Movie Review - Singham Returns

The Lion is back with a bang

DIRECTOR: ROHIT SHETTY

GENRE: ACTION, DRAMA

STARRING: AJAY DEVGN, KAREENA KAPOOR KHAN, ANUPAM KHER, AMOLE GUPTE, ZAKIR HUSSAIN, DAYANAND SHETTY, MAHESH MANJREKAR

FINAL VERDICT: ***1/2

“Aata Maajhi Satakli”!

These are surely the new ‘three magical words’ which will be on everyone’s lips courtesy Singham Returns. Singham, which released in 2011 couldn’t have got a better sequel. A successful movie franchise is said to be the one, when the sequel is a better offering than the original film. I’m glad to say that Singham is indeed a successful franchise.  Singham Returns is a notch ahead than its predecessor in terms of storytelling and the screenplay. The story of Singham Returns is much more intense as compared to the first film in the franchise.

The story is now set in Mumbai, and Bajirao Singham (Devgn) is the DCP (Transferred for no reason from his previous post it seems.) And two minutes into the movie, we have Singham dominating the scene and passing on a lecture of philosophy to a bunch of dim-witted youngsters. The first half revolves around black money and the views of Guruji (Kher) on the same. Guruji is shown as the modern day Gandhi who meets a similar fate as the latter. Ironically, Guruji is also Singham’s mentor and role model. The crux of the plot is about how Singham and his team nab the culprits and try to cleanse the society from such parasites.

Amole Gupte’s character as the self proclaimed Baba is a cocktail of the so called “spiritual and religious leaders” of India. In one of the scenes it is evident, that the doings of a certain BAPU are shown (Pun intended). Nonetheless, Gupte is entertaining to say the least and he deserves accolades for his role. Zakir Hussain plays Gupte’s crime partner, and Hussain too is great like Gupte.  

But our man is BAJIRAO SINGHAM!!! Ajay Devgn isn’t often seen in films. But when he does one, he makes it a memorable one, that’s a certainty. (Himmatwala included in the list)! Singham Returns is no exception and Devgn gives his best. And when an actor of Ajay Devgn’s caliber gives his best, the movie is bound to be sensational. The energy and positivity can be felt in Devgn’s dialogue delivery. With this stellar performance from Devgn, he has sent a clear cut message to B Town movie lovers. “Don’t you dare think that I’m out of the race for the most bankable actor!”

Kareena plays Avni, an outspoken girl, and is awfully loud throughout the movie.  She acts in the same way she did in Golmaal 3. The character traits are similar as well. Blabbering before thinking is one such common trait. Overally, Kareena is OK and she does moderately well in the limited screen time she gets.  Any other actress could have done this role but she outclasses Kajal Agarwal, who was ‘not that great’ in Singham.

Along with Devgn, the spine of this movie is Rohit Shetty. Shetty’s purple patch and Midas touch is present this time around as well. His direction is razor sharp and to the point. Directors like Shetty can make lame and dreary stuff look profusely entertaining. The direction is accompanied by catchy dialogues and an ideal screenplay. Both the halves of the movie are equally eye- catching and not even a second of this film seems to be stretched.

Another radiant aspect about Shetty’s film making is that he gives a lot of attention to the locations. His previous outing Chennai Express was an example of the same. This time too he has done the same and has made Mumbai look simply beautiful.

As a whole, the movie is a mass entertainer and sends a strong message for the youth of this nation. On a personal note, the announcement of a third film in the Singham franchise would really excite me.