Spoilers ahead…
THERE’S PACY NARRATION. AND THERE’S PACY NARRATION AS PRACTISED BY THE DIRECTOR HARI. Oh, sorry. Did I seem to be screaming? I’ve just exited a screening of Singam 3, and I’m still trying to make myself heard. This is the kind of movie where a SpiceJet flight makes a landing and the sound engineers make you feel the runway is inside your ears.
Anyway, back to the pace. It’s evident from the very first scene, which describes the geological history of earth. First, there is one giant land mass. Then, continental drift happens. We get continents. We get borders. We get countries. We get states. We get to setting of the story. Some 750 million years of history are condensed into 2.3 seconds. That’s how Hari narrates his stories. Take the confrontation between Duraisingam (Suriya) and his wife, Kavya (Anushka Shetty). They are in Andhra Pradesh now – or maybe Telangana. It’s hard to keep track. All the cinematographic whooshing gives the impression we’re watching the movie from the inside of a mixie in coconut-chutney-grinding mode. Kavya wants to go home. Duraisingam says he has to complete his mission. He gets into his jeep and leaves. She sends him an “I am sorry” sms. He replies with an “I love you” sms. A major marital conflict is compressed into 2.3 seconds. I kept imagining Hari’s version of popular films. In his Mouna Raagam, Mohan and Revathy would be united in the second reel.
Sometimes, this pace helps. A needless item number (then again, you could ask if item songs are ever needful, and I’d have no answer) with Neetu Chandra is interrupted by shots of Duraisingam and his team carrying out an investigation. When the song isn’t memorable (the music is by Harris Jayaraj), when the choreography isn’t working, it’s good to be whisked away someplace else.
But even the scenes that need to be lingered on are given this treatment – and Saamy is proof that Hari wasn’t always this way. In that film, he gave us people we cared about, a love angle that made us smile, a comedian who made us laugh, a father whose plight made us sad. That is all we want in these mass movies, really. Some good songs. Some emotion. Some twists. Some decent comedy (Soori’s track is terrible here).
And some punch lines. Singam 3 gives us a couple of good lines when Duraisingam meets the villain for the first time, and during the climactic fight, which is staged in a forest simply so that the visual effects team can show Duraisingam morphing into a lion. (You know, in case it wasn’t evident from the title. And his name.) But a few lines aren’t enough. And with today’s leading men, the punch lines never sound punchy enough. Suriya gets a scene where he proves he knows both the Bible (“the wages of sin is death”) and Vaali (“Oru thavaru seidhaal…” from Naan aanayittal) – but these lines need more than just decibel-shattering volume. They need attitude, oratorical style, a certain kind of theatricality. (Just think of Sivaji Ganesan tossing off “I am waiting” or “Therikka vidalaama,” with that Dolby Digital larynx of his.)
Anyway, back to the pace. The story gets going with the investigation of a police commissioner’s death, and uncovers a larger conspiracy about e-waste and medi-waste that hints at Swachh Bharat undertones. (Many shots are framed around the Indian flag.) But no development, no performance is allowed to register. The breakneck editing (or maybe it’s the screenplay) results in weird segues. One moment Vidya (Shruti Haasan) is being arrested. But as she’s being led away, she looks longingly at Duraisingam, and we launch into a dream song, He’s My Hero.
Vidya is the equivalent of the Hansika character in Singam 2, a girl crushing on a married hero, just so that we get two heroines. Hari likes to have it both ways. He’ll stage duets, with Kavya in designer clothes, in foreign locations. He’ll also stage a thaali-sentiment scene at the airport. We miss the village from the first film. These masala movies always work better in rooted settings, with bright Indian colours that pop on screen. Take them to snowy peaks, and they begin to look anaemic.
But Vidya isn’t important. Neither is the widow played by Raadhika Sarathkumar, who’s wasted. The cop played by Robo Shankar doesn’t get to do much either. (He gets a laughable scene where he avenges his dead child, and this occurs 2.3 seconds after we learn he actually had a child.) None of this might have mattered if we had a strong antagonist – but a permanently pouting Thakur Anoop Singh plays the villain like a spoilt child denied a lollipop. It doesn’t help that he gets the most ridiculous entry scene in the history of screen villainy, where he’s seen in his undies. Pumping weights. Inside a plane.
