Grateful for fans' unending love for 'Tiger' franchise: Salman Khan

Mumbai: The success of "Tiger" franchise feels very personal, said superstar Salman Khan, expressing gratitude to the audience for loving him in action avatar as the latest instalment of the film series continues to rake in big numbers at the box office.

The "Tiger" franchise, which started with 2012's "Ek Tha Tiger", features Salman in the role of super spy Avinash Singh Rathore alongside Katrina Kaif as Zoya.

Salman reprised the action hero role in 2017's "Tiger Zinda Hai" and now in "Tiger 3", which released in theatres on Diwali and has earned over Rs 300 crore globally.

"I’m grateful for the love that they have showered on me over the years and also for the love that they have given to my Tiger franchise! I have played the role of super-spy Tiger three times now. So, this appreciation feels like a hattrick of success for me.

"It is a character for which I have put my body on the line every single time. I have actually given it my all. So, the success of these films are also very personal to me," the 57-year-old actor said in a statement.

Salman said he takes "immense pride" in being an action hero. He has also headlined action movies such as "Dabangg" franchise, "Wanted", "Bodyguard", "Kick", "Radhe" and "Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan".

"I’m fortunate that people have loved me in this avatar in so many films. It feels great to taste success again and again with this genre because it is not an easy genre of cinema to please people with.

"You have to constantly reinvent and give audiences something new that they haven’t seen with each action film," the superstar said.

Directed by Maneesh Sharma and produced by Yash Raj Films (YRF), the film also stars Emraan Hashmi. It was released on November 12 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

"Tiger 3", set after the events of "Pathaan", is the latest film in the YRF Spy Universe and follows Salman's eponymous spy as he races against time to save his family and country.