Officer Rakesh Kadam commits suicide after he is framed for being a corrupt cop by Jaikant Shikre. As his widow confronts Kadam’s tormentor, she points to heaven and says “Now He (God) will do justice.” Suddenly, the sun rises over a purification ceremony at a distant temple; a devout Singham rises from the water. As the theme song plays, he struts around in slow-mo, uniform perfectly pressed, pushing an ox cart out of the ditch here, helping an injured child win a race there, and giving kids rides on his motorcycle. He is adored by the people of his village, where he is revered as a benevolent father figure and protector.
When Jaikant Shikre, a crime boss and raising politician in the resort town of Goa, must come to Singham’s village to personally sign for bail, Singham humiliates him by treating him like a common criminal. Jaikant returns to Goa and uses his political muscle to have Singham transferred to Goa for the sole purpose of tormenting him. In Goa, Singham must fight a deeply demoralized police force, corruption on every level of the police establishment, and seek justice for Officer Kadam’s widow.
Ajay Devgan has created a memorable character in Officer Bajirao Singham, police chief of a small village. Devgan can toggle between sweet and shy and “I’ll beat the crap out of you if you do the wrong thing.” No middle ground here. When he gets really mad at someone, he jumps in the air, opens his hand, and slaps them on the top of the head like a lion. I am not making that up, it’s actually very funny.
Prakash Raj also creates a memorable character in Jaikant Shikre. He is a total narcissist; arrogant, juvenile, and above the law. He is capable of disposing of any one who gets in his way, including little boys and grandpas. Singham and Shikre are both over-the-top leading to several intense exchanges as each struggles to win the same turf.
Singham is fun, fast-paced and intense. No shades of grey here. The battle between good and evil is rarely this entertaining. Commercial Hindi films reinforce old-fashioned values of morality, honesty, and integrity, usually modeled by the hero. Of course, the hero usually has a chink or two in his armour. In Singham’s case, he isn’t above using the same methods the punks use to gain justice. He’s a “spirit of the law” guy and not a “letter of the law” guy.
There aren’t many ‘superheros’ in Bollywood and Singham is a good example of why. The film has lots of action, some stunts that will leave your mouth open, and a very small love story. Singham was a big hit for director Rohit Shetty. If you have seen Singham, let me know what you think!