To me, Director Rohit Shetty himself is one of the biggest stars in all his movies. I’m not really a fan of his movies; some worked for me and some didn’t but most of them have been rather loud, over-the-top and underwhelming to an extent. Not that I have a big issue with the supposedly entertainers since I have enjoyed many. However, there are a few points to be noted in his films- all of them are shot in our country which means we don’t have to shoot abroad just for the sake of it, he cares a hoot about his critics like a few of his contemporaries and knows the pulse of the masses (not to forget cars are blown up) and he emphasizes on his team at the end of every movie.
Rightly then, his films have been huge money-spinners barring just two of them. Mostly known for his slapstick comedies, ‘Singham’ (2011) was a welcome change for me and I enjoyed it. It went on to be another grosser in the 100 crore club. It was but obvious that Singham would return and expectations from the director are even higher now post ‘Chennai Express’… some renamed it ‘Record Express’! But again, records are meant to be broken… and broken again… and again. Superstar Ajay Devgan returns as Singham amidst all the number games and times when a movie is expected to break records beginning with the number of views once the trailer is released on You Tube.
Like its prequel, ‘Singham Returns’ is an uplifting film. It drives across a point to the audience- cops aren’t as bad as they are made out to be and are serving us in the best way possible. Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgan) is now a D.C.P. and is posted in Mumbai. Shetty begins with some statistics… eh! 47000 policemen are working very very hard so that 1.84 crore people in Mumbai can sleep well. Singham is still the angry hot-blooded strict cop who believes in changing the system by using it against the wrong-doers if necessary. If you are trying to look for a plot in these lines, you won’t get one! Let me try. One of Singham’s head constables is killed and charged of being dishonest. The family suffers a lot and the Mumbai Police Department has to face the media and its harsh questions. Guruji (Anupam Kher) is a good-hearted politician who wants to bring about a change in the society by encouraging young people in his party. He intends to win the elections and is opposed by a corrupt Baba (Amole Gupte) and his partner in crime (Zakir Hussain). Singham, who is responsible for protecting Guruji fails. Post his death, how our hero punishes the villains is what this sequel is all about. In the meantime, he also takes out time to romance Avni (Kareena Kapoor Khan).
As you can make out, there is nothing new to offer here. Shetty borrows most of the punches (read dialogues, action and background music) from the prequel and throughout the movie; you get this feeling that you are watching something stale. Also, the cat-and-mouse chase between Singham and Jaikant Shikre (a terrific performance by Prakash Raj in the prequel) is terribly missed here since the villains just don’t appear to be fearsome. Here too, the romantic track is not needed and even the two or three odd songs could have been avoided. Yes; editing is a problem here and it would have been wise to keep it slick and to the point. Lazily written and scripted, Shetty uses the same trappings as in ‘Singham’ and surprisingly for that alone, this one works. The power-packed scenes and confrontations add up well for its own good and ‘Singham Returns’ manages to deliver what the audience expects- some kick-ass entertainment! I’d like to single out the climax here which in itself is bang for your buck. Not real or logical but watching the entire team of cops out on the streets to punish the villains was enjoyable indeed. Music by Jeet is just about okay here. Even Honey Singh doesn’t do a ‘Lungi Dance’ with ‘Aata Maajhi Satakli’.
Ajay Devgan is fantastic once again as Singham; it is a rehash of what he has done but he carries it well with certain sincerity and delivers another power-packed performance. Kareena Kapoor Khan is wasted in a role which is unneeded but yet looks fresh and chirpy. We fans wouldn’t like to see you doing such small appearances, Mrs. Khan. Anupam Kher in a special appearance is competent like always. Amole Gupte and Zakir Hussain don’t make convincing villains here. Dayanand Shetty (Daya of C.I.D.) is okay.
Watch it or not: Yes; for the return of Singham and Ajay Devgan’s power-(and punch!)packed performance.
At the Box-Office: Do I even need to mention this? 100 crores will be easily crossed in a few days. There is hardly any competition in the coming weeks and with ‘Kick’ slowing down now after a kick-ass run at the BO and ‘Entertainment’ turning out to be plain average, ‘Singham Returns’ has great chances to make it to the 200 crore club. Much bigger hit than its prequel for sure. Business in single screens will be humongous, especially in Maharashtra.
My Verdict
My Rating
Singham returns to roar the second time… it’s as loud as the first one and exactly the same way! The third one better be louder and better or… I might have to roar myself- ‘Aata Maajhi Satakli’!
