive project of Yash Raj Films until Tiger 3 with a 240 crore budget.

Tiger 3 (2023)
Tiger and Zoya must go on a life-threatening crusade to clear their names after they are framed as traitors by Aatish Rehman, an ex-ISI agent turned terrorist with a personal vendetta against Tiger.

Tiger 3 is the fifth installment of the shared universe and sequel to Tiger Zinda Hai. It features Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, reprising their eponymous roles of Tiger and Zoya, with Emraan Hashmi playing the antagonist. Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan reprise their roles as Pathaan and Major Kabir Dhaliwal in cameo appearances. The film was directed by Maneesh Sharma. The music was composed by Pritam, with the lyrics written by Irshad Kamil and Amitabh Bhattacharya. It is the most expensive Yash Raj Films project to date, budgeted at an estimated amount of ₹300 crore.

War 2 (2025)
The sixth installment of the shared universe and sequel to War titled War 2  was announced by Yash Raj Films on 4 April 2023, with Hrithik Roshan reprising his role as Kabir. The film will be directed by Ayan Mukerji. The film also stars Kiara Advani, N. T. Rama Rao Jr, and Anil Kapoor. It will mark Rama Rao's debut in Hindi cinema and Advani's introduction to the Spy Universe. Principal photography commenced in October 2023. It is scheduled for theatrical release on 14 August 2025.

Alpha (TBA)
The seventh installment of the shared universe and it will feature Alia Bhatt, Sharvari, Bobby Deol and Anil Kapoor in lead roles. It will be directed by Shiv Rawail and the first female spy film in the YRF Spy Universe. The film's title was announced as Alpha and the principal photography commenced in July 2024.

Pathaan 2 (TBA)
In a surprising twist, confirmed by the production head, Pathaan 2 will lead to Tiger vs Pathaan. It is the eighth installment of the shared universe and sequel to Pathaan (2023) Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone will returning in their super spy avatars alongside Anil Kapoor in a supporting role. The film is scheduled to go on floors by the end of 2024 and it will be released by 2026.

Tiger vs Pathaan (TBA)
In 2021, it was rumored that Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan would unite for a standalone film. There rumors were confirmed by Salman Khan in December 2021. It was announced on 6 April 2023 under the working title of Tiger vs Pathaan, the ninth installment of the shared universe. It will be directed by Siddharth Anand as announced on 6 April 2023. In August 2023, the film's script was locked by Producer Aditya Chopra and was narrated to Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan in two separate meetings. The film is scheduled to go on floors in 2026 and will theatrically release in 2027.

Tiger
Avinash Singh Rathore, better known by his codename Tiger, is a fictional Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) agent appearing in the Tiger film series and other films of the YRF Spy Universe, an Indian cinematic universe. He is portrayed by Salman Khan. The character first appeared in Ek Tha Tiger and appeared in its sequels Tiger Zinda Hai and Tiger 3. Tiger also made a brief appearance in Pathaan (2023), another film in the universe. Tiger is married to Zoya and has two sons: an adopted-son Hassan, a suicide bomber whom he adopted during a mission in Iraq and his biological son, Junior. He is one of 3 agents in the universe, along with Pathaan and Kabir.

Kabir
Major Kabir Dhaliwal is an Indian RAW agent and former soldier. The character was introduced in War, and was believed to have gone rogue. However, it was revealed that he was on a covert mission to stop a terrorist organization. He was a mentor to Khalid and Saurabh, the latter of whom became a traitor. Despite being unmarried, he is the legal guardian to Ruhi, the daughter of his deceased partner, Naina. He is one of 3 agents in the universe, along with Tiger and Pathaan.

Pathaan
Pathaan is an Indian RAW agent, who was first introduced in Pathaan. During a joint mission in Afghanistan, he saves an elderly lady (an Afghan/Pashtun) who gives him the name "Pathaan" for his bravery. He created Joint Operations and Covert Research (J.O.C.R), a sub-division of RAW, that recruits Indian soldiers and agents who were forced to retire due to injury or emotional trauma. Rubina "Rubai" Mohsin, a Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence agent, is his love interest, whom he met during a mission in Spain and Moscow. He is one of 3 main agents in the universe, along with Tiger and Kabir.

