Swagger makes presence felt, Singham mojo missing

Akkha public ko malum hai kaun aane wala hai, and Rohit Shetty’s Diwali release ‘Singham Again’ attracts hordes, again. Our very own Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn) is now leading Shetty’s cop universe to new heights, literally. Setting up a base in Kashmir, his special task force is ensuring that Kashmiri youth become a part of mainstream Bharat. Meanwhile, wife Avni (Kareena Kapoor Khan) is putting up a special Ramlila show back home, incorporating historical sites in the narrative to inculcate values among the youth. An old enemy pops up, turning the supercop’s life in a Ramayan parallel.

Now that we know that jitni baar bhi Ramayan likhi jayegi, jeet Ram ki hi hogi, one sits to see the much-hyped spectacle unfold, encompassing a whole range, from Kashmir to Sri Lanka. Singham retains his swagger in his third outing. Superbly fit, intense and larger than life, Ajay Devgn has kept his fan base content, churning out hit masala entertainers for more than three decades. This one adds to the long list, with a due nod to his debut ‘Phool Aur Kaante’.

His ‘family’ has only grown. Lady Singham (Deepika Padukone) gets a fun entry in the stunning backdrop of Meenakshi temple, Madurai. As the story progresses towards the Ram-Ravan war, others join in — Satya (Tiger Shroff) in the backdrop of Kalaripayattu ashram, bringing along some fine aerial combat sequences.

The first half moves rather slowly and it’s only in the second half, with the entry of Simmba (Ranveer Singh) that the screen perks up. His character is comic and he gets ample lines to make the audience laugh. ‘Show off’ Sooryavanshi (Akshay Kumar), and his forgetful nature, generates some more laughs.

This army is fighting Danger Lanka aka Zubair Hafiz (Arjun Kapoor), the London-educated lad who is out to avenge family hurt. Arjun gets a stylised makeover and the negative shade works well for him. Despite the blood bath he carries out, he doesn’t come across as menacing enough.

Shetty’s cop universe retains its signature elements — splendid actions with vehicles flying, hand-to-hand combat and great locales, but it never builds up the tension needed in a good versus evil story. Kareena is another entry in this universe but more than her act, her stunning sarees stand out.

We value that cinema today is anti-ageist, and pretty feminist. Kalari ashram is run by a woman, their head vaidya (physician) is another woman. Even in Ravan’s army, Mrigya/Iqra Hafiz (Sara Arfeen Khan) plays a key role. We love an inclusive India, but Omar Hafiz (Jackie Shroff) and Zubair Hafiz being labelled ‘dada-pota’ is rather off-tune. Shetty, along with his team of five writers, isn’t able to build the tension or even a good climax.

Now, masala entertainers aren’t supposed to make one think. ‘Singham Again’ touches the relevant themes but fails to encash on the premise. Scenes from the previous outing are featured, dialogues are repeated, and ‘Singham Again’ is the opposite of the threshold of good storytelling — show, and not tell. Too much revealed in the trailer, dialogues repeated and a script too simple outweigh the stunning backdrops and high production value. Emotion and drama that were the high point of Shetty’s previous outings go missing.

An overkill of mythology in recent times — ‘RRR’, ‘Adipurush’, ‘Ram Setu’, ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ — and too many collaborations in a runtime of two hours and 24 minutes make ‘Singham Again’ an average affair.