Movie Review: Simmba
Simmba (Ranveer Singh) is an orphan from Shivgadh, the native town of brave and honest cop Singham (Ajay Devgn). But Simmba doesn't believe in Singham’s ideals. The way he sees it, cops have it easy as everyone gives them a cut. He works hard towards being a cop, gets posted in Shivgadh itself and sets about extorting money from all and sundry. He gets transferred to another police station, where he joins hands with the local goon Ranade (Sonu Sood) and starts minting money. He meets with a girl Shagun (Sara Ali Khan), who runs a tiffin service outside the police station and starts dreaming of marrying her. Life's all hunky dory for the hunk alright. At this point, Ranade's younger brothers rape and kill a girl Simmba considers as his younger sister. The incident shakes him up from the inside. His conscience gets awakened and he vows to avenge her death. How he goes about doing it forms the crux of the story.
The first half of the film is different from the second half. While the first part is light and breezy and is full of laugh-out-loud moments, the second part becomes serious and preachy. The tonal shift from a broad comedy to a film that that champions the cause of women safety is a tad jarring. The pace too gets stilted somewhat. You get the feeling that perhaps tighter editing was the order of the day in some places.
If Sanjay Leela Bhansali is the director who made Ranveer into an actor having a cupboard full of awards, Rohit Shetty is the person who will be credited with turning him into a massy hero. Because the film is as massy as they come. The punch dialogue, slow motion action, quirky dance moves -- it's all there and more. And Ranveer takes to this new avatar like fish to water. Simmba is a complete OTT character on paper and Ranveer takes it up a notch higher through his performance. He summons up the spirit of Jim Carrey, making faces, speaking in different voices, being cocky as hell all the time and wisecracking with aplomb. He's good in the emotional scenes as well. You feel entertained whenever he's around and that's what counts, never mind the implausibility of some of the scenes. Sara Ali Khan, who made a super confident debut with Kedarnath, looks completely at ease in a Rohit Shetty set up as well. She matches Ranveer toe-to-toe in dance sequences and shares a easy camaraderie with him. Though her role isn't that big in what's primarily an action comedy. She has shown us she's a natural and now needs author-backed roles to showcase her talents further. Ashutosh Rana, not seen much on the silver screen nowadays, plays an honest constable, something of a conscience keeper for Ranveer and does a good job of it. The scene where they both get drunk is a hoot.
This is perhaps the only Rohit Shetty film where cars don't fly in the air, though the rest of his trademark action and stunts are all there. On the lines of Marvel or DC's superhero universes, he's trying to built a cop universe of sorts and cameos by Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar as policemen proves that. It's a bold move by the director and it would be interesting to see how it unfolds in the future...
Trailer : Simmba
Ronak Kotecha, December 28, 2018, 1:00 AM IST
Simmba Story: An unscrupulous cop Bhalerao Sangram aka Simmba (Ranveer Singh) develops a conscience after a tragedy strikes his loved one. But will his newfound integrity lead to the victory of good over evil?
His leading lady Sara Ali Khan, however, has precious little to do besides looking breathtakingly beautiful. The chemistry between Simmba and Shagun (Sara) isn’t particularly crackling and their meet-cute scenes seem more contrived than convincing. Instead, what comes off as more natural is Simmba’s connect with character artistes, with whom he forges familial ties.
But that and everything else happens in trademark Rohit Shetty style. This is his brand of cinema, where the hero has a larger-than-life swag, but is also relatable to the common man. There are the usual caricature bechara baaps,betis and behenas, convoys of endless SUVs speeding across Goa and burly bad men. There is also a dashing villain, who has the local police and politicos in his pocket. A dapper Sonu Sood fits the bill as Durva Ranade as a family man on the wrong side of the law. He ably depicts the conflict of a man who has to protect his own, despite their misdeeds.
Amidst all this, the film delivers what it sets out to do – give us full on masala entertainment along with seeti-inducing scenes.
For example, you cannot help but feel a sense of pride when Ranveer stands tall in a tight fitting khakhi and his otherwise critical subordinate Ashutosh Rana finally salutes him. All the same, you will also feel the unease at the over dramatic portrayal of so many character artists as caricatures.
In the second half, however, the film also turns into a preachy discourse on safety of women and a campaign against sexual predators in our society. The narrative is predictable and there is hardly an element of surprise.
In music, ‘Aankh Maare’ stands out for its high energy beat and so does the romantic track ‘Tere Bin’ for its melody and exotic picturisation.
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. Shetty leaves you with a parting shot of another superstar already revealing the first look of his offering in 2019.
Also See: Did you know Akshay Kumar's character from 'Simmba' has a Salman Khan connect?
