‘Singham Again’ review: Rohit Shetty’s cop version of the ‘Ramayana’
Action, and not the story, is the centrepiece of Rohit Shetty's latest action-drama
Even before a gun is fired or a car destroyed in director Rohit Shetty’s latest cop-and-terrorist saga, a disclaimer is read out in two languages—about mentions of a Hindu god and respect for beliefs. When you consider that Singham Again is built on the bedrock of the epic, Ramayana—with Ajay Devgn’s Bajirao Singham likened to Lord Rama—, the disclaimer seems like a safe bet.
Shetty declares this film as another chapter in his ever-evolving cop universe. It opens in Kashmir, where senior superintendent of police, Bajirao Singham, makes an entry in slow motion on screen, accompanied by a piercing Singham chant in the background. It’s not long before metal bodies start stacking up as a police convoy is ambushed in a terror attack. When he apprehends a high-value terrorist, Singham earns laurels at work, ends up heading a special squad, titled Shiva, of handpicked agents.
Two years after this event, as Bajirao’s wife Avni (Kareena Kapoor Khan) presents a staged extravaganza on the Ramayana, her husband becomes the target of a ruthless leader, dubbed Danger Lanka. And Sri Lanka becomes an area of conflict for India and the special squad, Shiva.
Danger Lanka, whose real identity is that of Zubair Hafeez (Arjun Kapoor), is a formidable enemy. The UK-educated drug lord is likened to Ravana, who abducts Sita, or in this case Avni. It’s now up to Singham to rally his troops and unite Shetty’s khaki-clad Avengers. The army consists of Sangram ‘Simmba’ Bhalerao (Ranveer Singh), Sooryavanshi (Akshay Kumar), Shakti Shetty (Deepika Padukone) and Satya (Tiger Shroff).
The screenplay switches from a detailed rendition of Ramayana on stage and the on-ground drama around Avni’s kidnapping, aided by a plant in her team. That she’s named Mrigya is so cheesy that the writers of Singham Again should also be cringing. Nine writers are credited with story, script and dialogue, yet they could not write better female characters. The action, not the story, is the centrepiece of this 144-minute-long action-drama.
Arjun Kapoor is a solid fit as the villain in this heavy-duty cast. Most of the characters play up the actor’s image—Kumar makes a grand entry via a helicopter, Shroff is the martial arts expert, Singh is the glib wild card Simmba, who describes his pairing with Singham as Super cop and Robocop. The comatose script gets a boost once Singh appears post interval with swagger and mischief, finally jolting a disengaged viewer out of slumber. One can enjoy barely for a few seconds between the pounding music and sound design.
Offsetting Singh’s wildness is Devgn’s unmoving performance, Kumar’s disinterested appearance and Padukone’s insufficient presence. Singham Again comes across as a long promotion for Ramayana tourism, traversing from India to Sri Lanka. Except this promo is presented Rohit Shetty-style, with a large body count—human and metallic—, and a big, bright, pounding visual canvas, as he gathers A-list Bollywood stars presented in cop versions of Laxman, Hanuman, Jatayu, Garuda, and more
DCP Singham had his first outing in 2011 (Singham). He’s clearly ready for a desk job or early retirement. But hold on to your holsters, because Rohit Shetty isn’t done yet. Salman Khan’s Chulbul Pandey just got added to this universe. But I would much rather see Singh in Simmba Again, without the robocops.
Udita Jhunjhunwala is a writer and critic. She posts on X @Udita J
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Business NewsLoungeArt And Culture‘Singham Again’ review: Rohit Shetty’s cop version of the ‘Ramayana’
First Published:3 Nov 2024, 09:30 AM IST
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