Direction: Rohit Shetty
Music: Ajay-Atul
Production: Reliance Entertainment
The Golmaal buds are back to do what they do best, loads of dishoom dishoom, cars flying all over and Ajay Devgn projected as the super hero full filmi style in the Reliance Entertainment produced 'Singham'. Apart from the fact that Ajay and Rohit started their filmi career together in an action film Phool aur Khaante as Actor and assistant director respectively, their first movie together as actor – director was also an action film Zameen but then Golmaal happened and the rest as they say is history. Add in the above average 'All the Best' too then the duo's comedy film repertoire looks as envious as David Dhawan and Govinda's partnership. But this is not a comedy film but the craze of remaking southern masala blockbusters in Hindi has caught the duo's attention too and once again its time for Ajay to flex some muscles. Why not? after the stupendous Gajini, Wanted, Ready and rich southern flavoured 'Dabaang' who would say no to the Tamil blockbuster 'Singam'?
The story is about a small town honest cop Bhajirao Singham(Ajay Devgn) pulled into the big city by a king pin, Jayakant Shikre(Prakash Raj) to show him his political power. With corruption strangulating the existence of Singham and Jayakant Shikre slowly getting more powerful than ever, Singham has to not just use his brawn but brains too to defeat the enemy. But can he do it?
The original Singham did get much recommendation from critics but became a blockbuster thanks mainly to the producers heavy marketing, Surya's star status and some very nicely thought out scenes. The remake takes all the positives from the original and adds few maratha flavour and Singham is all set to roar heavily in bollywood too. But that doesn't mean Singham is all green, it does get monotonous and slow by the mid second half and Rohit also tries a different climax from the original which heavily depends on Prakash Raj's performance, he does succeed but somehow the end just looks like a rushed up job. Not entirely convincing. But that was one of the negative pointers of the original too. There are few scenes where southern flavor just gets too heavy especially the fight sequences but single screen audiences are just going to embrace it with hoots and cheers.
Ajay Devgn has enacted the role with sincerity but looks too tired in many sequences and the power packed scene where the hero challenges the villain in his own lair which was one of the most talked about scene in the original, looks just plain mediocre thanks to the dull recital of the fiery dialogue by Ajay and the support staff's clueless acting. Kajal looks fresh as ever and looks completely at ease with mouthing Hindi language but has little to do acting wise. Prakash Raj seems to have finally captured bollywood too with his menacing performance. The master looks convincing as a Maharashtrian and carries the film effortlessly. Sonali Kulkarni is decent but her character could have been a little less confusing. Sachin Khedekar's character does make you smile but is under utilized. The rest of the talents have done a decent job but nothing extraordinary to brag about.
Cinematography by Dudley is decent but the fake night scenes with artificial flares to light up the character's face is a bad move. Editing by Steven H Bernard, is slick but could have been more brutal in the end. Art Direction by Narendra Rahurikar, is decent but far from realistic, the police lock up with two big windows is a big blunder. Music by Ajay and Atul is decent but none of the songs actually sticks on to you expect 'Maula mere'. Choreography by Ganesh Achariya is not upto the mark and the step he has given Ajay in the first song is just too mediocre to be true. Amar Mohile's background score enriches the visual drama. The action scenes designed by Rohit Shetty and executed by Jai Singh is a treat for action lovers. The 'Red' inspired action scene where Ajay walks out from the swirling car with his gun out brings the whole theatre down.
Overall its a paisa vasool entertainer which has action aplenty and is a sure-shot success in the single screens but with Zindagi and Delhi still bringing in the crowd it would be quite interesting to see how Multiplex audience welcomes this Singham.
What i say: A decent dish with Southern spices added a bit too much