Singham Again review: A dated Rohit Shetty actioner high on style but low on substance

There was a period when Rohit Shetty was one of the most commercially successful directors with a terrific track record.

Movies like the Golmaal franchise and Chennai Express (2013) were huge hits with the masses lapping them up, despite fair share of criticism.

However, since the pandemic, things have been going downhill for the director, starting with Ranveer Singh’s Cirkus (2022), a slapstick comedy that produced more groans than laughs. His web series debut, The Indian Police (2024), also didn’t generate much of a favourable response either.

Certain overconfidence has gotten into the director, and Singham Again is the perfect example of this.

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Synopsis

The movie has a galaxy of stars and the trademark Rohit Shetty elements but it proves to be a festival dampener. The attempt to link Ramayana with the Singham universe comes across as jarring with zero novelty.

In simple terms, the story of Singham Again focuses on the kidnap of Avni Bajirao Singham (Kareena Kapoor Khan). Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgan) has to save his wife from the clutches of a deadly villain played by Arjun Kapoor. Since Bajirao cannot do everything on his own, others like Deepika Padukone’s Shakti Shetty, Ranveer Singh’s Simmbaa, and Tiger Shroff’s ACP Satya among others come to the aid of their guru.

All this runs parallel to the Ramleela. A nine-day program meant to convince the audiences that Ramayana is not some myth but actually history.

What works and what doesn’t

The first half of Singham Again is all about establishing the Ramayana connection. How Rama and Sita’s story represents true love and the various symbolisms. This soon gets tiring and it also doesn’t help that the movie’s trailer established all the Ramayana parallels along with the introduction of all-stars. As a result, the entire first half feels like a never-ending slow grind.

Dialogues like “India ghuske maarta hai Dushmanon Ko” feel like a forced attempt to evoke patriotic feelings. It is only towards the interval that the movie gets mildly interesting.

The character sketches of Singham’s team barring Ranveer Singh also prove to be a dampener. Deepika Padukone as Shakti Shetty never convinces the viewers that she can be Lady Singham. The stale dialogue delivery coupled with the accent is tough to endure.

Tiger Shroff as ACP Satya has even less to do. He is supposed to be modelled on Lakshman but it seems that Tiger was roped in more as a stunt coordinator rather than an actor.

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Performances

The film’s second half is significantly better thanks to Ranveer Singh’s energy and his punch lines. The actor lifts the movie’s energy single-handedly. In one instance, Simmbba is seen talking to Kareena’s Avni about how someone’s wife is always getting into trouble in this Cop Verse.

In the climactic sequence, he looks at Deepika and says “Deko Abhi family bhi badh raha hai”, adding to the laughs.

Arjun Kapoor as Danger Lanka/ Zubair Hafeez gets the menacing attitude right. Yes, some polishing is required but he manages to make for a strong villain.

Ajay Devgan does well within the script’s limitations. As an actor, there isn’t a lot to explore but he is his usual competent self.

Kareena Kapoor Khan looks radiant but after Crew and The Buckingham Murders this is just another movie where she is more of a show piece waiting to be rescued.

Final take

There is nothing to rave about either the film’s music or its cinematography. In conclusion, Singham Again fails to roar. It is high time that Rohit gets out of the action and comedy zone.

(Views expressed here are personal, edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)