Singham Again (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – A new chase is coming – with reference to the epic Ramayana, Singham and his team face an ambiguous villain in order to save his wife.

My Take – Hard to believe, but it’s been more than a decade since Ajay Devgn first donned uniform as the swaggering Deputy Commissioner of Police Bajirao Singham in Singham (2011), and then went after the evil empire of a sham godman in Singham Returns (2014).

Though he marked special appearances in Simmba (2018) and Sooryavanshi (2021) as everything combined into Cop Universe, this one marks the true continuation to the character’s story, as this time around he wages war against a revenge thirsty terrorist.

Containing all the elements, attitude, style, showmanship and heavy-duty action expected from a Rohit Shetty directorial, this one even goes as far to draw thematic parallels with the Ramayana. And while the resulting film is probably the weakest addition to the cinematic universe, mainly due to its bloated, overheated and scattershot screenplay that adopts familiar template.

Yet, with the help of an ensemble cast that also includes the likes of Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Kapoor and Tiger Shroff, and of course the heart-pounding over the top action, director Rohit Shetty provides the entertainment quotient.

Every entry in the cop universe, including this one, embraces the idea of cinematic spectacle-where the hero’s journey, rather than unexpected plot twists, keeps you hooked. The film’s objective is clear: to thrill, to energize, and to offer a larger-than-life viewing experience, and it no doubt succeeds on that front.

Beginning sometime after the events of Sooryavanshi (2021), the story once again follows DCP Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn), who has been stationed in Kashmir, playing a major part in curbing the militant action. His such due diligence even leads to the capture of Omar Hafiz (Jackie Shroff), the mastermind behind the planned Mumbai attack which Singham managed to curb with Simmba (Ranveer Singh) and Sooryavanshi (Akshay Kumar).

Two years later, Singham, who is now heading a special task force, finds himself facing a new foe in the form of Danger Lanka (Arjun Kapoor), who also happens to be Zubair Hafiz, Omar Hafiz’s grandson. Uninterested in waging a so called religious war, Zubair instead wants vengeance for the death of his family members.

To do that, he kidnaps Singham’s wife, Avni (Kareena Kapoor Khan), as a bargaining chip. Forcing Singham to call upon his older allies, Simmba and Sooryavanshi, and newer allies, Lady Singham, aka Shakti Shetty (Deepika Padukone) and ACP Satya Bali (Tiger Shroff), on a quest to rescue his wife and stop Zubair’s deadly revenge witch hunt.

As was the case in the previous films, here too, director Rohit Shetty and his team of five writers, dive deep into Bajirao Singham’s relentless pursuit of justice, this time drawing strong thematic parallels with the Hindu epic. This mythological undercurrent brings an added layer to the storyline, portraying the age-old battle between good and evil, with Singham standing as an unwavering force of righteousness.

But despite its mythological references, the plot is quite straightforward and unfolds in a way that many will find predictable. However, the film mostly works precisely because it doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. It’s a film made for fans of filmmaker Shetty‘s brand of cinema, where the hero is uncompromising, the villains are clear-cut embodiments of evil, and justice is served with loud style and power.

From larger-than-life dialogues to explosive chase scenes and set pieces, the film is packed with mass moments that have become synonymous with his style, even if they often overshadow the plot.

Fans of the genre might be pleased by the overdose of bravado and rhetoric that flow out of the storyline and create room for cameos, which also includes the likes of Salman Khan‘s Chulbul Pandey from the Dabangg films, who despite being of a different style and sensibility pops up in the mid-credits scene to tease a new potential team up.

Performance wise, Ajay Devgn delivers what has come to be expected from him. He is comfortable in this character and carries the intensity of the role like no other. With his constant chatter, Ranveer Singh is the highlight of the bunch. There is never a dull moment when he is onscreen.

Akshay Kumar only appears for a few minutes, but his banter with Ranveer Singh is hilarious. The chemistry and friendly rivalry among Singham, Simmba, and Sooryavanshi adds a fresh layer to the narrative, and the humor is spot-on.

Kareena Kapoor Khan looks radiant but disappointingly here she is more of a show piece waiting to be rescued. Given the scrutiny his performances were under, Arjun Kapoor surprisingly delivers the menacing antagonist act. Sadly, Jackie Shroff, Deepika Padukone and Tiger Shroff‘s characters are underutilized. On the whole, ‘Singham Again‘ delivers the familiar exhilarating spectacle we have come to expect from Shetty‘s legacy of crowd-pleasing cinema.