Singham

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Kajal Aggarwal, Prakash Raj
Directed by Rohit Shetty
Rating: **

Devgn plays the severely muscled cop Bajirao who, curiously, is constantly called by his surname, Singham, even by his parents and girlfriend. Bajirao’s shades (and contortional dance moves) are a throwback to Chulbul Pandey of Dabangg. Bajirao specialises in sending cars and human bodies flying in the air with his blows and when he is particularly angry he uproots a lamp-post to fight the bad boys (an obvious tribute to Sunny Deol in Gadar). Needless to say, the municipal authorities have no issue with such vandalism. Meanwhile, he is also cute-’n-coy, specially when he finds it difficult to say “I love you” to his girlfriend (Kajal Aggarwal).

Pitched against him is the politician-hoodlum Jaykanth Shikre (Prakash Raj) who speaks intense lines like: “Sab kuchh karne ka, lekin Jaykanth Shikre ka ego hurt nahin karne ka”. When the hero upstages him in the climax, he is hurt beyond repair: “Cheating karta hai tu, hero nahin villain hai tu.” Singham is full of such literary gems. Take your pick: 1) Is khaki vardi ki kasam, ek ek ko khak kar dunga. 2) Hamare yahan rajneeti mein system nahin hai par system mein rajneeti hai. 3) Meri zarooratein kum hain; isliye mere zameer mein dum hai. 4) Kutton ka jhund chaahe kitna bhi bada ho, uske liye ek sher hi kaafi hota hai. 5) Paaltu kutte ko kahin bhi chhod do laut kar apne ghar hi jaata hai.

Like most of Shetty’s films, Singham is set in Goa. The Goa of Hindi films has been eternally populated with Catholics speaking Hindi with a pronounced angrezi accent. In Singham, they make way for Hindus talking in Marathi. Then why make the film in Hindi? And why not situate it in Mumbai?