Who’ll throw in the towel?

Katrina Kaif with Lee in the scene

What's among the unlikeliest places you'd imagine a fight sequence in? A hammam would arguably figure in that list. Not for producer Aditya Chopra and director Maneesh Sharma. The trailer of Tiger 3 gives a glimpse of Katrina Kaif fighting her opponent, both in towels, in a Turkish bath. The actor, who reprises the role of spy Zoya in the Salman Khan-led action fare, says Chopra conceptualised the sequence, pitting her against Michelle Lee, who has featured in Black Widow (2021) and Bullet Train (2022).

Before filming the set-piece in Turkey in September 2021, Kaif says Lee and she trained for weeks under the guidance of action director Oh Sea Young, learning the movements to precision. "It was a difficult sequence to shoot because it has hand-to-hand fighting inside a steamy hammam. [Due to the steam], gripping, fending, landing the punches and kicks was a challenge. I don't think there has been a fight sequence like this featuring two women on screen in India," says Kaif.

With the genre of action no longer viewed as a male bastion, the leading lady is thankful that playing YRF spy universe's first female undercover agent has enabled her to showcase her prowess. "I love doing risky action sequences, and this franchise has always given me the opportunity to take things several notches higher. [In] Zoya, the audience gets to see a woman who can fight as well as a man."