By: Husna Rizwan
Hindi Film Review : Simmba
Banner: Dharma Productions & Rohit Shetty Picturez
Producers: Karan Johar, Hiroo Yash Johar, Apoorva Mehta & Rohit Shetty
Director: Rohit Shetty
Star Cast: Ranveer Singh, Sara Ali Khan, Sonu Sood, Ashutosh Rana, Suchita Bandekar, Siddhartha Jadhav, Sulbha Arya, Ashwini Kalsekar, Vijay Patkar, Saurabh Gokhale, Ashok Samartha, Vaidehi Parshurami, Neha Mahajan, Nandu Madhav, Arun Nalawade, Uday Tikekar, Anil Mange, Ulka Gupta, Vipin Sharma, Ganesh Yadav, Aarti Kulkarni, Sahil Joshi, Ronjini Chakraborty, Amrit Singh, Shri Swara Dubey, Sarita Joshi, Sneha James, Dheeraj, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Tusshar Kapoor, Kunal Khemu,Shreyas Talpade, Arshad Warsi & Karan Johar
Music: Tanishk Bagchi, Lijo George, D J Chetas, S Thaman, Amar Mohile & Chandan Sexsena
Director Rohit Shetty is back with a bang in his latest offering Simmba, no doubt with his patented flying nay breaking cars & his regular dishoom dishoom, of course minus his 2 of the luckiest mascot Heroes Ajay Devgan & Shah Rukh Khan. This time Mr. Rohit Shetty has joined hands with the newly-wedded hero Mr. Ranvir Singh. Now it remains to be seen if this new director-hero Jodi proves to be as successful as the previous ones. Last but not the least a well-deserved applause & kudos goes to Karan Johar & his team of Dharma Productions for backing Rohit Shetty Picturez’s Simmba, based loosely on the Telugu smash hit Temper, for the noble cause of driving the nail in the coffin for nabbing the criminals especially the rapists – no not by the law from where they go off scot free most of the time but by the guardians of law themselves who do not wait endlessly for the law to impose its punishment on them but…..!!!!! Now this is the real turning point of Simmba which you the viewers will enjoy the most on the celluloid silver screen.
In fact the N T Rama Rao Jr & Kaajal Agarwal starrer Telugu film Temper directed by Puri Jagannadh is one of my favorites. A film that’s very fresh in my memory. A well-packaged entertainer, it was embellished with a bravura, commanding performance by the lead man Jr NTR. By the way Temper is also based loosely on Hollywood caper The Tempest. The real fact is that director Rohit Shetty had to live up to the expectations of the audiences for varied reasons. He teams up with Ranveer Singh for the 1st time ever. He has attempted a cop story yet again. And, of course, those who have watched Temper, and a few of them must have surely watched The Tempest, will definitely compare the 3 films minutely.
By the way director Rohit Shetty has borrowed most of the essence from Temprer & probably from The Tempest too, but he has indeed modified a major chunk of Temper – especially the 2nd half & even the climax. What eventually unfolds on screen is so different, but in a positive way.
Now for the first things first that is the plot line, without giving away the entire story & the spoilers. Sangram Bhalerao aka Simmba (Ranveer Singh) is a dishonest police officer. Once transferred to a different town, he meets Shagun (Sara Ali Khan) & love blossoms between the 2. Sangram also develops a bond with Aakruti (Vaidehi Parashurami), a medical student who teaches poor kids. She realizes her students are being used for drug peddling by the brothers (Saurabh Gokhale & Amrit Singh) of a powerful man, Durva (Sonu Sood). Aakruti lands up at the pub where illegal activities are taking place & even manages to capture it all on her cellphone, but in the process she gets caught. What happens next forms the crux of the rest of the scenario of Simmba?
Director Rohit Shetty & screenplay writer Yunus Sajawal (additional screenplay by Sajid Samji) pick & choose some memorable, clap – trap moments from Temper & give Simmba an altogether different texture. The essence of the story remains intact, but it’s made more contemporary to suit the pan India audience taste. There’s no denying that director Rohit Shetty is the present – day Manmohan Desai of the Hindi Cinema arena. His fundas are crystal clear: Deliver the perfect entertainment in large doses. In Simmba too, there’s a powerful message that stays with the audience for a long, long time even when the movie has reached the final point of “The End”. Honestly speaking Simmba is an absolute joyride in the 1st ever half. A number of sequences, witty & sharp one-liners (dialogues by Farhad Samji) are sure to bring the house down. The post – interval portions get serious & the audiences may miss the fun & the laughter, but the issue that’s depicted in Simmba indeed demands seriousness. Director Rohit Shetty & his team of writers offer a completely new conclusion to the tale & those who’ve watched Temper will notice the difference anyways. The courtroom sequence & the final moments take the graph of the film a notch higher. The soundtrack gels well with the mood of the film. “Aankh Maare” is already a chartbuster, while “Aala Re Aala” leaves you awestruck by its execution. Background score deserves special mention, especially for the fusion of the themes of the Singham & even the Simmba. Jomon T John’s cinematography is remsarkably flawless. The action sequences are totally vibrant & absolutely striking.
Performance wise Ranveer Singh is the lifeline & the soul of the film. He indeed proves without an iota of doubt that he’s an all rounder who can enact diverse characters with superb ease. Simmba is sure to multiply his fan following by leaps & bounds. Sara Ali Khan sparkles, just like her debut film Kedarnath, although there’s not much scope for her in the 2nd half. Sonu Sood is in terrific form. Simmba would’ve faltered if the antagonist wouldn’t be as convincing as the protagonist. So Sonu matches up to Ranveer Singh every time they come face to face. Simmba has a huge supporting cast, but one would like to single out a few names that add weight to the proceedings. Ashutosh Rana is exceptional. The salute sequence will be greeted with a thunderous applause. Siddharth Jadhav excels. Vaidehi Parashurami is wonderful. Ashwini Kalsekar is fantastic. Her dialogues in the climax will be greeted with applause. Ganesh Yadav & Ashok Samarth (as the lawyers) does a fine job. Saurabh Gokhale is 1st rate. Sarita Joshi is alright. Simmba also has a number of cameos, including the Golmaal gang (Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade & Kunal Kemmu). Ajay Devgn’s introduction will be greeted with whistles & claps and his act is sure to find love. Last but not the least, there’s Akshay Kumar too. Again, the viewers are in for a great treat.
On the whole, Simmba is a sure-shot winner there is no two opinions about it. Of course Simmba will storm the box office turnstiles. The year 2018 has surely concluded with a loud Ranvir Singh roar!!!!!
