Kunal Kemmu reveals if his spy-comedy Vibe is a spoof of Shah Rukh's Pathaan, Salman Khan's Tiger

Kunal Kemmu is starring in and directing the new spy-comedy film, which also stars Preity Zinta and Sparsh Shrivastava in leading roles.

Ever since the teaser for Kunal Kemmu's upcoming film Vibe dropped, people have assumed it is a spoof of recent Bollywood spy thrillers. Kunal's character even name-drops ‘Pathaan and Tiger’ in the teaser, solidifying fans' assumptions. The actor-director has now cleared the air on the same.

Vibe trailer: Sparsh Shrivastava and Kunal Kemmu in a still from the film.

Kunal Kemmu's Vibe

In a new interview, Kumal has said that Vibe is not a spoof or parody of any Bollywood film, and it only features dialogue about Pathaan and Tiger, as they are the most popular pop-culture references in the spy genre. In an interview with PTI, Kunal said, “I've had this story with me even before I became a director. I've narrated this to friends. I didn't write it then because I didn't know whether it would be made or not. At that point of time, Pathaan had definitely not come. But it was just about what this character would feel. It was not taking a swing at anybody. Like, it was genuinely saying that for this normal man, like if I get picked up, I will say, 'you pick up somebody who's good at this',”

Kunal on the Pathaan and Tiger joke

The film stars Kunal and Sparsh Shrivastava as two friends caught up in a high-stakes mission despite having no training or experience as spies. A line from the teaser has Kunal questioning the Indian spy agency for involving them when they have ‘Pathaan and Tiger’ at their disposal. Talking about the dialogue, Kunal added, “The idea of getting into the spy world, when you actually see the film, you'll understand why what is happening, it's all logical, it's not farcical. It is kind of over-the-top in the way that what is happening with them. But it's not a spoof, it's not a parody of any film,” he added.

Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan, released in 2023, is part of the YRF Spy Universe. It is India's highest-grossing spy thriller. Tiger is the name of the character Salman Khan plays in the same franchise. The three films starring him have also grossed over ₹1000 crore.

All about Vibe

The cast of Vibe also includes Preity Zinta, Vanshika Dhir, Dinesh Lal Yadav, and Yashpal Sharma, among others. Produced by Kunal Kemmu and Chirag Nihalani under their production banner Drongo Films, in association with Amazon MGM Studios, Vibe will be out in cinemas on September 18.