Critics rating: 1.5  Stars

Cast:  Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Lara Dutta, Kay Kay Menon.

Direction: Prabhu Deva.

Produced: Akshay Kumar, Ashvini Yardi, Jayantilal Gada.

Written: Prabhu Deva, Sunil Kumar Agrawal, Shiraz Ahmed,Ravi S. Sundaram.

Genre: Action Comedy.

Duration: 139 Mins

The tomfoolery commences in Singh is Bling with an effervescent hero and anthropomorphic animals. It is a film so generic and replete with unnecessary songs that it induces a resigned stupor

Akshay Kumar resumes the role of a village bumpkin, Raftaar Singh, in a same-same but different mode, not that different is ever a drastic departure from this particular genre’s clichés in Hindi movies. Bassi Pathanan, his village, is constantly regaled by his antics, while the cows and the gully’s stray dogs exchange a few words on the Singh clan and the constant clash between father and son. The touch is surreal and unneeded.

Tired of his son’s wayward behaviour, Raftaar’s father packs him off to work as a security guard at the local Chhatbir zoo. He bungles it up by letting a lion loose and gets sent to Goa to work for Kirpal (Pradeep Rawat), a casino owner. Raftaar is entrusted with the protection of Sarah (Amy Jackson), a don’s daughter from Romania. She is being pursued by Mark (Kay Kay Menon), who is smitten by her and was smited too when he tried to act fresh. Despite his quest for vengeance, his Snape-hairdo and constant refrains of “I’m too good” do no favours for the character or the talented actor portraying him.

Raftaar and Sarah don’t speak each other’s language so we have local Goan Emily (Lara Dutta) doubling up as a nerdy translator and a sleepwalking bombshell for two of Raftaar’s friends (the gag will test your patience). Sarah is in Goa to search for her mother, who had left because she did not approve of the family business. She’s no babe in the woods either and morphs into Action Jackson mode at the slightest indication of danger. That is conveniently left redundant in the climax, when it falls upon the hero to do the real ass-kicking.

 

Singh is Bling has the Prabhudheva stamp of humour on it with certain gestures and unexpected comic touches like when Raftaar fails to conduct smooth, heroic movies during key moments. The film is not genre-bending, though. Despite a promising start, it goes haywire in the second half, especially the inclusion of two love songs in quick succession of each other.

The laughs do not come often enough, the romance is not endearing enough, the obstacles never seemingly insurmountable while logic languishes six feet under the ground of Raftaar’s agile feet. All that glitters is not gold. Don’t get blinded by the bling. Or do, if it makes watching this easier.