SIMMBA REVIEW
Director Rohit Shetty famous for his unique blend of comedy and action, has
re-discovered his mojo. Simmba, his new offering with Ranveer Singh in and
as Simmba has everything you expect from a Rohit Shetty film, perfect blend of action, romance, humour, drama and thrill.
Ranveer as Sangram Bhalerao aka Simmba is this over the top cop who wins you
with his charm. Though he openly declares his love for bribes, his innocence
and wit will compel you to secretly fall in love with this corrupt officer.
Bhalerao, a corrupt cop, is transferred from Shivgad (Singham's hometown) to
Miramar police station. He finds himself in a happy space with this transfer
and immediately is on his way to take charge. While Simmba is received with open arms by the whole team that includes Tawde
(Siddharth Jadhav) and Borkar (Vijay Patkar), there is one man -- Mohile,
played by the talented Ashutosh Rana, who doesn't seem to be happy with the new
senior.
On his entry into the Miramar police station, Simmba befriends the local goon
Durva Ranade (Sonu Sood) and promises to be his 'man' in return for money.
For a while, everything goes swimmingly, Simmba helping Durva bully people out
of their property while turning a blind eye to his drug-running. He also finds
time to fall for Shagun (Sara Ali Khan). Like all Shetty characters, Simmba is a cardboard creation, but in Singh’s
playing, his macho bluster has an underlying sweetness that renders it more
winsome than the humourless masculinity of Devgn’s Singham.
The film quickly comes apart when a couple of Aakruti’s students go missing.
Her search leads her to Durva’s drug-packing den, where she’s discovered by his
brothers. They first try and take her phone; when she fights back, they assault
and rape her. When Simmba visits her in hospital the next day, she’s barely
alive. He vows revenge on Durva and his brothers, changes his corrupt ways, and
that’s the rest of the film.
This is Shetty’s best work, a film of unflagging tempo with a genuinely
charismatic lead, and while the actual story — about a bad cop who starts
avenging rapes — isn’t interesting or original, Shetty keeps it entertaining,
albeit longer than it should be. We can debate the need for these throwback
films, and there is indeed a problem with the way rape is used as a trigger for
the leading man to turn good, but, as it stands, Simmba is not only ahead of
Singham, but far superior to Dabangg, the blockbuster that defines the genre.
But overall, Simmba is a potboiler that you expect it to be, where the good
surely outweighs the bad. There are enough paisa vasool moments
including the cameo by the original Singham, Ajay Devgn. And it doesn’t end
there. we’re teased with the glimpse of another hirsute alpha male joining
this franchise next year.
Director Rohit Shetty famous for his unique blend of comedy and action, has re-discovered his mojo. Simmba, his new offering with Ranveer Singh in and as Simmba has everything you expect from a Rohit Shetty film, perfect blend of action, romance, humour, drama and thrill.
Ranveer as Sangram Bhalerao aka Simmba is this over the top cop who wins you with his charm. Though he openly declares his love for bribes, his innocence and wit will compel you to secretly fall in love with this corrupt officer.
Bhalerao, a corrupt cop, is transferred from Shivgad (Singham's hometown) to Miramar police station. He finds himself in a happy space with this transfer and immediately is on his way to take charge. While Simmba is received with open arms by the whole team that includes Tawde (Siddharth Jadhav) and Borkar (Vijay Patkar), there is one man -- Mohile, played by the talented Ashutosh Rana, who doesn't seem to be happy with the new senior.
For a while, everything goes swimmingly, Simmba helping Durva bully people out of their property while turning a blind eye to his drug-running. He also finds time to fall for Shagun (Sara Ali Khan). Like all Shetty characters, Simmba is a cardboard creation, but in Singh’s playing, his macho bluster has an underlying sweetness that renders it more winsome than the humourless masculinity of Devgn’s Singham.
The film quickly comes apart when a couple of Aakruti’s students go missing. Her search leads her to Durva’s drug-packing den, where she’s discovered by his brothers. They first try and take her phone; when she fights back, they assault and rape her. When Simmba visits her in hospital the next day, she’s barely alive. He vows revenge on Durva and his brothers, changes his corrupt ways, and that’s the rest of the film.
This is Shetty’s best work, a film of unflagging tempo with a genuinely charismatic lead, and while the actual story — about a bad cop who starts avenging rapes — isn’t interesting or original, Shetty keeps it entertaining, albeit longer than it should be. We can debate the need for these throwback films, and there is indeed a problem with the way rape is used as a trigger for the leading man to turn good, but, as it stands, Simmba is not only ahead of Singham, but far superior to Dabangg, the blockbuster that defines the genre.
But overall, Simmba is a potboiler that you expect it to be, where the good surely outweighs the bad. There are enough paisa vasool moments including the cameo by the original Singham, Ajay Devgn. And it doesn’t end there. we’re teased with the glimpse of another hirsute alpha male joining this franchise next year.