Jim
Jim is the founder and leader of "Outfit X", a private terrorist organisation. He is a former Indian RAW agent, who turned rogue after the Indian government refused to negotiate with Somalian terrorists in exchange for him and his pregnant wife. As a result, he faked his own death, founded Outfit X and began looking for an opportunity to take revenge on India. In 2019, Jim was hired by General Qadir of the Pakistan Army to plan a biological attack via a deadly synthetic virus on India and other parts of South Asia, locking horns with the agent Pathaan in the process. Rubina Mohsin, a Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence agent was also in his team but later double-crossed him and fought alongside Pathaan and his team.

Aatish
Aatish Rehman is a former Pakistani Deputy Director of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He was a mentor to Zoya, and had in the past assigned his pregnant wife Shaheen, the task of killing an Indian General who was to sign a peace treaty with Pakistan; but his plan was ruined when she was killed by Tiger. Wanting revenge from Tiger and Zoya, he kidnaps their son Junior, and blackmails them to steal nuclear weapons codes and later frames them as traitors. He ultimately wants to bring dictatorship in Pakistan by dismissing the democratic government and assassinating the Prime Minister. His plans are later stopped by Tiger and his team.

Zoya
Zoya Nazar is a Pakistani ISI agent. She defected from the ISI, after eloping with her love interest turned husband Tiger, an Indian RAW agent. However, she remains loyal to Pakistan and occasionally goes on missions to save her country from threats. She is married to Tiger and has two sons: an adopted son named Hassan, a suicide bomber whom she adopted during a mission in Iraq and a biological son named Junior.

Rubai
Rubina Mohsin, more commonly known by her nickname "Rubai", is a Pakistani ISI agent. After her father was arrested and tortured, she became a doctor in Pakistan. Later she joined the ISI but defected, joining Outfit X a private terrorist organisation, but soon joined Pathaan to stop Jim from spreading a deadly virus across South Asia. Pathaan, an Indian RAW agent is her love interest, whom she had met in Spain.

Box office performance
The universe has been notable for its profit. Ek Tha Tiger and its follow-up Tiger Zinda Hai earned a combined profit of ₹1,593.36 crore, according to International Business Times.

Ek Tha Tiger (2012)
In India, there was praise for the film's feminist themes, with Marjolaine Gout noting the film is "a roaring, visual, comic feast where the damsel in distress fights back", giving Ek Tha Tiger 3.5 out of 5 stars. Anupama Chopra of the Hindustan Times also commended the feminist themes, saying "it's such a pleasure to see a Hindi film heroine not [be] a damsel in distress", while also praising the film's action sequences, giving Ek Tha Tiger 3 out of 5 stars.

Jahanavi Samant of Mid-Day gave the film the same rating and criticised its tone as being inconsistent, with "Ek Tha Tiger [being] unable to decide whether it is spy action or a love saga". Ronnie Scheib of Variety gave a positive review, praising the performances of the leads and film's production aesthetic, noting "Kaif impresses in her action-heroine debut, while Salman Khan's thinking-on-his-feet immediacy adds depth to his usual macho muscle. Local audiences will no doubt derive a special thrill from the onscreen reunion of stars Khan and Kaif, [with] Aseem Mishra's gorgeous location lensing".

Tiger Zinda Hai (2017)
Tiger Zinda Hai opened to mostly positive reviews. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave 4.5 stars, and said "Salman is the lifeline, the real treasure of Tiger Zinda Hai. He sinks his teeth into the character and, in several sequences, peels off the mask of super-stardom and brings the actor to the fore. Katrina is in solid form, in action sequences specifically commands attention." Umesh Punwani of Koimoi gave 4 stars, and said "Katrina Kaif is brilliant! She has very few dialogues, and no, that's not the reason she's good. Working amazingly well with her expressions, she has turned into an athlete for this one. Performing a few major action sequences, she is flawless."

