Ek Tha Tiger is the only Indian film that has joined the ranks of James Bond and Mission Impossible films at the International Spy Museum, an elated filmmaker Kabir Khan said that what gives his immense joy is that his 2012 film is still spoken about with love in 2025.
Kabir took to Instagram, where he shared a string of news articles talking about how the Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif-starrer 2012 action thriller is featured alongside James Bond and Mission Impossible films at the International Spy Museum in Washington DC.
Kabir said a film's true success lies not only in its box office numbers but in its ability to remain etched in people's memories for years.
Reflecting on his 2012 blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger, he wrote in the caption section: “A film is never only about how much it earned at the box office. It's more about for how long it will continue to capture people's imagination.”'
He added: “And in that sense Ek Tha Tiger goes on and on. Of course, it was one of the biggest box office grossers ever when it released in 2012, but what gives me even more joy is that it's still spoken about with love now in 2025. Tiger humesha zinda rahega…”
Speaking to NDTV about the same, Kabir Khan shared that the recognition, more than a decade after its release, is the true measure of success.
"I got to know from social media when people started posting about it. It's a great feeling for a filmmaker when your film is still spoken about with love and respect even after 13 years of its release," he said.
For Kabir, the lasting impact of a story matters more than box office numbers. "For me, the true success of a film is this - for how long does it continue to capture the imagination of people," he added.
He revealed that both Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif took the news in their stride. "Yes, I told Salman about it. In classic Salman style, he doesn't get overexcited about anything. I haven't been able to speak with her today, but I think Katrina has seen my story. She also keeps it cool," the filmmaker said.
Summing up the personalities of his lead characters, Kabir laughed, "Tiger and Zoya are both cool cucumbers."
Ek Tha Tiger also stars Ranvir Shorey, Roshan Seth, Girish Karnad, and Gavie Chahal.
It follows an Indian intelligence agent, codenamed Tiger, who is sent to Dublin to observe a professor suspected of sharing nuclear secrets with Pakistan. While on the mission, Tiger falls in love with the professor's caretaker Zoya, who harbours a secret of her own.
Ek Tha Tiger marked the beginning of YRF's ambitious spy universe, which went on to expand with Tiger Zinda Hai, War, Pathaan and Tiger 3.
After the success of Ek Tha Tiger, Kabir and Salman Khan joined hands again for films like 2015's Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Tubelight, which released in 2017.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)