In a recent interview Ranveer Singh said the truth about Rohit Shetty films. They are movies that are tailor made for people who come for the first day first show at Gaiety Galaxy (A theatre in Mumbai that offers the old single screen vibe). And his new movie Simmba is an extension of the Rohit Shetty franchise Singham. With blatant emphasis on woman safety happening on a lecture level on screen, Simmba is a mixed bag that has its Rohit Shetty moments along with a lot of cringe worthy old school elements.
Simmba aka Sangram Bhalerao is an ACP who is extremely corrupt. He had this idea planted in his head during childhood that only police officers can make money easily. So this corrupt police officer is now transferred to Miramar police station, Goa. He is in his usual wacky corrupt mode until a rape murder case shook him as the victim was a girl whom he considered as his sister. The transformation of Simmba post that incident is the main story of this new Rohit Shetty film.
Well, the trailer literally has shown us almost the entire film. Or I should say, if Rohit Shetty decides to make a sequel to this one, you could just show the trailer to someone as a summary of what happened in the first part. There is no suspense here and no novelty in writing. Just like Satyamev Jayate, this movie is also a lazily written film using an idea that can sort of confuse the audience in judging the film. The horrible clichés and plastic characters are so familiar and guessable that you might feel that the movie is exploiting the sentiment of the audience rather than making them aware of the negative side of a mindset. The irony is that a movie that has given zero spotlights to its leading lady and has made the other female characters mere Tiffin carriers’ starts to speak in volumes about educating the sons of this country about respecting women.
From a Rohit Shetty point of view, the car casualty this time is pretty less (almost zero I think). As usual, his sets look artificial and colorful. And with a Ranveer Singh, whose default setting is loud and crazy, at the center of the action, the writers had a character in their hands. But I think the writing goal of this movie was to create moments that are similar to the outdated masala movies. The problem is that we have seen similar films and better films in the past and this kind of masala pattern which sort of blocks the genre from evolving can’t even become the recipe for a guilty pleasure movie. The screenplay is unsurprising and you have to be that desperate to feel entertained after seeing a stunt that you saw coming from a mile away. The music is kind of okay with the trailer BGM popping up at regular interval of time so that you won’t feel tired in the 160 minutes long runtime. Jomon T John is known for making visually stunning frames and with someone like Rohit Shetty who likes to create a Holi pattern even in the interiors of a police station, Jomon makes the frames look colourful.
For Ranveer Singh, this could well be his dream role. If you take away the fact that Simmba is a police officer, Ranveer Singh is being himself in most portions of Simmba. I am not saying that as a negative. Ranveer sort of enjoying his role as Sangram Bhalerao can make anyone smile as his attitude adds to the molding of the character. For Sara Ali Khan, there were court cases and out of court settlements because of the scheduling conflicts between Kedarnath and Simmba. And if you watch this film, Sara Ali Khan is as important as Katrina Kaif in Thugs of Hindostan and I wonder how such a small role could create such scheduling conflicts. It was a refreshing change to see Ashutosh Rana as a positive character. Sonu Sood is there as the mandatory villain with the usual agenda. There is Ajay Devgn in the movie reprising his role as Bajirao Singham and it will surely create festive vibe in single screens.
It’s a very confusing thing to come to a rating for a Rohit Shetty film. He makes films of one particular tone that you know will be liked by a category who knows how to keep the expectations low. I personally wouldn’t try to watch Simmba again as nothing in it gave me a reason to view it for a second time. Having said that, it might work for you if the theatrical ambiance you are in is similar to a Gaiety Galaxy.
Rating: 2/5
With a blatant emphasis on woman safety happening on a lecture level on screen, Simmba is a mixed bag that has its Rohit Shetty moments along with a lot of cringe-worthy old-school elements.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
