Once famous as khiladi, Akshay Kumar has now reached a position in Bollywood that his movies are a sure hit. In fact, his presence turns even a non-hit into a hit one. Though his 'Tashan' flopped, the rustic desi boy hit the box office with 'Namastey London' and 'Welcome'. Now, Akki returns as Happy Singh, a gullible, foolhardy and accident-prone guy in romantic comedy 'Singh Is Kinng' that was released on Friday. This 'Punjabi Munda' looks all set to turn the real king of box office with his much hyped movie directed by Anees Bazmee. This is his one more Katrina Kaif starrer that is definitely going to be blockbuster hit. It couldn't be otherwise as the hit pair of Akshay and Katrina has already built huge expectation from it.
Incidentally, the first show of 'Singh is Kinng' was disrupted Friday at a cinema hall in Amritsar following protests by Sikh activists. The activists vandalized the NM cinema hall and damaged property, protesting against the Sikh community being projected "in a negative way" in the film starring Akshay Kumar, who is portraying a turbaned Sikh youth, and Katrina Kaif. The call for the protest against the movie was given on Thursday by radical Sikh organization Damdami Taksal though the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) had given its go ahead to the film after it was reviewed by a committee.
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The movie's story is that Lakhan Singh aka Lucky played by Sonu Sood is the 'king' of the Australian underworld. He functions with the help of his associates - Javed Jaffrey, Neha Dhupia, Manoj Pahwa, Yashpal Sharma, Kamal Chopra and Sudhanshu Pande. Far away, in Lucky's village in Punjab lives someone more notorious than him - Happy Singh played by Akshay Kumar, whose life changes when he leaves his village in Punjab and arrives in Australia. Happy Singh has gone to Australia to bring back a fellow villager Lucky Singh, an underworld don. During an accident Lucky is paralysed and then Happy becomes the new King of the Australian Underworld. We may add that the villagers were fed up of good Samaritan Happy Singh because most of his good deeds turned into hilarious, and often disastrous situations. So, they decide to send him to Australia to bring Lucky back to Punjab.
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Then, Happy is accompanied by Tony Singh played by Om Puri. Incidentally, Akshay meets with Sonia played by Katrina Kaif with whom he falls in love. But when he reaches his destination, things take a turn and Happy lands up in a series of comic misadventures, leaving him penniless. Luckily, Kirron Kher rescues him and also helps him meet Lucky. Happy saves Lucky's life by risking his own. Following the hilarious altercation, Lucky lands up in hospital paralysed, and Happy finds the tables turned on him when he is expected to assume the role of the new leader of the gang. Even in the wake of all this, it results in a wedding!
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Though the movie hangs on a thin plotline and suffers from some flaws, the movie has succeeded because of its fast speed, good songs and superb shooting locations of India and abroad. Since this is a combination of comedy, romance, action and drama, well synchronised in the duration of 2.10 hours, it has come out as very entertaining movie. Yes, one needs to watch it for fun and enjoyment as the common audience wants and not for any meaningful art as required by the highly intellectual class.
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Watching critically, we may conclude that the movie is good as a whole though not without flaws. While it succeeds in its funny scenes, it fails in catching the emotions. With a bit more tight editing, the movie would have turned much better. The efforts of director Anees Bazmi and those of the lead pair of Akki and Katrina have produced superb results. Akki's funny scenes and Katrina's charming look in a black saree have indeed stolen the limelight. Similarly, Om Puri performs very well and Sonu Sood doesn't remain far behind.
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Though Javed Jafri is a good dancer, he should have concentrated on his acting as well. Ranvir Shorey is first-rate. Neha Dhupia is engaging. The funny exchanges between Sudhanshu Pandey and Yashpal Sharma are worthwhile. Manoj Pahwa is good. Pritam's music is already popular and it compliments the other songs. 'Bhootni Ke', 'Jee Karda' and the title track stand out, while 'Teri Ore' is easy on the nerves. Ben Nott and Sanjay Gupta's cinematography is top notch. As said earlier, the editor should have removed those songs that don't gel well with the scenes.
