Singham Again review: Singham roars but Simmba gets biggest kill in cop universe

Rohit Shetty reimagines the Ramayan in his cop universe with Ajay Devgn as Bajirao Singham, offering a blend of humour, drama, and action. The film features a contemporary twist on the mythological tale with a star-studded cast and meta jokes. Read the full review.

In Short

• Rohit Shetty's adaptation of Ramayana features Bajirao Singham, Simmba, and Sooryavanshi in a modern cop universe
• Arjun Kapoor shines as the villain
• References to iconic dialogues and moments add humour

Who would have thought that Ramayana could be retold with gun-handling police officers leading the way? Well, Rohit Shetty just did that. He reimagined the mythological tale into his cop universe, with Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn) as Ram. Along with that, the filmmaker’s inimitable humour, drama, and action make the film worth a watch. There is also a dose of meta jokes, including a dig at Sunny Deol’s Gadar success, that’s bound to make you chuckle.

The plot is taken from the chapter of Ramayana where Sita is abducted by Ravana, leading to the battle. Rohit Shetty’s Ravan is Zubair aka Danger Lanka (Arjun Kapoor), who wages a war not on religious grounds but to avenge his family. Singham is joined by Ranveer Singh’s Simmba as Hanuman and Akshay Kumar's Sooryavanshi as Garuda. Tiger Shroff’s character Satya is a nod to Laxman, and Deepika Padukone’s Shakti Shetty or Lady Singham to Sugreev.

Watch the trailer of Sigham Again here:

We all know how the story ends, so no point going there. What we do need to mention is how beautifully Rohit Shetty incorporated a mythological story into a contemporary setting. Other filmmakers (if you know, you know) could take a leaf from his vision of how you can tell these stories with a modern twist without making them ghastly. Be it the background score for each character or the references to the epic tale, it fascinates and entertains at the same time.

Shetty is also probably one of the few directors who manages to give all his actors enough to bite on. Ajay leads the way as Bajirao Singham, who may be a Gandhi bhakt but takes on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's avatar when needed. Kareena plays Avni, his wife, who is the actual strength behind his courageous personality. Akshay Kumar joins in as Sooryavanshi towards the climax and does what he is best at - hanging from the helicopter and jumping off high-rise towers.

Ranveer’s Simmba gets the best comic lines and his post-interval entry elevates the entertainment pitch. His chemistry with seniors Akshay and Ajay is also quite a treat. Deepika Padukone makes a debut in Shetty’s cop universe and gets to pack enough punches in her few scenes. Tiger Shroff gets only two scenes, enough for him to flex his biceps and display his physique.

The surprise element in Singham Again, of course, is Arjun Kapoor, who shines as the villain. While his look seems to have been inspired by Gabbar Singh, his menacing smile and baritone make his 'Danger Lanka' quite a terrifying villain. The actor had recently revealed he had ‘hounded’ the filmmaker for work, and we think you just did the right thing, Arjun!

A word of mention to the writers for the humour: - be it taking a dig at GenZ’s dating culture or the many meta jokes from ‘baap ka, dada ka ka badla’ from Gangs of Wasseypur, addressing Akshay as 'Khiladi' to Ranveer saying the oldies are the ones creating ‘Gadar’ today. There is also a reference to how this cop universe only gets to unite when the wife gets kidnapped. Give yourself a pat on the back if you manage to get the connection of Simmba singing ‘Dheere Dheere Pyaar Ko Badhana Hai’ to Singham.

Rohit Shetty and Ajay Devgn’s mutual love and trust make Singham a successful franchise. No one can play Singham apart from Ajay, and no other role can present him in such a heroic way. The actor can only make it convincing to defeat invincible villains by just slaps. But that’s also a flaw, given the fight during the climax between him and Arjun ends up slightly thanda.

Another moment where the film stumbles is the jarring VFX during Akshay Kumar’s sequence. The film also doesn't boast of an album, with no actual songs in the film (we missed the magic of Singham and his roaring moves). Also, the first 30 minutes are quite a slow burner, as the filmmaker probably used the time to set his multi-stars, and their worlds.

It also falls prey to jingoism as characters use popular dialogues like 'Naya Bharat, Naya Kashmir', 'Ab ghus ke maarenge', or even 'Har ek Hindustani mera parivar hai'. But given the dramatic mood of Singham and the universe, Rohit Shetty and his team can be forgiven for this. As a redemption, he does give his audience enough wow moments as cars fly and crash, and also manages to shoot at some breathtaking locales.

PS: Salman Khan's post-credit entry as Chulbul Pandey is blink-and-miss but also whistle-worthy. The announcement of Mission Chulbul Singham has definitely piqued audiences' curiosity.

3.5 out of 5 stars