Singham Again Review: More Than A Brainless Action Thriller, A Full-On Political Project (Image-X/ajaydevgn)
Rohit Shetty-directed Singham Again is not just a brainless movie from the director’s cop universe. It’s a pure and detailed political projects designed to spread an ideology that helps the narratives of the ruling class. Featuring Ajay Devgn (DCP Bajirao Singham), Kareena Kapoor Khan (Avni Kamat, Singham’s wife), Ranveer Singh (ACP Sangram “Simmba” Bhalerao), Akshay Kumar (DCP Veer Sooryavanshi), Deepika Padukone (SP Shakti Shetty), Tiger Shroff (ACP Satya Bali), Arjun Kapoor (Danger Lanka / Zubair), Jackie Shroff (Omar Hafeez), with all its references to Muslims, Pakistan, Kashmir, and more, Singham Again is not just a typical action flick, but a politically charged project, timed just before the Maharashtra elections.
Each and every frames of Singham Again is camouflaged with political innuendos.
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Here are some references:
Villain, Danger Lanka or Zubair Hafeez tells Avni (who was abducted by Lanka): “I have heard Ravan returns in Kalyug, I am that Ravan”.
In the film, Bajirao Singham, played by Ajay Devgn, declares that he cannot sleep until he takes revenge, reinforcing his Maratha identity. “I am not a Maratha if I don’t take revenge”.
When Singham is in Kashmir, he arrests Omar Hafiz, the villain, and boldly declares, “This is not the old Kashmir. This is the new Kashmir of New India (Naya Bharat Ki Naya Kashmir).”
The next scene, a group of Kashmiri young men walks upto Singham and as we expects a some sort of an agitation, one young man comes forward and say: “Gone are the times of stone pelting”.
When Simmba is introduced, the special team under Singham boasts of the tech they have. Then Ranveer’s character says this is what Atmanirbhar Bharat looks like.
Back to the movie:
Enough has been written about the making of Rohit Shetty movies. There is no change in Singham Again as well in that front. But something new here that needs broader discussion.
The entire movie is laden with references to the Ramayana, with a parallel Ramleela storyline running alongside the main plot, where characters embody figures including Ram, Lakshman, Sita, Hanuman and Ravana.
Singham Again follows in the footsteps of The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story, films often viewed as direct propaganda. While packaged as a mainstream Bollywood action thriller, the movie carries an overt ideological agenda, reflecting current political narratives in India.
The release of Singham Again right before the Maharashtra elections holds significant political implications. Maharashtra politics over the past three decades has often focused on divisive narratives, and the film mirrors this by portraying Muslim terrorists and Singham’s aggressive and propaganda packed response to them.
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This suggests a larger ideological battle in the country, hinting at the conflict between the ruling party and the opposition. In movies like The Kerala Story and Kashmir Files, the ‘enemies’ were geographically constrained into two states. There are larger narratives in Singham Again, with special references to Maharashtra and Maratha identity. Remember that the entire Sangham Again crew was at MNS leader Raj Thackeray’s house for promotion.
It was just yesterday (October 31) in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about the ‘perverted powers’ trying
to destroy the nation in alliance with “urban naxals and other forces”. His primary aim was Opposition whom he accused in the past for working only for one community. In Singham Again, the fight against enemies of the state parallels Modi’s rhetoric, reinforcing a patriotic agenda. The film aligns with the BJP’s broader campaign narratives, portraying a vision of nationalism that has become a core aspect of its political messaging leading up to elections.