Which brings us to the main problems with these mass movies. We have heroes, but no worthy villains. The last one was Prakashraj – he had the stature, the presence, the voice, the wonderful hamminess he knew just exactly how much to dial up and down. But after he got stereotyped and overexposed, our filmmakers have been searching for a replacement. They continue searching.
Then again, the Singam series is the last place to be complaining about the villain. One, it’s all about the hero, who’s lauded in India as “the most powerful officer,” and in Australia as “the universal cop.” Plus, given Hari’s filmmaking, he may not even need a villain in Singam 4. He could do a fast-forward mashup of the previous instalments, and we’d never be able to tell the difference.
KEY:
An edited version of this piece can be found here. Copyright ©2017 The Hindu. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
Rishi
February 9, 2017
HAHAHA
” The cop played by Robo Shankar doesn’t get to do much either. (He gets a laughable scene where he avenges his dead child, and this occurs 2.3 seconds after we learn he actually had a child.) “
LikeLike
Vikram
February 9, 2017
Rangan, is this your most sarcastic review ever? Or you have come to a stage in life where you proclaim “I have had enough this s**t? Either way, your writing is quite enjoyable.
LikeLike
Neps
February 9, 2017
The tamil nadu political situation itself is so racy, why should we waste money on a movie. Enjoy the politics, there you will get all the twists.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Janvi Sonaiya
February 9, 2017
Sir,
I have been following your blog since a year now. And consciously or subconsciously it has compelled me to think on the lines I never thought before, the way you give words to your feelings is something I would love to learn. You have no clue how much impact your words have in my life.
The depth in your reviews makes me question my own understanding of things. I would love work under your guidance or if I could only meet you once. Hopes.
Sincerely,
Janvi Sonaiya
A crazy Journo
(Ahmedabad Mirror)
LikeLiked by 3 people
Vijay Nandakumar
February 9, 2017
So “Singam 2.3” it seems BR!
Yet to see but totally agree with your line “We miss the village from the first film” That really made the film relatable. Like this one guy from the movie Kalavani told in a talk show “World cinema is nothing but a detailed and specific story of my own village”
LikeLiked by 1 person
sudharsanansampath
February 9, 2017
I was laughing the whole time. Singam is quickly becoming the Samurai Cop of India. Good review as always 🙂
LikeLike
Srinivas R
February 9, 2017
The first part of Singam was good fun actually, inspite of useless songs. Part 2 was bad, looks like part 3 is worse. I used to like Surya, but my patience with him wearing thin.
LikeLiked by 1 person
lakshmi
February 9, 2017
I thought you’re screaming because you had to write this review instead of a write-up on the Berlin film festival 😀
Not covering it at all this year?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Akhilan
February 9, 2017
After the memorable 24, all I’m going to take from this movie is 2.3 seconds… 🙂
Apparently, Hari went to Suriya with another script, but since there was huge ‘popular demand’ for another movie in this series, they went ahead and made Singam 3… Simply woeful…
LikeLiked by 1 person
brangan
February 9, 2017
lakshmi: Not in Berlin this year, unfortunately. Major developments afoot.
LikeLike
Zero
February 9, 2017
“this occurs 2.3 seconds after we learn he actually had a child.”
If I remember correctly, Thirupachi (in a similar moment) introduces the policeman’s child directly as a corpse.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Anu Warrier
February 9, 2017
🙂 That’s all I got.
LikeLike
Vikram Jegannathan
February 9, 2017
I watched ‘Arul’ in kasi theater sitting at the O row , which was 10 feet from the screen and my ear drums still flinch every time I think about that. I hear ringing in my ears every time I remember that the hero used a ‘kuthu vilaku’ to mash villains. A solemn vow was made that day to never attempt watching a Hari movie, let alone in theaters. Thank you BR for validating my vow.
