If
Singham
was
a
biryani,
with
all
the
flavours
coming
together
seamlessly,
Singham
Again
is
a
desi
thaali,
full
of
scrumptious
dishes,
but
a
tad
in
excess,
discovers
Sonil
Dedhia
who
watched
Rohit
Shetty’s
latest
film
in
New
Zealand.
There
is
a
scene
where
Bajirao
Singham
(Ajay
Devgn)
tells
Danger
Lanka
(Arjun
Kapoor),
‘Jab
Singham
aata
hai
toh
log
seeti
marte
hai,
taali
marte
hai
ya
salute
karte
hai.’
Having
witnessed
all
of
Rohit
Shetty’s
cop
universe
films
in
the
theatres,
I
would
agree
that
they
have
had
some
whistle-worthy
moments.
Unfortunately,
it
is
not
the
same
with
Singham
Again.
For
all
its
hype
and
promise,
Singham
Again
fails
to
become
the
entertainer
it
was
billed
to
be.
Viewers
of
Rohit’s
Singham,
Singham
Returns,
Simmba
and
Sooryavanshi
would
have
come
to
expect
a
certain
level
of
excess
—
fantastical
characters,
ridiculous
action
and,
of
course,
the
‘hero’
beating
the
odds
and
saving
the
day.
Centering
around
a
righteous
cop
who
never
bows
down
to
anything
and
who
performs
fantastic
stunts,
these
films
tend
to
have
a
lot
of
style
and
are
entertaining
to
watch.
Just
like
Sooryavanshi,
Singham
Again
tries
to
up
the
ante
by
getting
them
all
together:
The
movie’s
titular
officer,
played
by
action
veteran
Ajay
Devn,
joined
by
the
supercops
of
the
previous
films
(Ranveer
Singh
and
Akshay
Kumar).
To
add
even
more
spice,
Shetty
brings
on
the
newbies:
Tiger
Shroff
as
Satya
and
Deepika
Padukone
as
Shakti
Shetty
for
a
bullets-and-brawn
extravaganza.
The
film
starts
from
where
Rohit
left
us
in
Sooryavanshi.
Bajirao
Singham
is
now
transferred
to
Kashmir
where
he
captures
Lashkar’s
commander
Omar
Hafiz
(Jackie
Shroff).
Hafiz
tells
Singham
that
something
huge
is
about
to
happen
and
the
person
doing
it
is
going
to
unleash
hell.
The
efforts
of
Singham
and
the
team
to
locate
this
terrorist
and
save
his
wife
(Kareena
Kapoor
Khan)
and
stop
him
from
his
mission
are
what
we
see
in
this
movie.
Nothing
that
Singham
Again
unleashes
on
the
action
front
catches
us
by
surprise.
That
apart,
the
film
takes
its
own
sweet
time
to
lay
out
the
details
of
the
anti-hero
(Arjun
Kapoor)
whose
mission
is
to
take
revenge
for
his
family.
In
his
recent
films,
Rohit
has
tried
to
incorporate
the
essence
of
single
stories
with
crossover
elements
that
seek
to
provide
larger-scale
action
and
drama.
Take
Sooryavanshi,
for
instance.
It
stars
Akshay
Kumar
at
the
forefront
along
with
Ajay
Devgn
and
Ranveer
Singh
and
the
action
never
lets
up.
Singham
Again
does
the
same.
The
film
is
both
overstuffed
and
thin
as
paper,
struggling
with
pacing
and
coherence
due
to
its
rapid,
chaotic,
editing
and
a
bombastic
soundtrack
that,
while
energising,
may
overwhelm
rather
than
enhance
the
storyline.
While
Devgn
plays
his
age
in
the
film,
I
would
have
liked
to
see
him
doing
more
action
rather
than
just
giving
orders
and
leaving
the
others
to
do
the
job.
The
swagger
and
the
style
that
he
otherwise
carries
on
the
screen
is
also
missing.
The
film
is
always
trying
to
even
out
its
politics.
It
isn’t
hateful,
just
often
daft
and
dramatic.
It’s
time
film-makers
stop
using
the
same
dialogues
like
‘Ye
naya
Bharat
hai‘
or
‘Kashmir
ka
youth
badal
raha
hai‘
and
even
‘ghus
ke
marenge‘
to
evoke
patriotism.
The
film
incorporates
a
unique
narrative
element
inspired
by
the
Ramayana,
weaving
traditional
themes
of
good
versus
evil
into
its
modern-day
action
context.
This
thematic
inclusion
aims
to
elevate
the
story
beyond
typical
police
drama,
adding
a
mythological
depth
where
the
hero,
Bajirao
Singham,
embodies
righteousness
akin
to
Lord
Ram
or
Bhalerao
Sangram
aka
Simbaa
depicts
Hanuman
and
Danger
Lanka
as
Ravan.
But
the
parallels
do
not
fully
blend
with
the
story’s
core
police-centric,
action-oriented
plot.
While
Rohit
seeks
to
draw
on
these
epic
motifs
for
added
grandeur,
the
balance
between
homage
and
cohesive
storytelling
is
not
fully
achieved,
resulting
in
a
backdrop
that
feels
somewhat
out
of
place.
Rohit
tries
to
let
go
of
the
climax,
combining
action,
and
humour
(thanks
to
Ranveer’s
goofiness,
it
surely
brings
some
respite),
into
a
cohesive
whole.
The
last
20
minutes
is
where
the
director
goes
out
all
guns
blazing
with
bombs,
guns,
rocket
launchers,
airborne
vehicles,
and
summary
executions,
which
is
to
say
it’s
a
Rohit
Shetty
film.
A
return
is
promised.
The
build-up
for
Arjun
Kapoor’s
character
as
an
anti-hero
is
massive.
He
is
menacing
in
his
introduction
scene,
but
his
climax
sequences
are
a
letdown.
I
would
blame
the
director
who
makes
it
look
like
he
wanted
to
end
the
film.
Ajay
Devgn
sleepwalks
through
his
role.
He
tries
to
bring
in
some
intensity,
but
leaves
the
audience
wanting
more.
Kareena
doesn’t
really
have
anything
to
do.
Tiger
Shroff
and
Akshay
play
to
the
gallery,
while
Deepika
does
get
to
show
her
action
avatar
and
doesn’t
disappoint.
Ranveer,
like
I
mentioned
earlier,
brings
comic
relief.
Arjun
Kapoor
in
a
negative
role
is
a
revelation.
He
burns
the
screen
on
the
strength
of
his
evil
laugh
and
savage
energy.
If
only
he
had
more
screen
time.
If
Singham
was
a
biryani,
with
all
the
flavours
coming
together
seamlessly,
Singham
Again
is
a
desi
thaali,
full
of
scrumptious
dishes,
but
a
tad
in
excess.
PS:
Just
like
Sooryavanshi
had
provided
a
glimpse
of
what
was
to
come
in
the
next
installment,
Singham
Again
indicates
what
the
future
might
hold
for
the
Rohit
Shetty
cop
universe.
And
it’s
no
secret
that
Salman
Khan’s
Chulbul
Pandey
is
coming
in
for
a
post-credit
scene
that
is
truly
underwhelming.
Singham
Again
Review
Rediff
Rating:
