Sharing the bitter truth first, no matter what kind of bad reviews or low ratings were given to the 2008 film SINGH IS KINNG, the fact remains that the project was a major earner, and that’s the basic reason why the makers could find the courage to churn out another identical product called SINGH IS BLING post 7 long years following the set format. But since they probably couldn’t get the rights to call it SINGH IS KINNG 2, so decided to keep a rhyming name as SINGH IS BLING (whatever it means) showcasing a desperate mentality displayed by the title itself.
In few words, offering nothing new of any sort, this is again a comedy presenting everything with an over the top Punjabi feel, blindly following a foreign source exactly like they did in SINGH IS KINNG.
Anyway dividing the review in four specific heads, let’s begin considering it as a latest venture of two well-known names of the industry raising a lot of expectations among viewers.
- As an individual film of Akshay directed by Prabhudeva –
The initial sequences of SINGH IS BLING do occasionally make you smile, especially the scenes with a lion that are sure going to appeal the kids (probably because they don’t get to see a Lion interacting with a human any more, as we used to see it in a Circus a couple of decades back.) A fair amount of entertainment is offered with Amy entering the scene superbly and Lara surprising one and all in her new hilarious avatar. Plus Sunny Leone provides the pleasant shock along with Kay Kay having a strange get up (not suiting him at all) speaking in a wicked tone. A series of jokes portraying Akshay Kumar as a comedian (or a silly person) get evenly placed in the film’s first hour engaging the viewers partially. But what eventually turns out to be a winner is the stunning action sequence featuring Amy as the beautiful killer just before it says intermission.
In the second half the film starts sinking with simply nothing to say or deliver either in its story content or execution. In fact the moment the team steps into Punjab it all becomes quite dull with the same old ‘seen before’ sequences reminding you of Akshay’s own NAMASTE LONDON. Amy’s added plot with her mother falls flat affecting the film badly and only a few deliberately written dialogues (catering the Sikh sentiments) work marginally post interval along with the action.
To be brief, with everything looking clichéd, served with an unexciting soundtrack and many stale jokes, SINGH IS BLING becomes unbearable post interval and overall cannot be rated as something great coming from the stable of Prabhudeva who is not getting into the ‘delivering mode’ since his last few films. Moreover revealing it as a ‘completely copied product’ in the next part of the review, I seriously doubt Prabhudeva had really got anything to say of his own as a director in this particular project.
In the performance section, God knows why Akshay Kumar is so determined to present himself playing such ridiculous characters, whereas he can easily carry a fast paced crime thriller much better as per my personal opinion. Yes, the actor has certainly got a terrific comic timing proved many times before, but serving the same in a poor (repetitive) disguise of a funny Sardar purely points towards his greedy profit motive and nothing else.Thankfully this time we have both Amy Jackson and Lara Dutta making a much better impact than Akshay due to their splendid acts. At one end Amy simply wins over the viewers with her gorgeous looks as well as killing instincts and on the other Lara undoubtedly proves to be the surprise package of the film playing the witty translator.The two equally silly friends of Akshay are not able to contribute much with their forced acts and the same can be said about the supporting cast too including the supremely talented Kay Kay Menon (who remains wasted).
Shot at a lavish and colourful scale, SIB’s background score is a bit loud, hugely depending upon the Punjabi theme. Yet it was indeed surprising to hear the identical notes of golden oldie ‘Sau Baar Janam Lenge” playing in the backdrop in its second hour. At times its dialogues do become noticeable in the first half as well as in the climax written for a specific section of the viewers. But an unnecessarily stretched finale does reduce their overall impact severely.
In the soundtrack department SINGH IS BLING doesn’t have a song that could lead from the front as it was there in SINGH IS KINNG. The OST heavily relies on two borrowed tracks with ‘Tung Tung’ being a redone version of the original track created by Sneha Khanwalkar in her MTV program of 2012 that also introduced ‘Nooran Sisters’ two years before they became famous with the HIGHWAY ‘Jugni’ track.
Check at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf4g-qcTb0Q
Besides, “Aaja Mahi” remains a reworked version of RDB group’s more than 6-7 years old song, that was also performed by Akshay in a Bollywood award function a few years back.
Chek the link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7TGMpD6MH0
And this (posted in 2007) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSR5ZXacUOs
- As a blatant copy of the Korean film -
Writing this particular section, I get reminded of a recent conversation we had on FB, wherein a friend referred to today’s directors as ‘mere executioners’ appointed by the corporate houses and nothing else. Watching SINGH IS BLING I could easily relate to that theory as the film which is supposedly directed by Prabhudeva, could have been directed by anyone knowing the technical skill even among his first assistant directors.