LikeLiked by 2 people
shaviswa
February 9, 2017
Was expecting this. Singam was pretty watchable. Singam 2 was a bit boring. Singam 3 is expected to be horrible 🙂
Awesome review though. Cannot be more sarcastic. 🙂
LikeLike
Anuja Chandramouli
February 9, 2017
BR: On a completely unrelated note, if you choose to give politics the old school try, you have my vote. And the votes of your devoted fans. Hope you are willing to consider it.
We can script a beautiful back story for you where the possibilities are endless… For all we know your ancestry can be traced all the way back to sage Baradwaj when the semen he shed brought sired Drona and mayhap a brood of offspring, or even Shiva’s torrid romance with Vishnu in his Mohini avatar or something… It probably explains your fondness for Tiger’s milk. Hell for all we know you could be the One. The Chosen One.
And we can affectionately refer to you as Peter Anna since you hate Uncle and are likely to like Enga Thanga Mama even less. Or how about Deva Magan? What do you think?
LikeLiked by 11 people
brangan
February 9, 2017
Anuja Chandramouli: How many bottles of wine later was that comment written? 😀
LikeLiked by 12 people
shaviswa
February 10, 2017
Tsk Tsk – is that wine comment stereotyping women? how do you know it was not a single malt? 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
praneshp
February 10, 2017
Ever since someone said they read Dimple Khanna’s book the other day Anuja has been waxing eloquent.
@brangan: I hope it’s good major developments!
LikeLike
brangan
February 10, 2017
shaviswa: Oh, I meant wine in the generic sense of alcoholic stimulant, which could range from single malt to whatever Hansika bought at the TASMAC store in Bogan 😛
LikeLiked by 6 people
Anuja Chandramouli
February 10, 2017
Shaviswa: I did feel the wine comment was stereotypical but decided that BR was just implying that I sounded seriously high 🙂 I get that a lot, even when I am stone cold sober 🙂 🙂 So can’t really blame the guy can I? And here I was hoping to become a Kingmaker!
Venkatesh aka BR Discoverer please rediscover our reluctant leader!
PraneshP: I have been going on and on lately haven’t I? Don’t worry, I’ll dial it down 🙂 Swear it!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
praneshp
February 10, 2017
Just came back from watching this piece of shit. I think this had the worst comedy track I’ve seen in a long time. And the screaming was so much that I found one of the ads in the interval that I always complain about mild.
LikeLike
Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
February 10, 2017
Have we ever wondered about Sivaji doing a “Naa oru thadava sonna … “? Btw, MGR would’ve done full justice to “Therikka vidalaama”. 😛
LikeLike
sravishanker1401gmailcom
February 10, 2017
“In his Mouna Raagam, Mohan and Revathy would be united in the second reel.”
Vow !
This reminds me of MAD magazine’s trashing of a hypothetical Reader’s Digest’s Condensed version of Gone With The Wind with a couple of fiddle dee dees thrown in.
“These masala movies always work better in rooted settings, with bright Indian colours that pop on screen. Take them to snowy peaks, and they begin to look anaemic.”
Insightfully awesome writing
LikeLike
Jyoti S Kumar
February 10, 2017
BR sir, fingers crossed on the major developments. I hope it will be a positive movement for you
LikeLike
blurb
February 10, 2017
So, no brickbats on Twitter this time? What’s the difference, I wonder. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
BR Discoverer (formerly the "original" venkatesh)
February 11, 2017
@Anuja: “Venkatesh aka BR Discoverer please rediscover our reluctant leader!”
Your wish is my command oh Imbiber of the Spirits 🙂
How shall we start ?
My thinking is to take a photo of our Reluctant Leader in his usual Writerly uniform , christen it as Peter Anna and trend it on twitter.
#PeterAnnaForCM
#OurPeterAnna
#’TNWiithPeterAnna
#IAMWithPeter
……….
He cant be any worse than the current lot and he is better looking to boot. He has the female vote for sure.