Kunal Guha, December 28, 2018, 5:45 AM IST
Sprawled on the terrace, gazing at the sky and nursing a drink, the film’s eponymous lead tells his subordinate Mohile about the discovery of water and ice on the moon. “Iska matlab sirf daru leke jaana baaki hain,” says the senior cop who flaunts a bilingual catchphrase: “Je mala mahit nahin te mala sangh (tell me something, I don’t know)”. It’s the kind of priceless exchange one would find in a mindless Govinda comedy from the 90s. “Tu mereko bohot dry look de raha hain, aajse tu mera driver,” he says when the two first meet.
A spin-off of Rohit Shetty’s blockbuster franchise Singham and loosely adapted from Telugu hit Temper, Simmba seems like a product conceived by a marketing maverick. It’s almost as if the very idea was assembled by an agency. The possible brief: create a relatable youth icon who lacks just enough virtues to be relatable, if not reliable. After all, he has to be the hero we don’t deserve or need, but want and aspire for. Unlike Singham, he must be utterly devoid of morals because everyone loves a bad boy. Then, we’ll get him to gradually turn because family films must end with a moral. Strategic input: sneakily weave in a story that makes him realise that corruption is bad and the goons he had been siding with all along, were up to no good.
And thus, we have Sangram Bhalerao (Ranveer Singh) or Simmba, a morally bankrupt cop with superhuman bargaining skills — he turns a blind eye to crime if the price is right. When Simmba, like Singham, gets transferred from hometown Shivgad to the much-lucrative Miramar police station in Goa, he’s warned about local stronghold Durwa Ranade (Sonu Sood). But Simmba isn’t the kind to brush the baddies the wrong way as long as he’s compensated for his ignorance. A flaky-yet-cute love track is thrown in when Simmba notices Shagun (Sara Ali Khan) — who runs a catering outfit in the neighbourhood. The film takes a dramatic turn when Simmba’s mooh-boli-behen is brutally raped and murdered and even while the accused happen to be in plain sight, telling evidence goes missing. What will Simmba do to save the day?
Singh’s an obvious choice to play Simmba. Grinning sheepishly from under his whiskers, he completes the small town cop with just the right accent and heft. That he has a winning comic timing helps a lot but even when the film takes a preachy turn, he hangs in there and ensures his character responds to the situations as earnestly as possible. Khan is as marginalised as actresses usually are in Shetty’s films (at least the ones in the previous Singhams) but is memorable in her brief part. Sood, as the negative lead, manages to lend a nefarious tinge and even while the character may be bit underplayed despite the loud premise it has been set in, he manages to deliver.
Shetty navigates familiar ground in this formula film. It is, after all, mounted on a franchise that has proven its worth in box office gains. It’s not a film that will encourage one to rethink fundamental theories or alter societal thought, even though it aspires to be at one point. But it’s surely a masala entertainer that packs in laughs, drama, dishooms and a lot more — now that’s more than you can expect for the price of a multiplex ticket.
महाराष्ट्र टाइम्स, December 29, 2018, 12:35 AM IST
कल्पेशराज कुबल
kalpeshraj.kubal@timesgroup.com
रणवीर सिंग-रोहित शेट्टी जोडीचा धम्माल चित्रपट१०० कोटीची कमाई करणारा रणवीर सिंगचा सलग दुसरा चित्रपट
'तो आला, त्याने पाहिलं, आणि जिंकून घेतलं सारं...' हे मराठी सिनेमाच्या गाण्याचे बोल तंतोतंत रणवीर सिंगला शोभेसे आहेत. सिनेमातील त्याच्या एंट्रीपासून ते क्लायमॅक्सपर्यंत आपली नजर त्याच्यावरून हटत नाही. वर्षाच्या प्रारंभी जानेवारीत 'खिल्जी' बनून त्याने सर्वांच्या मनाचा ठाव घेतला आणि आता वर्षाखेरीस 'सिम्बा' होऊन मनोरंजनाचा मसाला घेऊन आला आहे. दिग्दर्शक रोहित शेट्टी याचा 'सिम्बा' म्हणजे मसालेदार सिनेमाची परिपूर्ण रेसिपी आहे.
