But despite his dedication to the country, there is a tinge of weariness in the way Tiger goes about his life. There is a sense of purposelessness about how Tiger dourly looks around at his neighbours, who are enamoured by him, as he waits for his vessel to be filled with milk. It distinctly shows the lack of any layers to Tiger’s personality beyond his job. Some may perceive that as lazy writing, but in my eyes, it was a fairly accurate depiction of the dullness of a man who has never thought of anything else besides his job. One may think Tiger would be happy leaving it behind, but the question arises: did he have anything in his life apart from work?
Amidst the mundanity which gnaws at his mind as he sets off on a mission to Dublin, he meets Zoya (Katrina Kaif). The ‘twist’ that she is an ISI spy can be detected from a mile away, and yet the beauty lies in its predictability. Since we know that Tiger is inevitably going to be betrayed by her, every interaction that they had posed a philosophical question to the audience: Would not falling in love be better than the transient happiness which would probably make him realise there exists a place beyond the world of espionage? Is this realisation worth it, even if it comes at the cost of an inevitable betrayal?
Tiger was a man who approached everything in his life with the enthusiasm of a kid at a business convention. And despite that, we find him doing his best to get a thoughtful gift to express his gratitude to Zoya. He breaks out of character to show Zoya that he isn’t bland. This is the first time you really wonder: Has Tiger finally found purpose beyond duty? It probably isn’t a coincidence that in the very next scene where Tiger and Zoya go out to eat “tangri” kebab, Geeta Dutt’s ‘Ae Dil Mujhe Bata De’ plays softly in the background, almost like a word of caution for Tiger to not forget his duty.
When the scene of betrayal arrives, one would expect it to be packed with emotions. But yet again, the director takes an understated approach, choosing to show it matter-of-factly and this is what makes it even more heartbreaking.