Singh, o rei

With a string of consistent hits, it seems Akshay is set to become the next king of Bollywood.

This week saw the the release of his much hyped 'Singh is Kinng'. Expectations were as always were high. Interestingly, the movie doesn't disappoint.

The movie uses the hitherto untouched concept of 'Gangsta. Sardar'.Though this has caused quite a stir in various Sikh groups but the movie doesn't project anything objectionable. Its a ride of just under two-and-half hours with most of the time or rather all the time Akshay making his presence felt.

The script is just OK. Akshay's acting makes up for the flaws. Its not a deliberate 'laughter show' type comedy. The jokes are genuinely funny. All the actors get to play there part comfortably. Without going too deep into each characters origins, the story doesn't shift from its prime plot.

The 'Punjabi biased' music is OK. The title track is good. Also the Snoop Dogg's version at the end credits is also pretty cool. The songs don't slow down the movie and provide the right break in the movie.

The cinematography is good. The frame captures the beautiful locales of Australia. Also the songs provide the already seen for a hundred times Egyptian monuments. Barring that the cinematography is quite cool during the action sequences.

Acting. All the actors deliver at their respective moments. Akshay is on cloud nine with his extravagant performance. The supporting actors also get their dues in the script. Katrina looks gorgeous but just seems to be a retired stereotype.

In all the movie is not at all a waste of time or money. If you're having a free weekend, just grab a seat and a tub of popcorn and enjoy.

Oh! And be sure to leave your brains back at home if you wanna have a good time!!

Akshay Kumar tries his best and occasionally breathes life into 'Singh Is Kinng'. The film is a complete mess. It has such a horrendous beginning that I almost felt I had entered the wrong theater. Akshay then enters and despite the corny jokes, manages to hold our attention. There are some catchy musical numbers. However, the plot is simply too weak and everybody else looks bored. Om Puri and Ranvir Shorey are both VERY disappointing. Katrina Kaif tries to act but doesn't succeed. The ending descends into mawkish melodrama and becomes preachy. The film is best seen at home with ample use of the FF button.

Overall 3/10

Akshay Kumar has steadily established himself well as a bankable comedy star. Most of his recent movies; be it Welcome, Bhool Bhulaiyaa or its likes have less to with brains and more with goofy stuff. Not to say that I’m against no-brainers; note, flicks like these are tailor made for box-office performance! Who, except for hapless multiplex audience paying 200 bucks to watch it, would really care whether it makes sane sense!

Singh is King is one such movie off the comic assembly line! Akshay plays his usual Machismo, this time a Punjabi Munda, Happy Singh. The villagers love his innocence but are irritated by the damage he causes uncannily. Soon, they find a pretext to get him out of the village, to bring back a crime boss ‘King’ Lucky Singh (Sonu Sood) who the villagers feel has tarnished the repute of their village and their ethnic group.

A comedy of errors lands Happy and his buddy (Om Puri) in Egypt instead of Australia, where he bumps into a damsel Sonia (Katrina Kaif) and is instantly smitten. The story moves to Australia where the duo discover that the ‘King’ is in no mood to return to his village. A series of events leads to the king getting injured and going into Coma. As he passes out, he points at Happy. The gang takes it that Lucky has chosen his successor.

Just as happy sets out to do good to a world of evil Lucky controlled, Sonia returns engaged, our hero is heartbroken. But he’s still at his comic best with full scale Sardar bravado! Then, there are the usual dream sequences, bhangda dance numbers and goofy humor that may hardly tickle you. But, what does this movie have that makes it tick? Akshay! As much as you find the script stupid, you’ll adore Happy Singh!

Although this flick is one of those run of the mill movies which you may never remember later, you may still find it worthwhile to watch it on cheap tickets. Reasons, the lead star rocks, the dance number Jee Karda in Egypt is neat. Katrina is the usual eye candy. As for the rest, Javed Jaffery, Kirron Kher, Om Puri, Neha Dhupia and Ranvir Shorey are nothing awesome, but they don’t bore you. My bet, try it out, albeit with low expectations!

For those who like that kind of stuff, this is yet another mindless film masquerading as a comedy. And all the hype yet again reveals something very slapstick, very ordinary. The first half is not so bad, if you don't mind a little slapstick and some very Punjabi humour. The second half just deteriorates into unnecessary weeping, melodrama and one implausible situation after another.

Its not without its moments though…the lingo is very rustic Punjabi and raises a lot of laughs. 'Chehra itna bhola, andar bam ka gola' or 'lady Bheem' were both delightful descriptors of Katrina. Names like Happy, Lucky and Mika cannot belong to any other community in the world. Pankaj Uddas, with his mournful, morbid stories, was a very nice touch. Javed Jaffri's removal of all guns from his person was funny. And the scene in the second half, involving Lucky Singh on a wheelchair being used as a waiter, was absolutely hilarious.

However, there was a tendency to degenerate into slapstick (the film begins with the oldest slapstick routine in the book with Akshay chasing a hen through the streets of his village), the situations become more and more flimsy and I really didn't understand the need to switch gears and become so emotional in the second half – it absolutely ruined the whole film. Katrina & Neha looked lovely through the film, Akshay holds his own and most people acted decently, except Ranvir, who looks out of sorts and a bit miscast. The music is a split between the good (the title song and Jee Karda), the ugly (the Snoopy Dogg song and 'Talli hua') and the OK (most others), though all songs were forced into the film In some ways though, the movie is almost like an ad for Punjab and its delightful, over-sized, gregarious residents. I remember when a restaurant chain called 'Punjabi by Nature' opened up in Delhi and quickly established itself as an iconic Punjabi place with its vodka-shot Gol Gappa's, over-sized Naan's (pls never order 2) and tangy butter chicken. This movie has already, due to its title, established itself as an icon of all Sikh's and has been parodied / used and re-used in news channels, normal conversations, posters, SMS jokes etc. Its commercial success is almost assured. Pity though that the imaginative title and the lovely designer turban's was followed by something so trite, so ordinary. Surely the kingly Singh's of the world deserved better.

For more on this and other reviews read apurvbollywood at blogspot. Thanks

Story/ Screenplay/ Script:: Long story short - its gone to dogs. End result, the movie is "all form - no beer".

This movie is an another example to prove that star-power coupled with marketing can set the cash register on fire (mini-me of Om Shanti Om?). Overseas I am sure, it has raked moolah in loads. Akki proves that he is second to none when it comes to punching above one's weight.

Akki-Katrina:: Undoubtedly, they share a sizzling chemistry.

Om Puri/ Kiron Kher/ Ranvir Shorey:: These names are synonymous with "powerhouse of talent". It would be an "understatement" to mention that they were grossly under-utilised.

Javed Jaffery:: Why Javed why?

Vipul:: You were fantastic as a director in "Namaste London", why on earth did you hand over the reigns?

Anees Bazmi:: Suggest you go back to writing or follow Priyan's footsteps (of remaking South movies viz. "No Entry"). Needless to say, it would be blessing to the audience.