सिनेमाची कथा तशी जुनीच आहे. भ्रष्ट पोलिस अधिकारी एका ट्रॅजिडीनंतर आधीच्या पापांपासून मुक्त होऊ पाहतो आहे. तो प्रामाणिक पोलिस अधिकारी होऊन मोठ्या शिताफीने गुन्हेगारांना यमसदनी पोहोचवतो. अनाथ सिम्बा उर्फ संग्राम भालेराव (रणवीर सिंग) याने लहानपणीच आपल्या मनाशी गाठ बांधलेली असते की, पैसा कमविण्यासाठी सत्तेची, ताकदीची गरज आहे आणि म्हणूनच त्याने पोलिस अधिकारी बनण्याचा मार्ग निवडला. अजय देवगणच्या 'सिंघम'ची पार्श्वभूमी या सिनेमाला आहे. रात्रशाळेत शिकून लहानाचा मोठा झालेला सिम्बा बेईमानीसुद्धा पूर्ण ईमानदारीने करतो. सिम्बाचा एकच अजेंडा आहे, तो म्हणजे कोणत्याही मार्गाने पैसा मिळवणे! सिम्बाची गोव्यातील मीरामार पोलिस स्थानकात बदली होते. गोव्यासारख्या ठिकाणी भरघोस पैसे उकळता येणार म्हणून सिम्बा खूश आहे. येथे त्याला शगुन (सारा अली खान) भेटते, जी सिम्बा प्रमाणेच अनाथ आहे. शगुन पोलिस स्टेशन जवळच एक खानावळ चालवत असते. तिचे वडील देखील पोलिस खात्यात असतात पण, एका चकमकीवेळी ते शहीद होतात. शगुनला पाहताक्षणी सिम्बाचे तिच्यावर प्रेम जडते.
सिम्बा रेटिंग
गोव्याला येताच सिम्बाला एक अनोखे कुटुंब मिळते. आकृती (वैदेही परशुरामी) सारखी बहीण, प्रामाणिक हेड कॉन्स्टेबल मोहिले(आशुतोष राणा) आणि सहकारी पोलिस संतोष तावड़े (सिद्धार्थ जाधव). गोव्याचा डॉन दुर्वा रानडे (सोनू सूद) हा सभ्य फॅमिलीमॅन आहे. पण, तो अवैध धंदे करत असतो. दुर्वाने सिम्बाला लाच देऊन स्वतःच्या बाजूने फिरवलेलं असत. एके दिवशी दुर्वाचे दोन भाऊ आकृतीचे अपहरण करून तिच्यावर बलात्कार करतात. आकृतीचा मृत्यू होतो आणि याच घटनेमुळे सिम्बाचे प्रामाणिक पोलीस अधिकाऱ्यामध्ये परिवर्तन होते. तिथून पुढचा सगळा मसाला पडद्यावर प्रत्यक्षच पाहायला हवा. डीसीपी बाजीराव सिंघमची (अजय देवगण) कथानकातली नाट्यमय एंट्री प्रेक्षकांच्या टाळया शिट्ट्या मिळवते.
रोहितच्या 'सिम्बा' मध्ये मराठी कलाकारांची फौज
'सिम्बा'चे नातेरोहित शेट्टीच्या यापूर्वीच्या 'सिंघम' सिनेमाशी असले तरी तो 'टेम्पर' या तेलुगू सिनेमाचा रीमेक आहे. सिनेमाचा पूर्वार्ध जितका विनोदी, मजेशीर आहे तितकाच सिनेमाचा उत्तरार्ध गंभीर आणि रंजक आहे. सिनेमाचा दमदार क्लायमॅक्स केल्यानंतर अक्षय कुमारच्या एंट्रीने सिनेमाच्या सिक्वलचा इशारा देण्यात आला आहे.
सिनेमातील रणवीर सिंगच्या हालचाली, त्याची देहबोली, संवाद, वागण्याची फिल्मी शैली सर्वांचीच मने जिंकून घेतात. रणवीरने दमदार सादरीकरण केले आहे. सारा अली खान हिला अभिनयासाठी फार वाव नव्हता. पण, आपल्या वाट्याला आलेली भूमिका तिने उत्तम निभावलीय. सिनेमातील गाण्यांमध्ये साराचा लुक अधिक आकर्षक आहे. सोनू सूदनं दुर्वाची भूमिका चांगली पेलली आहे. आशुतोष राणा, सिध्दार्थ जाधव यांच्या भूमिकाही लक्षात राहण्याजोग्या आहेत. आकृतीच्या भूमिकेतील वैदेही परशुरामी हिचे काम देखील चांगले झाले आहे. 'आँख मारे', 'तेरे बिन' आणि 'आला रे आला' ही गाणी श्रवणीय आणि प्रेक्षणीय झाली आहेत. विशेष कौतुक करायला हवे ते जोमोन जॉन यांच्या छायांकनाचे. धमाल मनोरंजन करणारा 'सिम्बा' बघायला काहीच हरकत नाही.
निर्मिती संस्था : धर्मा प्रॉडक्शन
दिग्दर्शक : रोहित शेट्टी
कथा : पुरी जगन्नाध
पटकथा : युनूस सजवाल, साजिद
संवाद :फरहाद समजी
कलाकार : रणवीर सिंग, सारा अली खान, सोनू सूद, अजय देवगण, सिद्धार्थ जाधव, आशुतोष राणा
छायांकन : जोमोन जॉन
संकलन : गौरव शहा
आणखी वाचा: रणवीर सिंहने अक्षय कुमारला बॉक्स ऑफिसवर टाकले मागे