#ThaiKulamPeterke
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ravi K
February 11, 2017
Hari has invented the first film that fast-forwards itself for you!
LikeLiked by 3 people
arun
February 11, 2017
My Personal Opinion is Movies like this are not really Movie at all. . Charlie Chaplin movies were with 14 to 26 FPS which means max 26 different moments happening in a second and yet audiences Able to visually comprehend even without sound and enjoy them even today. The problem with these movies is they are time lapse representation of 10 to 15 different old movies. By the time you mind thinks..”Idhe engeyo paathu iruken” and then the scene jumps immediately. This is what happens when Directors are creatively handicapped and they rely on Gimmicks like this to fool the audiences..This movie is a shame to the creative process of movie making itself….
LikeLike
Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
February 11, 2017
@ “original” venkatesh: Given the current political scenario in TN, I’m sure nobody wants to end up becoming a ‘Silverspoon’ Shilpakumar. 🙂
LikeLike
nadnivara (@rnadnivara)
February 11, 2017
“In his Mouna Raagam, Mohan and Revathy would be united in the second reel”
This one is superb! A new “Base-Hari” notation! 🙂
LikeLike
lowlylaureate
February 11, 2017
Hi BR and Buddies,
We loved the film (singam 3), dunno why nonding nonding…here u go FRS of the same
LikeLike
sravishanker1401gmailcom
February 11, 2017
Ravi K : That was an extraordinary one liner !
LikeLike
gnanaozhi
February 11, 2017
Seriously, the Surya of Nerruku Ner, Nanda, Pithamagan, KK (the gravitas and dignity he brings to his role…amazing), Varnam Aayiyram or the amazing Perazhagan…he is gone.
LikeLike
Nilosh Moorthi (@NilFBosh)
February 11, 2017
I don’t know about you guys, but while watching the movie, only question kept hitting the back of my mind. How does every single person that Durai Singam encounters (no pun intended) in Andhra Pradesh/Telangana speak and understand Tamil?
LikeLike
ThouShaltNot
February 11, 2017
The little lady and the loyal satrap are busy playing sadu-gudu. The scion is playing wait and watch, if not hope and pray. Meanwhile, the big fellow and his team are playing hokey-pokey. There are no winners here. As always, people are the big losers. Then again, that has been the plight of the Tamil. The situation with movies apparently is just as tragicomic.
For some distraction…Here is a song from “Pennin Perumai” which aptly describes our feelings, “Azhuvadhaa, illai siripadhaa indha adhisayamaana ulagathai paarthu…”. This was the first song TMS and PS sang together in a Tamil movie. Sivaji and M N Rajam mouth the lines on screen.
LikeLike
ThouShaltNot
February 12, 2017
Not much about Singam, maybe about Asingams? Given that reality in TN these days is depressing, here are some characters from an imaginary world…they know a Tamil movie song or two to lighten up the mood
LittleLady (a.k.a FriendWithoutAgendas) : chinna chinna aasai, raani aaga aasai …
Realizing that doesn’t compute and there are no takers anyways, quickly changes tune and sings
pOga pOga theriyum, indha poovin vaasam puriyum…
Still no takers…
WealthyRosewater (a.k.a Maanbumigu): Naan ungal veetu pillai, idhu oor arindha unmai, naan sellugindra paadhai, maanbumigu…
TamilPeople (a.k.a AlwaysAmusedPuratchiLovers): turning to WealthyRosewater… unnai thaan naan arivaen, chinnavalai yaar arivaar…
StormTroopers (a.k.a Namaskaarams): Ammaa endrazhaikaadha uyir illaye, ammaavai vanangaamal uyarvillaye…
GeneralJoesph (a.k.a WaitWatcher, PotStirrer, HoperPrayer): winking at WealthyRosewater.. Naanga pudhusaa… Naangaa pudhusaa kattikitta jOdi dhaanunga … (wink, wink)
WealthyRosewater reflexively disowning GJ.. illai, illai, illavey illai, Maanbumigu…
KalviKadal: (a.k.a StrategicSlowWalker): Aaaha, mella nada, mella nada …
Realizes he needs his game-face on, quickly switches to
kaaval raajiyam enadhu, andha kaaval raajiyam enadhu…
BigFellow (a.k.a DayLateAndA500RupeesShort, DayLateAndAThousandRupeesShort): Feigns ignorance and confusion. Tamils just recently gave him a huge headache. Now, this. Sings… Onnumey puriyaley ulagathiley… ennamO nadakkudhu, marmamaa irukkudhu …
SoodhuKavvumTeam: LOL
LikeLiked by 1 person
sachita
February 12, 2017
whats hari’s obsession with 2.3 seconds? what is the significance of that number?
