Singham looks like Ajay Devgan doing his version of Dabangg and Wanted but the film isn’t entirely so. It is a pretty watchable film that Ajay Devgan elevates with his presence and intensity.
No surprises here. Tamil remakes are the flavour of the season and boys must have their fun. So Rohit Shetty and Ajay Devgan, tired of playing funnymen have decided to go back to their-or their stuntmen father’s-action roots. I can’t say I am terribly excited at the prospect.
The honest police protagonist gives an extensive emotional speech on how the entire police force has gone corrupt, which instantly awakens the conscience of cops from across the state including the DGP, all of whom come to Singham’s immediate rescue. A head constable on the brink of retirement mouths a monologue on how a police officer is supposed to be saviour of the society yet remains underpaid than janitor.
An aftermath of the success of larger-than-life actioners like Wanted and Dabangg , Singham (officially remade from last year’s Tamil hit by the same name starring Suriya) is clearly devised as an out-an-out action flick for the original action hero Ajay Devgan. The focus is clearly on action and perhaps Rohit Shetty’s definition of full-blown action is his trademark blowing-up-cars phenomena. Jai Singh Nijjar’s action direction involving mortal combats and car chases is quite unimaginative on that front and it’s only thanks to Ajay Devgan’s intensity and physical authenticity that the fight sequences look kind of convincing.
The obligatory romance track involving Kajal Aggarwal is predictably boring. The heroine fulfils the prerequisites for an action film where she has to get molested once to give the hero a chance to show his heroism. A couple of redundant love songs later, love is hurriedly established between the couple. The idea of casting real Marathi actors doesn’t help much, since most of them are relegated to the backseat. And both Ajay Devgan and Prakash Raj who take the lead, struggle in forced Marathi dialect and accent.
Ajay Devgan effortlessly revives his action-hero image and looks quite convincing in his role. Kajal Aggarwal doesn’t get much scope other than showcasing a constant smirk. Sachin Khedekar hams. Ashok Saraf is his usual self. Sonali Kulkarni is wasted. Ashok Samarth has a commanding presence as the villain’s sidekick. Prakash Raj is perhaps the only villain who would be credited for his amazing comic timing.
Ajay Devgan clenching his fists like a lion kind of reminds Mithun Chakravarthy doing a similar step, couple of decades back in a B-grader called Cheetah . Singham isn’t much different from that film either. If an exaggerated action film still excites you, then go Sing-ham!
I will give 3 Stars to Singham.
