Salman Khan first portrayed the role of actor turned inspector Chulbul Pandey in the blockbuster film Dabangg in 2010. This movie was a massive success at the box office and launched the “Dabangg” franchise. With engaging characters, action sequences, dancing, and humor, Chulbul Pandey became one of the most loved characters in Hindi cinema.
Salman brilliantly portrayed the quirky yet loyal police officer who always did the job while entertaining audiences with his unique style and one-liners. The character connected so well with the masses that it spawned a new popular culture and language of its own. With his tiger-walking style, “Thappad se darr nahi lagta sahab” attitude, and appreciation for khaki, Chulbul won everyone’s heart.
Due to immense popularity and fan demand, the makers made Dabangg 2 in 2012. This installment further explored Chulbul’s backstory and principles while delivering high-octane action and entertainment. Salman’s performance was also praised, as he seamlessly slipped into the role without missing a beat. Dabangg 2 was also a blockbuster success, strengthening Chulbul Pandey as one of the biggest on-screen heroes.
With the franchise’s massive success, fans eagerly awaited news about Dabangg 3. Finally, in 2019, after seven long years, Salman announced that the most awaited third part was going into production. Touted as the biggest film of the franchise, here are some key highlights of the Tiger 3 collection
- Dabangg 3 picks up the story 10 years after the events of the second part. It explores how Chulbul has evolved as a cop and as a person in the past decade while continuing to fight crime and protect society.
- The film features Salman in his iconic role of Chulbul Pandey and Sonakshi Sinha, reprising her role of his wife, Rajjo. It also introduces new characters, like the antagonist, played by Saiee Manjrekar.
- Fans hoped to see fresh direction and action scenes with Prabhudeva directing Dabangg 3 instead of Arbaaz Khan. The film brought back action choreographer Kecha from the first film for high-impact fight sequences.
- The movie marks 10 years of Chulbul Pandey’s character’s existence. There was immense anticipation of seeing how Salman would slip back into this role and move Chulbul’s character forward in the story.
- Given the massive scale of previous franchise installments, Dabangg 3 was also made on a huge budget to cater to a pan-India audience. Extravagant sets, visual effects, and locations were incorporated.
- The songs of Dabangg films have always been hugely popular dance numbers. The Dabangg 3 album featured songs like Hud Hud Dabangg, Awara, and Yu Karke, which received great reception before release.
- Over the years, Salman Khan’s fandom has only increased manifold. Hence, Dabangg 3 was expected to take his star power and charisma to another level on the big screen.
When Dabangg 3 was finally released on 20th December 2019, here is how it performed at the box office:
- On its opening day, the film collected 24.50 crores, making it one of the biggest opening-day grosses of all time, surpassing War and Housefull 4.
- The film witnessed houseful shows on the first day despite releasing along with other big films like Good Newwz and Frozen 2.
- In the first three days of the weekend, Dabangg 3 collected 81.15 crores, setting new records. It crossed the 100-crore mark in just five days.
- The movie’s first-week collection was 142.85 crores, the third highest for a Salman Khan film after Bharat and Sultan.
- In the second week, its collection slowed, earning approximately 30 crores. But the total collection after 2 weeks was around 175 crores.
- Despite facing protests and accusations during its release, the film ended its run at about 155-160 crores in India, the third-highest collection of 2019.
- Overseas, Dabangg 3 grossed around 37-40 crores, resulting in its worldwide collection touching around 195-200 crores.
In summary, Dabangg 3 once again proved Salman Khan’s Chulbul Pandey franchise’s phenomenal box office pulling power and fan following. While the film received mixed reviews, audiences watched it in huge numbers for Salman and his iconic character. It may not have reached the heights of Bharat and Sultan, but Tiger 3’s collection was still a blockbuster.
Salman is working on the espionage thriller Tiger 3, which will take his character Avinash Singh ‘Tiger’ Rathore to new international locations. Here are a few points about the making and expectations from the Tiger 3 collection:
- Tiger is Salman Khan’s iconic character. He started with Ek Tha Tiger in 2012, and its sequel, Tiger Zinda Hai, released in 2017, was also a huge success.
- Tiger 3 is directed by Maneesh Sharma of Band Baaja Baaraat fame under the Yash Raj Films banner. Ali Abbas Zafar, who directed the first two films, is the producer.
- The movie features Katrina Kaif reprising her role of ISI agent Zoya, with Salman returning as RAW officer Tiger. Emraan Hashmi has been cast as the antagonist.
- Unlike Dabangg, which was shot in India, Tiger 3 will be filmed extensively in multiple countries, such as Turkey and Russia, to underline its international espionage storyline.
- Some of the best international stunt directors choreograph action sequences to bring Hollywood-level action to the screen.
- Given that the first two parts earned over 300 crores each worldwide, Tiger 3 is also being made on a vast 200+ crore budget to raise production value multi-folds.
- With the franchise known for its spy thriller plotlines, many songs, and sizzling Salman-Katrina chemistry, Tiger 3 is highly anticipated worldwide.
Based on the massive success of earlier parts and Salman’s unparalleled stardom, the Tiger 3 collection is projected to set new box office records worldwide. Tiger 3 is expected to earn between 300 and 400 crores in India alone and emerge as one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.
So, from Chulbul Pandey to Tiger, Salman Khan continues to dominate and break new ground with each ambitious character. While Dabangg 3 cemented his star popularity, Tiger 3 seems all set to take his heroism to a never-before-seen global level. As the release date of December 2023 approaches, the fan frenzy for this biggie is already at an all-time high. With its grand production values, thrilling script, and Salman Khan mania working in its favor, Tiger 3 promises to roar high on the box office charts.