LikeLike
Madan
February 12, 2017
“A major marital conflict is compressed into 2.3 seconds.” – Ah, if only reality could mirror art.
“In his Mouna Raagam, Mohan and Revathy would be united in the second reel.” – So Hari is the Hemmingway of Kollywood?
LikeLike
Bharath Vijayakumar
February 13, 2017
A badly prepared meal doesn’t taste that bad if gulped down while it is piping hot. So is the case with this film. A poor film that does not bore you as it plays out in fast forward mode.
LikeLike
Babu Rao
February 21, 2017
One of your cheekiest reviews BR. I had half a mind to say ‘It’s high time the director changed his name to HURRY’. But then I had the sensibility to check with another movie critic who is well known for his clever wordplay. And yes, he had mentioned this Hurry stuff.
My pleasure and privilege to follow your works.
LikeLike
Amit Joki
February 21, 2017
Singam franchise makes you feel more in awe for Sethupathy and Saamy kind of dialogue deliveries.
VJS was calm and cool as a cucumber while Vikram was a bit eccentric in his dialogue deliveries.
Surya painstalkingly has no such good virtue, he keeps on barking dialogues.
And who’s the lyricist? Sone sone supersonic, naa vechu seiven romba unique?!
I died.
LikeLiked by 1 person
MANK
February 21, 2017
surya makes a terrible masala hero imo. he is good at what he does in pitamagan,vaaranam ayiram (the son character) or even Kakka kakka which are more realistic portrayals.he doesnt understand or doesnt have the skill for masala at all. his masala mode is just going full blown OTT and its intolerable
Vikram is the best masala hero we had after Rajni. its a pity that he turned his back on that kind of cinema and decided to be this weird rajni-kamal combo mutant actor who does weird characters in even more weirder movies which are neither artistic nor commercial. Now he is planning to do saamy2 with Hurry again in his 2.3 sec mode. we can very well guess what’s that going to look like
LikeLiked by 1 person
Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
February 21, 2017
Amit Joki: And who’s the lyricist? Sone sone supersonic, naa vechu seiven romba unique?!
Is it any worse than this?
http://www.lyricsinbox.com/443/donu-donu-donu-lyrics-maari
LikeLiked by 1 person
MANK
March 14, 2017
HERE’S PACY NARRATION. AND THERE’S PACY NARRATION AS PRACTISED BY THE DIRECTOR HARI. Oh, sorry. Did I seem to be screaming
Good god Brangan, i thought you were exaggerating. but even words fail to describe the pace (or whatever) of this movie. huh, i finally just checked this one out of sheer curiosity. i have never seen a more pointless film. nothing registers, not a single moment , a single emotion, a single dialogue, .only thing one feel is numbness. how can you root for a masala hero when you feel nothing for him. An endless assault of superfast camera moves and editing cuts. has the mainstream masala film directors gone totally bonkers.
One main thing i noticed was that now the tamil masala hero has become a pan indian, right from the time of MGR, it was always about Tamizh pride for the masala hero .( the same goes for Kannada and Telugu ), now he downplays his regionalism and is embracing an indian nationalism which is brought about by the expansion of the tamil film market. so we have surya mentioning TN,Kerala, Karnataka,Telangana, AP all in the same breath and these are all the chief markets for his films.
LikeLiked by 1 person