Lasyapriya Sundaram of The Times of India gave 3.5 stars, and said "The film is visually stunning in parts and Salman Khan plays Tiger with roaring confidence and dialogues packed with punch. Of course, his fans get a true-blue Salman Khan moment when he bares his torso." Rachit Gupta of Filmfare gave 3.5 stars, and said "It may look like a Hollywood action thriller, but at its heart, Tiger Zinda Hai is an unabashed masala movie. The heady mixture of an international-looking action film and the regular tropes of Hindi cinema make it a pleasing watch."

War (2019)
Anupama Chopra said,"War is a popcorn entertainer and you can't ask too many questions but if you're willing to suspend disbelief, the twists and turns exert a solid grip." A writer for Bollywood Hungama gave the film 4 stars, and said "War is an action entertainer which has style as well as enough twists and turns to keep the viewers engrossed. At the box office, the extended weekend, dazzling action, stunning international locales and stylish execution will ensure mammoth footfalls for the film". Taran Adarsh gave it four stars out of five and called the film "[e]scapist cinema at its best".

Komal Nahta of Film Information opined, "The film could prove to be the starting of a new franchise for the Yash Raj Films banner". Writing for India TV, Sonal gave the film 3.5 stars, writing, "Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff of Abbas-Mustan kinda twists, turns, characters, situations, logic, gravity, physics, chemistry, and some Ekta Kapoor-esque tricks all tossed together to make a visually spectacular concoction". The Times of India rated it three stars out of five and felt the film had "lot of style, stunts and show, but lacking a solid storyline".

Pathaan (2023)
Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated the film 4.5 out of 5 stars and termed the film "complete entertainer replete with action, emotions, patriotism, humour, thrill, and of course, the star power of Shah Rukh Khan." Sukanya Verma of Rediff gave the film a rating of 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "Shah Rukh Khan's weathered intensity, grizzly charisma and trademark wit lends Pathaan 's all-out, devil-may-care antics a sense of purpose that evades mindless acts of mayhem". Devesh Sharma of Filmfare rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and stated that the film is a "visual spectacle" and termed action choreography is "truly out of this world". Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and said that the film swings and strikes with all the "style" and "aplomb" in the world.

Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Pathaan has all the ingredients of a masala potboiler — slowmo entries, iconic battle of good versus bad and most importantly a sexy-smouldering Shah Rukh Khan, who can fight the good fight on and off the screen". Himesh Mankad of Pinkvilla gave the film a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and termed it as "tentpole event film" which has right amount of action, thrill, emotion and drama.

Tiger 3 (2023)
Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 4/5 stars and wrote "Tiger 3 is the biggest dhamaka you can expect this Diwali" praised the second half and performances of Khan, Kaif and Hashmi and appreciated the cameo of Shahrukh Khan. Himesh Mankad of Pinkvilla gave the film 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Tiger 3 rides hugely mounted action sequences backed with power performances by Khan, Kaif and Hashmi. While pacing is an issue at some places, the core plot has enough of an emotional connect to keep you glued on the big screen. The film is an action-packed entertainer that has all the ingredients to emerge as Khan’s highest grosser till date."

Ronak Kotecha of The Times of India gave the film 3/5 stars and wrote "Tiger 3 qualifies as a good addition to the franchise with enough ammo for mass entertainment." Zinia Bandyopadhyay of India Today gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Despite an overcrowded spy universe, Tiger 3 manages to hold his own ground. Khan fans won’t be disappointed, but someone give Kaif a Zoya series pronto!"

Graphic novels

 * A graphic novel titled Ek Tha Tiger: Mahasagar Ki Suraksha (English: Ek Tha Tiger: Saving The High Seas) was published in 2012 by Yomics. Post-release, the comic failed to generate positive word-of-mouth. Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama commended the comics' design but said that the main story failed to meet his expectations of a deeper plot, exciting narrative, and a tighter script.
 * Another graphic novel named Ek Tha Tiger: Caught In The Web has been published in 2012 by Yomics, which also features some Hum Tum characters.

Games

 * Ek tha Tiger and Tiger the Bhai, two action mobile video games developed by Zapak, were released as tie-ins for the film.
 * Being SalMan: The Official Game, a 3D action mobile video game developed by Playizzon, was released in 2016. It featured characters portrayed by Khan, including Tiger, Chulbul Pandey from the Dabangg franchise, and Prem Dilwale from Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015).