Director Rohit Shetty is in his elements and so is good friend Ajay Devgn. The duo is back to their favorite Goa for their latest formula flick ‘Singham’ where Ajay plays an honest cop tracking and demolishing the bad guy. Plain fare this, but you cannot write off the movie because it does have its moments.

The storyline is simple to the point of simplistic. Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn) is an upright police inspector posted in a village near the Goa-Maharashtra border. Circumstances force him to take on Jaikant Shikre (Prakash Raj), a notorious criminal and the man responsible for the killing of an honest cop Rakesh Kadam.

Bajirao lands in the city of ‘Goa’ and the battle lines are drawn between the two. Over a period of time, Bajirao, ably supported by his girlfriend Kavya Bhosle (Kajal Aggarwal) manages to outwit the villian. What’s more, Bajirao’s policies force his corrupt colleagues to reform and switch sides.

A remake of the Tamil flick by the same name starring Surya, the movie has the Rohit Shetty stamp and leaves you feeling that this might well be ‘Golmaal-4′ in disguise. There’s a dash of ‘Dabangg’ to it with a mix of comic masala via the likes of Ashok Saraf and others. (more)

Ok, ok, here is my verdict. ‘Om Shanti Om’ is just another confused Bollywood flick sans any substance. For all its pre-launch hype and marketing blitzkrieg, the movie ends up as utter disappointment for a person like me who managed to watch a Bollywood film second-day-second-show after a decade.

The first half of the movie has the backdrop of 70s, and the stars manage to get the 70s feel minus King Khan who just can’t hide his suave and sleek image of the 90s. But he manages to hold on to the faint storyline with his usual cheeky humour and one-liners. The scene, where he takes a swipe at Tamil cinema, is perfectly done. It will leave you in splits.

As a debutant, Deepika Padukone (pronounced as Padu-Cone, while her papa, Prakash Padukone, was referred to as Padu-Koney…err…does Deepika think Padu-Koney is down market?), puts up a decent performance although her acting skills are limited to dance numbers and 100-watt smiles.

Arjun Rampal has the best role of his career so far, and he doesn’t disappoint you either. His acting skills have improved by leaps and bounds, and his mannerisms in the movie make you feel the baddie in him. Shreyas Talpade, as Shah Rukh’s buddy, rocks with his deft touch. He is one actor who looks equally at ease portraying the 70s role as well as the post-interval image makeover.

Peppy songs add up to the mood when you feel the storyline is a bit dragging or lost its way. A song with 31 Bollywood stars is a clear indication to the fact that when King Khan orders, none of his ‘colleagues’ want to be left behind. Such is his clout.

Farah Khan could have managed to get the screenplay right after the interval. Too many twists and turns leave you confused. Rebirth, reincarnation, spirits…you name it, the movie has it. Farah’s directorial debut ‘Main Hoon Na’ was a much better product than ‘Om Shanti Om’.

Is Shah Rukh Khan, the businessman, looking for a ‘dummy’ director like Farah Khan to manage his home ventures henceforth? It is time for Farah to sign up with a different banner to prove her mettle as a director.

My rating for ‘Om Shanti Om’ is 2/5.

PS: There have been such bad reviews for ‘Saawariya’ that I have decided to give it a skip!

(Pic source: AFP, Reuters)

(Right to Left): Lara Dutta, Bollywood actress and Jeniffer Lopez, Singer and Hollywood actress.

Pic source: AFP