Singh Is Bliing (2015) Review!!

Synopsis – Raftaar Singh (Akshay) spends his days whiling his time away dancing and jumping through fire hula-hoops at fairs in Bassi Pathana in Punjab. While his father (Yograj Singh) is tired of his ways, his mother (Rati Agnihotri) caters to his appetite with home-cooked jalebis, before the former asks Raftaar to choose a path for himself. Either get married to a certain Sweety, or move to Goa and work under his father’s friend. Considering the first option unimaginable, Raftaar chooses the second.

My Take – There is a fine line between an enjoyable ‘keep your brains at home’ kind of comedy, something which Akshay Kumar specializes in (Singh Is Kinng, Housefull series), & going full r****d, in the means of taking the audience for granted. I am sure you can guess from the trailers, which category this Prabhudeva film fall into! Considering the how indescribably crass his last film (Action Jackson) was, you would think he would opt for something a little more evolved, well you are in for an unpleasant shock. Akshay Kumar and Prabhudeva’s last movie together Rowdy Rathore (2012), was mildly enjoyable affair, & this time around the director’s iconic recipe of harebrained plot, improbable action and sheer nonsense is revamped and is joined by Akshay‘s own brand of mindlessness. Except, that there is no story, yet again. Grand south-style action is served with Punjabi masalas. It is nothing like Singh Is King (2008) nor is it a sequel as most people like to believe, just bludgeons with the utter silliness that is up on display. I know It’s best to keep your expectations modest while watching such kind of a film, but this stoops to an altogether new low! It is always fun to watch Akshay with his crazy comic antics. He perfectly portrays his usual role of a silly and funny character and carries it off really well. There are no second thoughts about his equal dedication in both comedy and action. Even in this film, he seems comfortable in his role and gives his best. But is Akshay‘s energy and strength just enough to carry the whole film? I will be honest, the 1st half right before the interval is actually hilarious, but post interval it seemed the film was not sure what genre it wanted to go for! It seemed director Prabhudeva was forced to just film sequences to fill in the 140 minute run time. The characters start moving around Goa, Punjab and Romania without much reason, while all the humor which was likable in the 1st half start falling flat. Mediocre jokes, blasphemous approach and deafening background score is what flashes for most part of the film.

At one point, you are compelled to ponder what is entertainment all about? Is it merely about coming to cinema to laugh for 2 hours and take back nothing? When was the last time you watched a commercial film which you know will stay for years with you? The story follows Raftaar Singh (Akshay Kumar) who lives in a small town in Punjab, as a pampered child of his mother (Rati Agnitori). But he is the biggest irritant of his father (Yograj Singh). In order to teach Raftaar a lesson of responsibility, he sends him away to Goa to work for his friend. Upon reaching in Goa, he impresses his new boss with his enthusiasm and out of the box thinking. Soon, Raftaar is handed the responsibility of taking care of their foreign guest Sara (Amy Jackson), whom Raftaar falls in love with. He hires Emily (Lara Dutta) as a translator who almost ruins their budding love. Sara, the daughter of a Romanian kingpin (Kunal Kapoor) is actually in Goa to find her long lost mother. In the meantime her fathers rival Romanian underworld don Mark (Kay Kay Menon) is out for her blood. How the lovers join hands forms the rest of the story. Agreed! None of us were expecting marvel here but entertainment needs to have its barriers. It seemed like a quick guide to turn lecherous in 2 hours. You’ll want to curse yourself for volunteering to go for this banal nonsense shortly after gorging on the exceptional Talvar (Read the review here). Director Prabhudeva could have done a better job. He is not able to create the same magic with Akshay that he did in ‘Rowdy Rathore’. The reason behind this could be the weak script of this film. In an effort to create a balance between action and comedy while adding up drama in the mix, Prabhu ends up messing on all grounds.There are eight songs in total in the music album and almost every song is catchy, peppy and makes you groove. The songs like “Tung Tung” and “Singh and Kaur” are already ruling the music charts. “Dil Kare Chu Che” has both funny lyrics and choreography. “Mahi Aaja” originally sung by RDB Group was a popular track; now it has been added in the album in three versions. Looking beyond the film’s shallow seen-before content and some unimaginative song placements, if we are still able to endure the film, the lion’s share of the credit should go to Akshay Kumar who owns the part of Raftaar Singh – a naive, jobless, good-natured Sardaar who moves to Goa from his home in Punjab to earn a living. When it comes to comedy, no one can beat Akshay Kumar. He rules the character from the first frame itself. He has depicted the character of Raftaar in an amazing manner. Some scenes while make you laugh loud, while some brings you in tears. However he cracks jokes at the right moment and also kicks the baddies.

With among the best physiques in business, well-groomed facial hair and sporting a ‘pagdi’, Akki is an ‘asli’ Sardaar on screen. Towards the end, we see a natural heroic turn in his character and even then, the comic simpleton image of his is maintained. A sure treat for his fans, this one is. Surprisingly its the drop dead gorgeous Amy Jackson who is the biggest asset to the movie. Amy is super-convincing and all style, swag in her action scenes which have been slickly choreographed. It is a role reversal of sorts as Amy is the dominant partner until the end, when she is forced to turn the helpless damsel in distress. Of course, there is plenty of skin show from the supple Brit babe, with a bikini scene to boot. There is something so transfixing about her and it is a delight to see her on screen. It was a delight to see Lara Dutta back! Where had she hidden her comic talent in the past? She was too good in her performance that in almost every scene of hers you will surely have a laugh. Her expressions, her style, and the way she delivers her dialogues – she is best in everything. If only they had given her more role in the 2nd half as well. What the hell is Kay Kay Menon doing here? This once upon a time the poster boy for films for posterity – hams! Firstly, it is difficult to understand that how come an actor like him with so much caliber, can take up such a role? The intensity of his acting skills has been seen in his previous projects, but in this movie he has been shown as a suave clown. There are some punch lines given to him to show his comic side, which keeps repeating in the film like “I am too good” and “Easy is Boring”. Kunal Kapoor, veteran actor Shashi Kapoor’s son has made a comeback in this film after 30 years. He plays the role of Amy’s father but appears very less on screen. He has done fairly well on his part of the role. Rati Agnitori looks fit to her role as Akshay’s mother. All other supporting actors have done justice to their particular role. On the whole, ‘Singh is Bliing‘ is an exhausting, loud, & shamelessly repetitive slapstick comedy which works only in bits & pieces due to its compelling lead pair. Sure, compared to Action Jackson its miles ahead. But if you are a fan of Akshay Kumar and looking to get rid of all the tensions, then the movie does it all to make you laugh. Although for the ones, who wants to see something different on the screens every time, this movie can do the opposite.