Honest daredevil cop Singham (Ajay Devgn) is back in this schematic sequel to the 2011 Hindi blockbuster, which itself was a remake of a Tamil potboiler.
Relocated from Goa, Singham (which means ‘lion’) is now the deputy police commissioner of Mumbai and once again he is all set to clean up the dirty underworld. When the no-nonsense lawman is framed by a fake Swamiji (Amole Gupte), he has to clear his good name.
Singham’s modus operandi remains the same. He roars, flies and kicks the living daylights out of the baddies, while slapping down anyone who attempts to bribe him. He blows up cars, walks endlessly in slow motion wearing sunglasses and engages in frequent ‘dishum-dishum’-style shoot-em-ups. He also finds time to romance the YouTube sensation ‘Lady Singham’ (Kareena Kapoor).
Unlike the somewhat enjoyable original, which was an over the top retro kitsch throwback to ’80s Bollywood, this follow up has arty pretensions. But the tone meanders from romantic-action comedy to socio-political thriller without developing satisfactorily any of the serious issues raised – such as the nexus between unholy god-men, corrupt politicians and the police, so endemic in India.
Lead man Devgn shows off his buff body frequently while Kapoor pouts perfectly. Still, mega-successful director Rohit Shetty (‘Chennai Express’) might want to think about sticking to what he does best: making crude masala comedies that cater to his fanbase.