Movie review: Singham Returns is enjoyable but plot is a retread

Singham Returns
Direction: Rohit Shetty
Actors: Ajay Devgn, Amole Gupte, Kareena Kapoor
Rating: **1/2

Singham Returns is a potent but problematic ode to the Mumbai policeman. In the first film, if you remember, Singham was a village boy turned into a uniformed force of nature. Writer-director Rohit Shetty and leading man Ajay Devgn have created a superhero who, quite literally, packs a punch. Built like a granite wall, Singham is invincible and unafraid.

This is one of Shetty’s least cartoonish films. Which doesn’t mean he’s going for Ardh Satya-style realism. We’ve still got the signature cars blowing up and some terrific action sequences on the streets of Mumbai. But these sequences have a gritty texture.

It’s almost impossible not to cheer as Singham beats the baddies to pulp. The character is enjoyable but the plot is a retread. There are the usual corrupt politicians, aggressive TV news reporters, honest cops who go unrewarded. The baddies are a power-hungry politician and a demonic godman, the latter played with verve by Amole Gupte.

The weakest link is the tedious romantic angle between Ajay and Kareena Kapoor, who plays his gluttonous girlfriend. Kareena’s beauty is startling, but here she’s not even attempting to act. Despite these soft spots, Ajay keeps the film moving. I was cheering for Singham, but ultimately his solutions are downright dangerous. I don’t want to tell you what happens, but it made me very uneasy.