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If Singham was a biryani, with all the flavours coming together seamlessly, Singham Again is a desi thaali, full of scrumptious dishes, but a tad in excess, discovers Sonil Dedhia who watched Rohit Shetty's latest film in New Zealand.
There is a scene where Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn) tells Danger Lanka (Arjun Kapoor), 'Jab Singham aata hai toh log seeti marte hai, taali marte hai ya salute karte hai.'
Having witnessed all of Rohit Shetty's cop universe films in the theatres, I would agree that they have had some whistle-worthy moments.
Unfortunately, it is not the same with Singham Again.
For all its hype and promise, Singham Again fails to become the entertainer it was billed to be.
Viewers of Rohit's Singham, Singham Returns, Simmba and Sooryavanshi would have come to expect a certain level of excess -- fantastical characters, ridiculous action and, of course, the 'hero' beating the odds and saving the day.
Centering around a righteous cop who never bows down to anything and who performs fantastic stunts, these films tend to have a lot of style and are entertaining to watch.
Just like Sooryavanshi, Singham Again tries to up the ante by getting them all together: The movie's titular officer, played by action veteran Ajay Devn, joined by the supercops of the previous films (Ranveer Singh and Akshay Kumar). To add even more spice, Shetty brings on the newbies: Tiger Shroff as Satya and Deepika Padukone as Shakti Shetty for a bullets-and-brawn extravaganza.
The film starts from where Rohit left us in Sooryavanshi.
Bajirao Singham is now transferred to Kashmir where he captures Lashkar's commander Omar Hafiz (Jackie Shroff).
Hafiz tells Singham that something huge is about to happen and the person doing it is going to unleash hell. The efforts of Singham and the team to locate this terrorist and save his wife (Kareena Kapoor Khan) and stop him from his mission are what we see in this movie.
Nothing that Singham Again unleashes on the action front catches us by surprise. That apart, the film takes its own sweet time to lay out the details of the anti-hero (Arjun Kapoor) whose mission is to take revenge for his family.
In his recent films, Rohit has tried to incorporate the essence of single stories with crossover elements that seek to provide larger-scale action and drama. Take Sooryavanshi, for instance. It stars Akshay Kumar at the forefront along with Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh and the action never lets up.
Singham Again does the same.
The film is both overstuffed and thin as paper, struggling with pacing and coherence due to its rapid, chaotic, editing and a bombastic soundtrack that, while energising, may overwhelm rather than enhance the storyline.
While Devgn plays his age in the film, I would have liked to see him doing more action rather than just giving orders and leaving the others to do the job.
The swagger and the style that he otherwise carries on the screen is also missing.
The film is always trying to even out its politics. It isn't hateful, just often daft and dramatic. It's time film-makers stop using the same dialogues like 'Ye naya Bharat hai' or 'Kashmir ka youth badal raha hai' and even 'ghus ke marenge' to evoke patriotism.
The film incorporates a unique narrative element inspired by the Ramayana, weaving traditional themes of good versus evil into its modern-day action context.
This thematic inclusion aims to elevate the story beyond typical police drama, adding a mythological depth where the hero, Bajirao Singham, embodies righteousness akin to Lord Ram or Bhalerao Sangram aka Simbaa depicts Hanuman and Danger Lanka as Ravan. But the parallels do not fully blend with the story's core police-centric, action-oriented plot.
While Rohit seeks to draw on these epic motifs for added grandeur, the balance between homage and cohesive storytelling is not fully achieved, resulting in a backdrop that feels somewhat out of place.
Rohit tries to let go of the climax, combining action, and humour (thanks to Ranveer's goofiness, it surely brings some respite), into a cohesive whole.
The last 20 minutes is where the director goes out all guns blazing with bombs, guns, rocket launchers, airborne vehicles, and summary executions, which is to say it's a Rohit Shetty film.
A return is promised.
The build-up for Arjun Kapoor's character as an anti-hero is massive. He is menacing in his introduction scene, but his climax sequences are a letdown. I would blame the director who makes it look like he wanted to end the film.
Ajay Devgn sleepwalks through his role. He tries to bring in some intensity, but leaves the audience wanting more.
Kareena doesn't really have anything to do.
Tiger Shroff and Akshay play to the gallery, while Deepika does get to show her action avatar and doesn't disappoint.
Ranveer, like I mentioned earlier, brings comic relief.
Arjun Kapoor in a negative role is a revelation. He burns the screen on the strength of his evil laugh and savage energy. If only he had more screen time.
If Singham was a biryani, with all the flavours coming together seamlessly, Singham Again is a desi thaali, full of scrumptious dishes, but a tad in excess.
PS: Just like Sooryavanshi had provided a glimpse of what was to come in the next installment, Singham Again indicates what the future might hold for the Rohit Shetty cop universe. And it's no secret that Salman Khan's Chulbul Pandey is coming in for a post-credit scene that is truly underwhelming.
