Singam - Roaring in same old forest

The film opens with the face of a lion - which is what Singam means in Tamil and then grandly announces this to be its lead actor, Surya's 25th film. It's evident then that Singam will be another grand showcase vehicle for its talented lead actor and the film turns out to be just that. Once actors down South acquire a kind of mass fan following, a lot of their films are only interested in coming up with a plot-line that will do best to project the star's heroism and virtues. It happens with all Rajnikanth starrers, where a script is entirely dispensable against his towering image and charisma.

From the past few films, Surya seems to be consciously aiming to shed some of his 'thinking actor' image and turning towards massy entertainers. The actor who impressed critics and class audiences alike with his films like Ghajini, Varanam Aayiram, Silluna oru Kadhal and Ayutha Ezhuthu has been doing hard-core commercial fares like Ayan, Aru and now, Sigham. It's certainly helped him garner tremendous clout at the boxoffice, but one hopes he can balance it with more meaningful films.

The enmity between the two principal characters which started in Nallur travels to Chennai and ends in a bloody climax in Nellore. The film is racy at 2 hours and 35 minutes, and packaged as a mass masala entertainer.

Needless to say seeing the valor and courage of Dorai Singam, Kavya (Anushka), a girl from Chennai and daughter of industrialist Mahalingam (Nasser) falls head over heels in love with him.

Every scene and even dialogues and reactions from the supporting cast are predictable. Hari is obsessed showing a happy joint family in the first half, romance as usual is city girl falling for macho rural guy, even the song placements are exactly the same as his earlier films.

Of the performers Prakash Raj is becoming a ham villain, he needs urgently to reinvent himself and add more bite and character to his villain roles. Anushka is there only for glamour and songs, but does a decent job. Hari’s regular supporting cast including his father-in-law Vijayakumar is adequate.

Ultimately it is Surya who carries the film to the winning post. His passion and the way he brings an ordinary regular larger-than-life hero character alive on screen is lesson for other commercial heroes. On the whole, it is a predictable entertainer that follows the age old formula, which might appeal to viewers who finds comfort in mass masala entertainers. Watch it only for Surya. He is in top form.

Overall,'Singam' is the king of the masses, for those who love action and commercial films.

~Sudhan