Singh Is Kinng

King is boring!

Singh Is Kinng Movie Review by Raju Shanbhag

His Royal Highness of the Bollywood Box Office,

Bound by my duty as a reviewer and intrigued by your past success as the crowning glory of Hindi film industry, I set my foot inside the theatre that played your latest flick, Singh is Kinng. Alas, your highness, what a waste of resources! Your princely court had all the splendor and glamour in the world. But it didn’t have that essential element which made you the king of box office; the humor. While you made all the efforts to keep the commoners entertained, your support staff didn’t exactly have your welfare in your mind when they made the movie. Was it a sabotage your highness? Were you aware of it?

Your director Anees Bazmee is a former pupil of David Dhawan, another standup comedian whom we all love. The effect shows, with the first two sequences of the film imitating the scenes of Aankhein, another mindless, but lovable comedy from Govanda and company. It seems your director has learnt only half the tricks of the trade from his teacher. The film is mindless by all means; but the in-your-face, but likeable streak of humor that was the lifeline of David Dhawan movies is completely missing here. Have you noticed it or you where busy shaking a leg with that beautiful queen of yours, Katrina Kaif?

This brings us to one of the pleasant topics of the otherwise boring movie. You see your highness; credits must be given where there are due. And your men have done a splendid job when they got that gorgeous dame, Katrina Kaif to enliven this mundane stuff. Even at the risk of inviting your wrath, we must say that she is the single binding factor between the viewers and this film. She may not be the best actress going around in Bollywood; but your highness, who cares? Especially in a brainless comedy like this where good actors like Om Puri strangely appear out of place. Katrina just looks ravishing, giggles at the right moments, and steals the non-existent thunder from everyone. Long live your queen, your highness!

But then, back to the boring stuff. None of the performers (or shall we say actors) live up to the mark and sadly, that includes you. You delighted us in movies like Hera Pheri and Heyy Baby, but this time, your facial expressions are hidden in beards and headgears. To add insult to the injury, you do not have good dialogues either. But you can take comfort from the fact that nobody had any good dialogues in the film! Apart from a couple of good songs and Katrina Kaif, even your hardcore followers won’t remember this film in the days to come.

Most of your sidekicks in the film have done a fairly good job. Kiran Kher, the quintessential Punjabi Mom of the Hindi industry, is in her elements once again. Others like Javed Jaffrey, Sonu Sood, Kamal Chopra and company do all they can to make your new venture a success. Even Neha Dhupia shows there is more to her than shedding whatever little clothes she is wearing. But your highness…. Ah, leave it.

His Highness, the world watches when the kings take the center stage. The world of Hindi cinema is restlessly waiting for you to crown you as the king of Bollywood, whether you wear that headgear or not. But movies such as this will neither get you any new fans nor keep the existing ones.

Long live the Kinng, but not such stories!

A Hardcore Bhangra - Singh Is Kinng Music Review.

By Dipika Nadkarni

Music director Pritam Chakraborty shows off his manifold proficiency in creating various types of music, since this album is very different from his recent hits that made it to the charts. Lyricist Mayur Puri’s predictably boring lyrics can be overlooked because of the raw charm of the tracks. The tracks are needlessly remixed and that robs the album of its atavistic appeal.

If you are the kind who thrives on Bhangra, this album is made for you. Because of the extensive promotion for the movie, majority are likely to have similar expectations from the music. The album by itself is not much fun, but it should be more enjoyable to hear the songs while watching the movie.

Singh is Kinng: The title track, it is solidly westernized by Snoop Dogg’s rap- he is the international rap kinng, and not famous for nothing- he’s good. The Hindi lyrics are no good, but it does leave an impact. With beats ranging from Indian, Punjabi, and Emcee, it makes for a fairly decent title track. Akshay Kumar s voice is an agreeable change.

Bas ek Kinng: Hard Kaur is back with a bang (and her rap, of course) and here to stay in Bollywood. She adds a distinctive pizzazz. The Hinglish rap aside, the song has quite repetitive lyrics which start to drone after a while.

The only difference in the Tiger style mix and the original are the varying beats and a lot more of Hard Kaur. Nothing else jumps out at you from this track. It will inevitably be a hit with the hoi polloi, played at local parties, with no one caring about the lyrics- just the tripping beat.

Jee Karde: This track has a nice beginning and a catchy beat. It has a fresh and original sound, unlike the typical Bhangra resonance that dominates the album. Suzie Q’s kinky, enticing voice lends a novel texture to this song.

The remix has heavy techno, synthesized sounds, and at the beginning, the beats are reminiscent of the Chemical Brothers’ trademark music. This is the only song in which the remix is slightly more exciting than the original.

Teri Ore: Shreya Ghoshal and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan bring a peaceful change with this track. But the lyrics make no sense. Except for the Tumbi notes that begin the track, there is nothing very striking in it; we’ve all heard better romantic songs. The lounge mix is very evocative of Falguni Pathak’s Maine Payal, and it loses its charm along with its uniqueness.

Bhootni Ke: With nothing more than absolutely undecipherable lyrics to boast about, this one makes you feel like you’re in Punjab, at one of those noisy festivals that make your head spin. The relentless Tumbi notes and a whole lot of people yelling make it quite irritating. It is a guaranteed hit with Daler Mehndi fans.

If the original isn’t boring enough, there are endless mixes and remixes. Himesh Reshammiya is to blame. He started this pointless fad of originals and remixes in the same album. Makes you wish they’d leave something for the super-cool DJ’s to remix three decades in the future.

Talli Hua: Once again, it is a noisy, mind-numbing din with tacky lyrics, a job poorly done. Neeraj Shridhar and Labh Jan Jua are both good, but this is an example of talent ineffectually used. Not to mention the fact that it leaves you wondering where you’ve heard this song before.

The Jay Dabhi mix with Style Bhai is no better. After all no amount of fertilizer is going to transform a bare and treeless wasteland into a lush green forest, is it?