Why?
Because this is a complete scene to scene lift from the Korean film MY WIFE IS A GANGSTER 3 (2006) as if made by a loyal follower of Korean cinema. Now whether this is an official remake or not, that has not been disclosed. But it better be, since only an official remake can go on adapting the original so shamelessly as seen in SINGH IS BLING. To give you a fair idea, right from the sequence of Amy hurting a rival gang leader in Romania, her travel to Goa, Akshay receiving her at the airport, entry of a translator, the fights, the comedy, the chase sequence driving the car sitting on Akshay’s lap, visit to the village meeting Akshay’s parents, finding Amy’s mother, Amy returning to Romania and Akshay turning up there to the finale scene of Amy dressed as a bride, everything is all there in the Korean movie as it is in a different setting of a gangster theme. In fact coming as a big surprise even the very Indian looking scene of the father drawing two images on the muddy floor with a stick......, is also right there in the Korean original expressed beautifully.
So if you have heard that there were certain movies made in the past by keeping along a DVD player on the sets, then this could be a perfect example to prove that ‘rumour’ right. Also raising a finger on director Prabhudeva, asking him a simple question that,
What exactly did he contribute in this latest directorial venture of his to be precise?
- Addressing the Punjabi community -
Watching films like SINGH IS BLING, I am forced to ask a question from my fellow Punjabi (Sikh) community, that often in social networks and in real life too I meet people who feel offended when someone cracks a joke on Sardars with the reference of names like Santa-Banta and more. The feeling of getting offended is not completely wrong if the matter goes beyond control projecting Sikhs as just clowns, laughing at anything and everything like some dumb characters.
But I frankly fail to understand that what happens to those people when the same kind of fun is being made by a known name so bluntly in a Bollywood film? In other words why they don’t get offended watching a Hindi filmstar making fun of their personality on the screen just like it is done in all Santa-Banta jokes.
Does a mega star of Bollywood projecting himself as a dumb Sikh character doesn’t look like offensive and insulting to those people for some egoistic reason?
OR
Does it become perfectly OK when an Akshay Kumar is doing it in the name of spreading a good word about Sikhism saying a few lines dialogue in the end balancing it all?
In addition, here I would also like to address the local Sikh dancers called on location from various regions of Punjab itself to dance in these film songs that,
When you can easily see that the director is using you as mere foolish props making strange faces at the backdrop just to create a scene, then why you allow him to do so and not refuse doing such stupid gestures dancing at the back?
(For reference just check the “Aa Mamma” song with proper bearded Sikhs moving their heads in an idiotic manner sitting behind the romancing Akshay.)
Moreover considering it in a broader perspective, when I see the box office results of Punjabi Cinema in the last 4-5 years, then I proudly find that Punjab’s audience has been very intelligent in rejecting almost 95% of those silly comedies made one after another just to encash the comedy wave in the Industry by even the builders and the traders.
But when it comes to an equally silly Hindi comic film featuring a known star playing a Sikh, it strangely earns more than 10-20 crores within the same territory just in the opening weekend. Putting it differently the audience of Punjab prove to be so intelligent in rejecting all childishly made Punjabi comedy films right on the first day itself, but fail to show the same intelligence while rejecting a Hindi film made around the similar theme and format quite amazingly.
As a result, where a badly conceived Punjabi Comedy film is not able to make even 1-2 crores in its opening weekend, there a major Bollywood film featuring a big star presenting the same Punjabi elements in an unappreciable manner goes on to make 10-20 crores from the same people sitting in the theater…!!!!
Now if that is not a clear example of Hypocrisy then I don’t know what really is?
- Two strange things noticed on the screen –
In this last section I would like to mention two unexplainable additions noticed on the screen while watching SINGH IS BLING. Firstly while showing Amy in Romania, there comes a small text written at the right bottom of the frame saying “Shot in Romania”. And secondly just within the first half, we get to see a one second long still picture saying “Smoking is Injurious to health” (covering the whole screen) abruptly inserted right between the running scenes of the film like never before. But I honestly don’t have any kind of information, why these two things had to be there on the screen, serving what purpose?
In all, walking on an identical path, SINGH IS BLING is nothing but a similar re-packaged (copied) product made just to earn some quick weekend bucks at the box office. However it still deserves a few extra brownie points in comparison just because of Amy & Lara alone, to give them their much deserving due.
Rating : 1+1 (With the extra one just for the efforts put in by the two talented girls together.)
