The Rise Of An Action Star

When Tiger Shroff burst onto the Hindi film scene with Heropanti (2014), a remake of the Telugu film Parugu (2008), his gymnastic flips and martial arts routines became shorthand for a new kind of Bollywood hero — someone who could bend gravity and perhaps box-office expectations.

Yet it was Baaghi (2016), loosely inspired by the Telugu film Varsham (2004), that turned the newcomer into a bankable star. The film’s glossy choreography and exaggerated drama tapped directly into Shroff’s strengths: discipline, sincerity and a body trained as much for flight as for fight.

Two years later Baaghi 2 (2018), a reimagining of the Telugu thriller Kshanam (2016), cemented his status as an action hero who could shoulder a solo hit.

Beyond The High Kick

Shroff’s attempts to branch out revealed limitations. Student of the Year 2 (2019) sought to recast him as a romantic lead. The result was oddly inert. His hyper-trained physique and earnest presence felt mismatched with the genre’s need for charm and playfulness.

That same year however, War (2019) paired him with Hrithik Roshan in a spy thriller that transformed his apparent stiffness into dramatic tension. As Khalid, the younger agent, Shroff wasn’t merely trading blows — he was negotiating his presence as well.

The Franchise Trap

Franchises are Bollywood’s latest safety net but they can just as easily become cages. Baaghi 3 (2020), a retread of the Tamil hit Vettai (2012), felt like déjà vu with diminishing returns.

Shroff’s action credentials remained intact yet the narrative scaffolding wobbled. Then came Ganapath (2023) and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024), both financial disappointments that suggested audiences were growing weary of the formula.

With Baaghi 4 (2024), an unofficial remake of the Tamil action film Ainthu Ainthu Ainthu (2013), the cycle reached its nadir.

The film, weighed down by clichés and uninspired staging, managed not only to tarnish the franchise but also to cast doubt on the very image Shroff had built so carefully.

A Legacy In Limbo

The irony is sharp. Jackie Shroff, Tiger’s father, is an actor who combined rugged masculinity with an everyman warmth, slipping between mainstream spectacle and offbeat cinema with ease.

Tiger, in contrast, has been boxed into a single archetype: the action hero. His body is his language but the grammar has grown repetitive.

The larger story here is not only about a star but about an industry. Bollywood’s dependence on sequels and remakes speaks to both commercial caution and creative stagnation.

Franchises can amplify star power but they can also flatten it. What begins as a platform for ascension can, with each weaker instalment, become an albatross.

For Tiger Shroff the question now is whether he can reinvent himself outside the treadmill of remakes and franchises. Audiences have already seen him leap, kick and spin through mid-air. What remains to be seen is whether he can surprise them by simply standing still and by making better film choices in the future.

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