Movie Review: Singham (2011)

Singham (2011) directed by Rohit Shetty

Police officer Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn) is a small-town cop in rural India. He's also the greatest cop ever. As his theme songs tells viewers, he's the terror of evildoers and champion of justice. His actions follow those words. He solves disputes and beats down bad guys.

Almost everyone in his small town is related (or at least they know each other). He falls for Kavya (Kajal Aggarwal), a girl who keeps getting into trouble or having stuff stolen from her. Her dad is moving up in the business world. If fact, her family moves to Goa, the big nearby city, when he gets the chance.

The big city has big problems. The movie starts with another good cop committing suicide because he's been framed after investigating organized crime boss Jaikant Shikre (Prakash Raj). His widow seeks justice through the system, but most if not all of the police force in Goa has been bought out or is under the thumb of Jaikant. He gets away with everything. He is ordered, as a formality, to report in to Singham's office for a minor incident. Jaikant sends his lackeys; Singham refuses them and demands Jaikant report in four hours or be tossed in jail. Jaikant comes with a lot of his goons but the townspeople show up in support of Singham. Jaikant has to submit. With his bruised ego, Jaikant has Singham transferred to a Goa office where he has little support in his crusade for justice. Nevertheless, Singham persists, winning over his fellow officers in his conflict with Jaikant.

The movie is a larger-than-life, over-the-top action film. Singham sometimes has to resort to violence, at which he is a master. The fights are more like Jackie Chan than Sylvester Stallone. They are visually imaginative and outlandish in a fun way. The movie almost completely lacks blood and gore, a refreshing change from contemporary Western action dramas. On the other hand, the opening scenes of the cop driven to suicide and the surprisingly serious fate of Jaikant are at odds with the otherwise whimsical tone of the film. A few musical numbers are thrown in, which is standard for a Bollywood film. I particularly liked Singham's theme, which is the most visceral and stirring theme since the first season of Attack on Titan.

The movie is discussed in depth on A Good Story is Hard to Find #230. Thanks to Julie and Scott otherwise I would never have seen this entertaining gem.

I watched it here on streaming since I couldn't find it available on other streaming services or on DVD. There is an animated cartoon on Netflix which I haven't watched...yet.

Recommended.