The Rise & Regression of Female Spies in YRF's Spy-Universe: How It Has Only Gotten Worse

The YRF Spy Universe has always thrived on testosterone. From Salman Khan’s no-nonsense Tiger to Hrithik Roshan’s Greek-god agent Kabir, to Shah Rukh Khan re-entering action terrain with Pathaan, it has been an adrenaline factory fueled by larger-than-life men and their bulging biceps. And now with War 2 adding Jr NTR into the mix, the spotlight is once again on this grand action playground.

But while the men have strutted around with gravity-defying stunts and billion-rupee backdrops, what about the women? Have they been sidekicks in bikinis, or have they actually left their mark on the espionage map? With Alpha on the horizon, touted as YRF’s first all-female spy saga fronted by Alia Bhatt and Sharvari Wagh, it’s worth pausing to see where the women of this universe have truly stood so far.

Zoya: The Woman Who Refused to Be Eye Candy

When Ek Tha Tiger landed in 2012, no one quite expected Katrina Kaif’s Zoya to become such a defining figure in the universe. She wasn’t just a love interest planted for dance numbers or mushy romance. She was an ISI agent, fierce in her loyalties, layered in her motivations, and most importantly, vital to the plot.

Critics at the time noted how refreshing it was to see a Hindi film heroine not reduced to a “damsel-in-distress.” And over three films, Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai, and Tiger 3 Zoya grew stronger. She wasn’t thrown into bikini montages for fan service, nor did she exist only to further Tiger’s masculinity. She carried her own weight, leading missions, saving hostages, and even holding her ground in fights with villains.

In a franchise where Salman Khan was the roaring lion, Katrina ensured Zoya was no mute lioness trailing behind. She was a co-pilot, a partner, an equal, arguably the best-written female spy of the universe so far.

Vaani Kapoor in War: The Pause Button Nobody Asked For

Then came War. A slick actioner with Hrithik and Tiger Shroff trading blows, pulling off balletic stunts, and playing mentor-protégé games. But when it came to Vaani Kapoor’s character, the script pulled the emergency brakes. She wasn’t a spy. She wasn’t even an agent. She was…a love interest, thrown into the narrative only to give the film a song, a romantic diversion, and some unnecessary emotional padding. Vaani had screen presence, but the writing gave her nothing to work with. In a film so laser-focused on style and combat, her role looked like a detour, a half-hearted inclusion, reminding audiences that women still weren’t being trusted with equal narrative power. Her appearance, glamorous as it was, felt like a pause button nobody really asked for.

Rubina aka Rubai: Deepika’s Spy With a Side of Glam

When Shah Rukh Khan exploded back onto the action stage with Pathaan, Deepika Padukone’s Rubina (or Rubai, as SRK lovingly called her) was introduced as a Pakistani ISI agent. And finally, after years of playing coy with female characters, YRF seemed to strike some balance.

Rubina fought, schemed, betrayed, and saved. She wasn’t just a prop in Pathaan’s journey. She had her own motivations and agenda, flipping loyalties between Pathaan and her agency, keeping the tension alive. Yet, the film couldn’t resist pulling in the glam quotient. “Besharam Rang” became the viral anthem, and while Deepika scorched the screen, the glam-doll image crept in alongside her spy credentials.

Rubina was important, yes. She was layered, yes. But she was also clearly being positioned as both an action heroine and a visual spectacle. Better than Vaani, less impactful than Zoya, but a step in the right direction nonetheless.

Kavya in War 2: When Spies Are Reduced to Cameos

And now, the elephant in the room, Kiara Advani’s Kavya in War 2.

This was supposed to be YRF’s most ambitious spy outing. Hrithik Roshan back in the fold, Jr NTR joining the lineup, Ayan Mukerji in the director’s chair. The canvas was massive, the expectations sky-high. And then came Kavya. Underwritten is an understatement. She got a staple bikini scene. A flowery romantic track. A sprinkle of action sequences. And then…nothing. No backstory, no proper arc, no emotional depth. She wasn’t driving the story forward; she was simply orbiting around it.

If Zoya had been the blueprint, and Rubina an evolution, Kavya felt like a regression. Almost as if YRF remembered at the last minute, “Oh wait, we need a heroine in here”, and pencilled her in like a decorative accessory. For a franchise that once prided itself on making its female leads matter, War 2 felt like a betrayal of that progress.

Why the Regression?

It’s worth asking: why do female spies in this universe oscillate so dramatically between layered and disposable? Part of it is the genre itself; Indian mass action cinema still leans heavily on its male stars. The box office machinery thrives on Salman flexing, Hrithik strutting, SRK reinventing. Women, more often than not, are considered the garnish, not the main course. But audiences are no longer as forgiving. Zoya worked because she was essential. Rubina worked because she added intrigue. Kavya flopped because she felt replaceable. It’s not rocket science; viewers don’t want their heroines to just look good in slow motion. They want them to matter.

The Promise of Alpha

And now we wait for Alpha. Finally, YRF has announced a female-led spy film, headlined by Alia Bhatt and Sharvari Wagh. No sidetracks, no “hero with a heroine” balance. Just women at the frontlines.

It’s a gamble, sure. The universe itself is showing cracks, with War 2 receiving mixed-to-negative reviews and criticism for its writing and VFX. The question is: can Alpha save this sagging franchise, or will it only expose how flimsy the foundation has become?

One thing is clear, though: the audience is ready for it. We’ve seen what Katrina could do when given a solid role. We’ve seen how Deepika elevated her spy moments beyond glamour. If Alpha learns from these examples and avoids the mistakes of War 2, YRF might just find itself back in the game with a story that not only sell machismo but also celebrates feminine ferocity.

When Female Spy Will Get 'Commercial'

Of course, in the YRF Spy Universe, the real judge has always been the box office. For years, this franchise has minted gold, riding the shoulders of its male stars. Ek Tha Tiger was a monster hit, Tiger Zinda Hai went bigger, and War (2019) broke records with Hrithik and Tiger’s face-off. Pathaan then rewrote the rules, not only smashing charts worldwide but also reminding Bollywood that the spy game could be a cash cow. But the release of War 2 has shaken that confidence. Despite a mighty cast and a prime Independence Day weekend, the film’s mixed reviews are dragging down what should have been a smooth sail. Yes, the opening numbers are flashy Rs 174.75 crore net in four days in India and Rs 268.25 crore worldwide, but the cracks are visible. What’s telling is how little the female characters have contributed to these box office triumphs; they haven’t been marketed as selling points, nor have they been given roles worth cheering for. If Alpha manages to change that, it won’t just be a narrative win, it could be a commercial game changer too.

Femme Fatales Need More Than Firepower

Looking back, the journey of women in the YRF Spy Universe feels like a tug-of-war between progress and tokenism. Zoya soared. Vaani stumbled. Rubina balanced. Kavya crashed.

As we await Alpha, the question isn’t whether audiences will accept women leading the charge; they will. The question is whether YRF will finally write its women with the same conviction, intelligence, and gravity it gives its men. Because in a spy universe that prides itself on high stakes, the real risk lies not in explosive action sequences, but in reducing half its cast to pretty props. And that, more than any villain, is the universe’s deadliest enemy.

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