Movie Review Singham - A 'maar-dhadh' feast for family
Friday, July 22, 2011 1:02:32 PM (IST)
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RKS, Bollywood Trade Editorial
The film belongs to the 'maar-dhadh, and message' genre, a speciality of south Indian filmmakers and writers, emulated with great enthusiasm and regularity by Bollywood copycats after the huge success of GHAJINI. However, SINGHAM seems to have been made in a big hurry. It is amply evident from the fact that it skips some of the critical elements and nuances of its better-written original Tamil version. The film relies entirely on its action and fight sequences and an ultra-brawny Ajay Devgn, who also does a great job of delivering his loaded lines with rare panache and conviction sans the usual screaming. He essays the heroic role with verve, a far cry from some of his earlier performances where he came across as a reluctant actor doing forced labour.
It is an action film for the entire family, and kids of all ages will enjoy it and carry home the idea of heroism of vintage variety. There is no sex and real violence in the film. In spite of visceral fight sequences, there is no blood or gut-spilling. There are no spicy item numbers, expletive laden dialogues, and titillating skin-show on display. All this should come as a huge relief to worried Indian parents who have been cursing the new-found liberalism of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). It is a kind of a pure and proper action flick, eminently watchable and enjoyable by pota-potis, mata-pitas, and dada-dadis.
Films like SINGHAM are designed to play to the gallery and it does perform the assigned task quite effectively. The audience identifies with the film's message and gets its dose of entertainment as well. However, it lacks the platinum touch of magic that makes people come to the theatre for repeat viewings and turns a film into a long-playing franchise. That is a lost opportunity for its makers since they chose not to explore the hidden potential of the story and subject fully.
It is a simple story of a police officer Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn) with a heart of gold, posted in his own village that is located about a hundred kilometres from Goa city. He uses his good-natured ingenuity to resolve local conflicts and deliver instant justice. He is very popular and people love him and look up to him for his heroic qualities. However, far away in Goa, Jaikant Shikre (Prakash Raj), an all-powerful extortionist, criminal, and politician, rules the roost. By a quirk of fate, the paths of Singham, the sher, and Shikre, the shikari, cross and thus starts the classic seesaw battle between the brave hero and a wily villain/comedian combo. The hero vanquishes the invincible villain in the end. He also redeems the reputation and honour of the much-reviled police force by arousing the dozing consciences of his corrupt colleagues. His message is loud and clear. The country does not need a Lokpal or Jokepal to clean the system, it needs Singhams who toss the law books aside and go after the criminal and the corrupt with vigorous vengeance. The heroine Kavya Bhosle (Kajal Aggarwal) stands by the hero all the time. She admires him for his courage and bravery and exhorts him to fight against injustice whenever he reaches the point of quitting. She also provides moments of eye-pleasing 'relief' in the high-octane action, 'maar-dhad', and punch-line driven proceedings.
Rohit Shetty's direction is seamless and competent except the romantic sequences that should have been better developed and integrated with the narrative. Action and fight scenes have been shot innovatively and work well with the audience. The film is edited meticulously, particularly its action and fight sequences. However, its climax is badly conceived and is too tame and tiresome for a film of this genre and thus quite disappointing. It does not leave you on a high note, which is an abject failure of screenplay writing. There was no need to deviate too far from the original story and screenplay since Reliance already had the rights of the Hindi remake. While most of the songs are forgettable, the dynamic 'Singham' theme track is mood-elevating and adds a lot of punch to Devgn's performance. It is a kind of marching song that never fails to work whenever played during the film.
All actors have generally performed well. Ajay Devgn as Singham is admirable. Prakash Raj, the villain, does his usual things. I have a feeling that directors let him do whatever he wants since he performs the twin tasks of a comedian as well as a villain in his trademark style. In this film, he is more of a comedian than a villain, which is a negative. Kajal Aggarwal is sweet, confident, likeable, and fully dressed. The supporting cast also stands out, especially the actor who plays Shiva's role. He excels in one of the long-drawn scenes where he is being brutally belted by Devgn, but continues berating and mocking the police force for its powerless state.
Will the film do well at the box office? It should, certainly in single-screen theatres at B and C centres. It should do particularly well in Maharashtra since it has references to Maratha history and dhansu Marathi punch lines. Though it certainly is not the best film of this genre, nowhere close to multi-layered classics like VIRASAT, INDRA, or SIVAJI, yet it holds audience attention and is worth a one-time dekko. It is an average film and thus should do an average business.However, if, as reported, the cost of making and marketing the film is in the vicinity of Rs.50 crores, it will find it tough to recoup it at box-office.
Rating 3.5/5
(Rajesh Kumar Singh is Editorial Consultant for Festivals and Markets for BollywoodTrade.com. He is a filmmaker, critic and market analyst)
Tags : Singham Movie Review, Singham Movie, Singham Review, Ajay Devgn, Kajal Aggarwal, Prakash Raj, Rohit Shetty
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