A recurring aspect of the newly-established Tiger trilogy, set within the YRF Spy Universe, is that Tiger and Zoya refuse to stay in their respective home countries because of the enmity perpetuated by governments, armed forces, and radicalized individuals. Since they’ve got a son to take care of, they try to prioritize the family’s safety over everything else. But when it becomes impossible for the authorities to deal with the issue at hand, they perform their duties. In Tiger 3, Tiger and Zoya are forced to leave their house and tackle Aatish Rehman, a violent individual who wishes to perform a coup, assassinate the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and become the dictator of the country. However, there’s more to this generic-as-hell and jingoistic plot because of Aatish’s connections with Zoya and Tiger. So, let’s talk about Aatish Rehman’s past, his present-day shenanigans, and how his cliche arc came to an end.
Spoiler Alert
What Was Aatish’s History With Zoya and Tiger?
Zoya’s father, Rehan Nazar, used to work with Aatish Rehman for the ISI. Rehan was assassinated, and Aatish took his place to train Zoya to become a competent member of the ISI. Years later, during a peace summit between India and Pakistan in Austria, Aatish, who had ascended to the position of deputy director of the ISI, saw that diplomatic move as Pakistan bowing down to India and he refused to let that happen. ISI Chief DG Riaz advised him not to take any aggressive steps and to allow India to set the terms of the deal for the time being. Riaz said that a day will come when Aatish will become the Prime Minister, and then he’ll have the higher ground. Aatish didn’t listen to Riaz and went ahead with the plan to assassinate the Chief of Army Staff, General Riberio. Zoya, who was working under Aatish, opposed his decisions because it’d send the wrong message to India and tarnish Pakistan’s image. Aatish grounded her and sent his lover, Shaheen, to get the job done. In an attempt to get the word out, Zoya dialed the phone number of a random room in the hotel where the diplomats were staying, and it was Tiger who picked up the call. He overheard everything that Aatish said. He saved Riberio from getting shot and killed a pregnant Shaheen in the process. Aatish was stripped of his title and sent to prison. Soon after that, he was freed by General Imtiaz Haq because he also believed in Aatish’s cause, and from that day onward, he started to devise a plan to take over Pakistan and hurt Zoya and Tiger.
What Did Aatish Want From Tiger and Zoya?
Aatish was elated to learn that he didn’t need to go after Tiger and Zoya separately because they were married. He didn’t have to search for a weak point because their son, Junior, was right there in front of him, begging to be used as a tool for manipulation. So, he sent Dr. Hauffman to get Junior to depend on a certain kind of drug, which needed to be administered every 24 hours. If Hauffman didn’t give it to the kid, he’d die. To avoid that from happening, Zoya went back to Aatish after all those years and started working on an assignment to kill Jibran, as he had some damning information on what was happening in Pakistan to upend the country’s democracy. Tiger learned about this assassination attempt and intercepted the attack. That was how he found out why Zoya was working for Aatish. With both of them in the bag, Aatish forced the couple to get him the PAL codes for the nuclear missiles that he wanted to use to threaten both Pakistan and India, I guess. Zoya and Tiger did exactly what he asked them to do, but he got Tiger arrested for killing Shaheen and allowed Zoya and Junior to live. Getting Tiger arrested also gave Aatish the opportunity to frame him as an infiltrator and put India on the backfoot. When Tiger escaped, Aatish’s plan didn’t really change a lot because he knew that Tiger would try to save the sitting minister, thereby giving him one more chance to blame Tiger for the unrest in his country.
Is Aatish dead or alive?
At the end of Tiger 3, Zoya managed to take PM Irani out through a secret route so that she could deliver her message of peace and harmony to Pakistan, India, and the rest of the world. Tiger lied to Aatish that Irani was in a bunker and led him and his men to that spot. Once Irani started her message, Tiger single-handedly took everyone out and then stabbed Aatish with two knives. I might be wrong, but Tiger didn’t stab Aatish through the chest; he stabbed him around his shoulder blades. By the looks of it, Aatish succumbed to his injuries, and Tiger and Zoya walked away, leaving his corpse to rot in the bunker. So, yes, technically speaking, Aatish is dead. However, I have a feeling that he isn’t. The man has probably been through worse. Before getting stabbed, Aatish did take an explosion to the face and walked away unscathed. And am I supposed to believe that two knives are going to kill him? I don’t buy it. I think Aatish is still alive, and Aditya Chopra and the architects of the YRF Spy Universe are crafting their version of the Sinister Seven or Legion of Doom. Captain Saurabh Patil, masquerading as Khalid, from War, is very clearly alive. Yes, Kabir did drop a glass dome on him, but we didn’t see his butchered body. Hence, I am willing to bet that he’s alive. Jim did fall off a cliff at the end of Pathaan, but there’s a popular theory that he’s alive and has paraglided away with the help of some hidden gadget as soon as Pathaan looked away. And I am very sure that as soon as Tiger and Zoya exited the bunker, Aatish mustered up some strength and ran away. War 2 is going to introduce the most dangerous villain in the franchise in the form of NTR Jr.’s character. They can assemble in some dark corner of the planet and orchestrate an attack on the vigilantes of the Spy Universe. Or maybe all of them are dead, and this is just a bunch of nonsense that I am spewing in the hopes of seeing Tiger Shroff, John Abraham, and Emraan Hashmi do some more evil stuff.
