New Delhi: Who did it first vs who did it better? The debate is age-old. As far as creating a ‘universe’ is concerned, Rohit Shetty can be credited for bringing the idea to the newer generation of Bollywood.

On the flip side, Sidharth Anand’s magnum opus Pathaan turned the tide for Bollywood, making the ‘spy verse’ official. The Raw spy verse also promises interesting cross-overs of megastars such as Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan.

So at some point or later, it is going to be Cops vs Spies. Which side will you pick? And which of these will emerge as the new “formula films” of Bollywood?

Let’s dive deeper into the unfolding rivalry of Bollywood Biggies

Rohit Shetty’s Cop universe

1. Singham

On this side action stars Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan, and Ranveer Singh are sitting on the throne. It all begin in 2011 with Ajay Devgan starrer Singham. The super hit had an equally successful sequel in 2014.

2. Simmba

Ajay Devgan’s cop avatar was ideal. An honest, fearless, and selfless police officer. Flipping the script with Ranveer Singh in 2018, Simmba introduced Bollywood with a corrupt and power-driven cop in the lead role.

3. Sooryavanshi

Rohit Shetty teamed up with Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif in 2021. The movie proved Rohit Shetty’s cop formula as it did well after a year-long covid pandemic dimmed the shine of cinema halls.

Yash Raj Film’s Spy Verse

1. Ek Tha Tiger

Released in 2012, Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger was the first addition to the Spy verse. Essentially, YRF also created Bhaijaan’s Tiger Avatar which later became a tried and tested success formula for the sequels.

Much like Rohit Shetty’s Singham, right?

2017 film Tiger Zinda hai broke the box office with a whopping Rs. 565 crore collection. In fact, another ‘Tiger’ is all stacked up to grace the spy verse.

2. War

In 2019, YRF introduced Tiger Shroff and Hrithik Roshan as Raw agents. This time spy verse also got its first ‘rogue,’ something it will continue to use in its future projects.

3. Pathaan

Let’s be honest, Pathaan doesn’t even need any introduction. With Pathaan, Bollywood’s spy verse accelerated itself into unimaginable potential.

Another feature of the spy verse is the cameo appearances. Salman Khan in Pathaan and SRK in Tiger 3 have fans gone gaga. It would be interesting if such collaborations and cross-overs become the magic ingredient for upcoming actioners.