Forget Tiger, Pathan and Kabir. Alia Bhatt’s Alpha may reinvigorate the YRF spy universe
Alfa is not just another addition to the YRF spy universe. Here’s how Alia Bhatt’s Sita transforms the franchise from a patriotic spy-thriller to a deep, psychological story about a killer, survival, trauma and identity.
Over the years, the YRF spy universe has sold you a familiar fantasy. The heroes may have different personalities, but they all come from the same mold. They are decorated officers, keen patriots, highly trained and unwavering in their devotion to the nation. Be it Tiger (Salman Khan), Pathan (Shahrukh Khan) or Major Kabir (Hrithik Roshan), these are the people who chose the life of espionage. Alpha There are preparations to change that.
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Instead of introducing another typical RAW operative, director Shiv Rawail is asking a more uncomfortable question: What happens when one is never given a choice? If the trailers are anything to go by, Alia Bhatt’s Sita is not just another spy. She is someone who was turned into a weapon long before she understood what it meant: a killer.
And that subtle change may restructure the YRF spy universe more than any crossover so far. Because, for the first time in this universe, the main character is not a detective but a killer – someone who has been trained to kill and live without regrets.
Watch the trailer here:
The spy who never chose to be a spy
Until now, the franchise has relied on heroes who enter the story fully formed. Tiger, Pathan and Kabir are experienced professionals. They know the system, understand politics and, even when they rebel against authority, they do so because of their moral code. Sita’s story seems to start at the opposite end of the spectrum.
The film reveals that she was kidnapped as a young child by Bobby Deol’s Fateh and raised inside a brutal black-ops program. He was not recruited into espionage. She was obliged to do so. Violence was not a professional skill he acquired later in life. It became part of his upbringing. That changes everything.
Instead of the patriotism that drives the story, Alpha Seems to explore survival, manipulation and identity. When Sita finally realizes that the man she trusted has betrayed the country, her fight is no longer just about stopping a villain. It becomes an attempt to reclaim the life he never really had.
A darker YRF spy universe finally emerges
one of the biggest reasons Alpha Its psychological focus is different. Earlier films certainly dealt with betrayal, sacrifice, and duty, but they rarely dwelled on the emotional consequences of violence. The action was stylish, the humor was light and the heroes were nearly invincible.
Alpha It seems to be operating in a completely different place. The pictures in the trailers are telling. Fateh (Bobby Deol) presenting 18-year-old Sita with a list of assassination targets instead of a birthday celebration says more about her childhood than pages of dialogue. If one spends one’s formative years being taught that killing is routine, questions about identity and morality become impossible to ignore.
Even the film’s recent CBFC (Central Board for Film Certification) certification indicates this tonal shift. Board awarded Alpha U/A 16+ certificate after asking for modifications to the intense fight scenes and several stabbing scenes. This suggests that audiences should expect something grittier and more explicit than the flashy action spectacles the franchise has traditionally offered.
Not just a female spy, but a whole new blueprint
Perhaps the boldest creative decision is that YRF hasn’t simply swapped out a male hero for a female one. Previous women in the espionage world, whether Katrina Kaif’s Zoya or Deepika Padukone’s Rubai, were formidable in their own right, but they largely operated within the same institutional framework as their male counterparts.
Sita appears to exist completely outside that framework. She is not waiting for instructions from headquarters, nor does she need rescue. As well as the mysterious operator of Sharvari, Alpha intends to place the women at the center of the conflict rather than pitting them alongside established heroes.
Even the film’s mythological imagery reinforces that idea. Instead of waiting for someone else to defeat the demon, Sita chose to fight herself. The message is clear: He’s just not part of the mission. That’s the mission.
What happens when a weapon meets a soldier?
Despite its dark tone, Alpha Strongly connected to the larger YRF spy universe. With Anil Kapoor reportedly playing a senior lead role and Hrithik Roshan expected to make a cameo as Major Kabir, the film forms an interesting bridge between the past and future of the franchise.
It also establishes what may become the universe’s most compelling dynamic. How does someone like Kabir, a disciplined intelligence officer who chose to serve, respond to someone like Sita, whose entire existence was engineered by the very system she protects?
The inevitable crossover with Tiger, Pathan and Kabir suddenly feels less like fan service and more like a clash of ideologies. One side represents discipline, duty and institutional loyalty. The second represents the fight for survival, adaptation, and reclaiming stolen agency.
Because Alpha It’s not just introducing another hero. It is questioning the very definition of one. If the YRF spy universe has celebrated activists over the past decade, Alpha It sets out to explore what happens when the system creates a weapon of itself, and that weapon decides to fight back.