Rohit Shetty directorial 'Simmba' sets a perfect farewell to 2018 in a staggering style; introducing the most cheerful character Simmba aka Sangram Bhalerao played by Ranveer Singh an absolute animated soul packed up with immense energy. The film opens up with Bajirao Singham aka Ajay Devgn introducing him to us telling us the tale of an orphan grown on the streets of Shivgad. A fearless kid pick-pocketing seeks the power of a cop taking bribe and since then his only aspiration in life is to become a police officer. The only light in his life is his caring sister who educates the homeless orphanage kids. The entry of Ranveer as Simmba in the midst of a 'Dhobhi ghat' with those slow-motion high-end cinematic shots and catchy background score stays in our head for long. Bhalerao bashes criminals but the surprise is that he is no honest man and bribes people to earn money. Simmba is set on a transfer from Shivgad to Miramar police station in Goa which is a goldmine for him when it comes to bribery but is informed not to mess with a local don Durva aka Sonu Sood.
In the new assigned police station, there are notable police constables firstly Ashutosh Rana who disrespects Simmba despite of him being his senior he excels with his character of an honest policeman, taunting Bhalerao all the time.Then, Siddharth Jadhav is a constable with literally all the quirks and terrific comic timing. Sara Ali Khan as Shagun, Simmba's love interest didn't get much of screen time but her limited presence wasn't a concern at all. Simmba finds out a caricatured presence of his sister from childhood who teaches the homeless orphans in front of Se Cathedral Church Goa. It is Aakruti aka Vaidehi Parashurami, an innocent medical student with whom Simmba caters a brother like bond. Inching towards the second half the narrative forces the film to take a serious turn with Durva's brothers played by Saurabh Gokhale and Amrit Singh commit a serious crime of rape. The genuineness and sincerity inside Sangram Bhalerao ignites the fire to serve justice and from here the emotions and intensity runs deep in with the audiences. We are extremely hooked to the narrative all the time and the feud between Durva and Simmba begins. Narrative proceeds to the courtroom sequences where Ashwini Kalsekar is on the justice bench taking the charge of the case. She was spot on and believable in the context of her character.
Special appearances are the reason this Rohit Shetty film has got more power to it. Ajay Devgn aka Bajirao Singham serves climax in his own style and swag! Sorry for the spoilers but Akshay Kumar has a cameo in the end as well. Even the 'Golmaal' cast in the song was an enduring factor. The songs of the film allow us to get glued to the film even more and each one of it is absolutely abiding. Whether it is the peppy number 'Aankh Marey' with Sara Ali Khan and Ranveer Singh grooving along with the entire 'Golmaal' cast, or a tenderly romantic love song 'Tere Bin' another remake of the iconic Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan classic 'Tere Bin Nahin Lagda' recreated with a lot of grace and bewitching duo's chemistry with picturesque locations is a visual treat. Simmba's entry song 'Aala Re Aala' with humongous production design and synchronised dance in large number is a finesse flash mod well presented. Neha Kakkar and Nakash Aziz song 'Mera Wala Dance' is laced up in the end credit scene and we wished it could have arrived a bit early.
This Rohit Shetty film explores an important subject and the USP of the film is extracting some surreal emotions out of the audiences. Story by Puri Jagannadh and Vakkantham Vamsi from the original Telugu film 'Temper' featuring NTR Junior is adapted and the entertainment element is completely taken care of despite choosing the crucial topic. Screenplay by Yunus Sajawal and Sajid is the match winner as even after being 2hrs 38-minute long film it didn't bore the audiences for a bit and every frame of it was enticing. Rohit Shetty's execution with the story and a Singham crossover hints us for a cinematic universe of cops in Bollywood and yeah Akshay Kumar looks damn good in cop's uniform.
Simmba is purely a splendid family film and can be the best way to say goodbye to 2018 and welcome 2019.
Director :Rohit Shetty
Cast :Ajay Devgn, Ashutosh Rana, Ranveer Singh