“Singham” Movie Review

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-

The trend of atypical masala entertainers began all over again with WANTED, which was effectively emulated by the super-successful DABANGG. The larger-than-life hero knocks down 50 thugs and sends them flying in the air with just one punch. He romances the heroine. Puts his life at stake by catching the bull by the horns. Emerges victorious in the finale... Come to think of it, the Indian audience is starved for true-blue masala entertainers that were admired and revered in the 1970s and 1980s. Oh, can we ever forget the serpentine queues outside cinema halls to watch those movies, starring our fav stars? With SINGHAM, the Ajay Devgn - Rohit Shetty team goes back to their roots; both started with action films, if you recall -- PHOOL AUR KAANTE and ZAMEEN, respectively. SINGHAM is one of those earthy, traditional, uncomplicated masala movies that most of us grew up on. The protagonist of SINGHAM is not the desi version of James Bond, nor is he any kind of a superhero.

SINGHAM pays homage to the action films of 1970s, which was known for the heroism, death-defying action sequences and pulse pounding thrills. It's an acknowledgement to one of the most successful genres of Bollywood -- action movies -- known for the trademark good versus evil themes and well choreographed stunts. Unlike many films recently, SINGHAM revives memories of the bygone era that stressed on raw action and was rich in fist-to-fist combat scenes. In fact, it has traces of action that Ajay's father [Veeru Devgn] and Rohit's father [Shetty] immortalized in their movies. But SINGHAM is a film of today, hence the stunts are extremely stylized and polished in keeping with the times. It's raw power presented in a slick demeanor.