Rohit Shetty claims to have a finger on the pulse of a majority of the audience. He might be right, considering his stellar track record of delivering 9 consecutive ‘hits’ (at the very least) in the past decade. Working his way up from Ajay Devgn to Shah Rukh Khan, it was inevitable that Shetty would make his way into the prestigious stable of Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. In Simmba, Shetty is working with Bollywood heartthrob Ranveer Singh, and it looks like everyone is having a blast.
Shetty’s famous slo-mo introductions and flying cars (and minor characters too) are making a comeback, as Ranveer Singh shamelessly channels his Hindi film ka hero. He plays one of Bollywood’s most fatigued character-types – a corrupt policeman, who has a change of heart. Yes, this is 30 years after Amitabh Bachchan’s Shahenshah, where a pan-chewing Vijay would moonlight as the big daddy of Bollywood vigilantes. Simmba releases 23 years after Gambler, where Govinda ‘transforms’ after finding out that he’s terminally ill. This film also comes nearly a decade after the first Dabangg film, that put Salman Khan back on the map.
Reportedly inspired by Telugu film Temper, Simmba looks like it is inspired by the Kanti Shah brand of cinema from the late 90s. Nearly ALL those films came with the same plot, where the lead character (usually) called Shankar would avenge the rape of his sister. In Simmba, we’re effectively shown the entire story in the trailer itself, probably an indication that the audience for this film aren’t particularly interested in an ‘original story’.
It has Ranveer Singh doing the gleeful routine of the corrupt cop, serenading Sara Ali Khan (shoved into a Kajal Agarwal mould), dancing with 100 backup dancers… until tragedy strikes and he flares those nostrils. Shetty seems to be cashing in on the #trending topic of sexual assault against women, which is not the worst thing considering Hindi cinema’s casual homophobia, xenophobia and sexism. One can’t help but think if such a ‘message’ film would be made for reasons other than to make a quick buck from an audience craving ‘escapism’.
Is there a way to make even such done-to-death, plot-less ‘blockbusters’ interesting? Surely. But the team of Simmba seems content with aiming for the mythical ‘masses’ and numbing them further. This star-vehicle (with a special appearance from Rohit Shetty’s Singham) has its eyes only on the 200-crore mark at the box office.
Here’s the trailer for Rohit Shetty’s Simmba:
Simmba is set to release on December 28, 2018.
